Silk Blanket Chests

Lit capitonné de style Louis XVI capitonné de soie très récemment restauré époque napoléon III Il est vendu avec sa housse de traversin et son dessus de lit en soie en parfait é...

A faded piece of country house furniture, likely to be 19th century, with elements of 18th century braid, textiles and carry handles. The chest has its original yellow silk interior, and its heavily faded velvet...

We are delighted to offer for sale this conservation-restoration circa 1900 extra large Louis Vuitton Paris Malle Haute steamer trunk with full monogrammed canvas Where to begin…… I purchased this trunk from a French arms and militaria dealer who I met in Belgium whilst visiting the Chateu De Deulin for an exquisite exhibition. The trunk had been brought from Paris by the dealer to sell at a fine antiques fair. The second I saw it I had to buy it, when do you have the chance to purchase such an iconic and stylish piece of late 19th century travel luggage made by the worlds greatest and most reputable luggage manufacturer Louis Vuitton… never! The trunk was in the normal condition which is to say poor, thus began the dilemma regarding restoration. There are many (smaller versions) of these trunks that come up for sale and they are all restored with the same paint brush which is to say in the same way, the dealers will strip back and polish up all the brass work so it looks brand new, they will paint all the metal work black so it makes the brass gleam even more, they basically try to make something that shouldn’t look new, look new. So, my dilemma was do I follow the same route, the quote I was given for the work was not insubstantial, or do I find a conservation restorer who would keep all the originally of the piece but make it clean, tidy, safe and presentable. I chose the latter, in walks the wonder that is Martin Ashford. Martin’s work is world famous, you may know him from the show Salvage Hunters the restorers, he is without doubt the finest (and most ingenious) fabric restorer I have ever encountered. Martin worked the trunk right back to the frame, he has worm and damp treated the carcass on the inside and out, it is now 100% clean, sterile and safe to use for another 120+ years. The timber has been expertly cleaned so as to not remove any of the original patina, it has then been waxed and polished. The Louis Vuitton monogram material...

Early 20th century Tibetan leather chest with distressed silk tapestry panels. This chest could have been used to store any manner of objects, from sacred to secular. It comprises o...

Gothic chest in wood lined with velvet and wrought iron in the typical typology of the XV century. The good work in the iron forge is indisputable, it presents the proliferation in s...