RONALD PHILLIPS – MASTER OF ENGLISH FURNITURE
Photograph credit: Ronald Phillips Ltd
WOOLF always look forward to seeing Ronald Phillips at The Masterpiece shows in London. After chairing The Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair for three years, Ronald Phillips, is now one of the founding members of Masterpiece London. We had a most interesting introduction to the Ronald Phillip’s antique collection through its director Simon Phillips.
The scope of our projects often require our expertise and knowledge in sourcing and selecting interesting antiques, particularly when are working on traditional, period or historic houses. Occasionally we will also select a few unique antique pieces for a very contemporary or classical interior, we find that a few well-selected antiques, can really set off an entire space. We are always intrigued to learn more about the origins of antique’s from around the world. It was really exciting to see such a quality ‘English Antique collection, first hand and to further enrich our knowledge base. Explore Antiques in WOOLF projects
These are some of our favourite pieces from the Ronald Phillips Collection:
Photograph credit: Ronald Phillips Ltd
Photograph credit: Ronald Phillips Ltd
We pride ourselves in not only being able to source the best antiques, we also know how important it is to have relationships with the most established and credible antique dealers. Valuable antiques need to be accompanied by rigorous provenances. Such pieces are in the same league as secondary market, blue chip art works. This makes our understanding of the works and their sellers, critical to the investment our clients make in their collections .
We were keen to find out more about Ronald Phillips’s collection because we were aware that since the 1950s the company has been the pre-eminent collector and seller of ‘Fine Antique English furniture’. It was really fantastic for us to see the collection face-to-face. Explore Antiques in WOOLF projects
Ronald Phillips, is a long established family business founded in 1952 with showrooms on Old Brompton Road. 1952 Saw the First Exhibition At Chelsea Town Hall in 1952, A period when war time austerity was coming to an end and a demand for antiques grew steadily. It was the Chelsea Antiques fair at Chelsea town hall that Ronald Phillips first came to prominence. The tradition of exhibiting at antiques shows carries on today. In 1976 the firm moved to more spacious premises at 26 Bruton Street in the heart of London’s Mayfair. Simon Phillips took over the business from his father Ronald in the late 1990’s. Their prestigious yet unassuming shop, houses a collection of some of England’s finest and exquisite furniture pieces. Explore Antiques in WOOLF projects
Photograph credit: Ronald Phillips Ltd
Photograph credit: Ronald Phillips Ltd
RESTORATION OF ORIGINAL ANTIQUE FURNITURE
Every piece of furniture in the care of the restoration workshop undergoes thorough assessment and every piece is recorded. The company ethos for authenticity, quality, colour and condition is paramount in the workshop practice. In 2005 Ronald Phillips appointed Steven Hoar and opened an upholstery workshop at their Mayfair premises. Steven works in traditional methods ensuring that the authenticity of the finished piece of furniture is guaranteed.
Simon has specialized in advising private international collectors and building up several significant collections, and supervising restoration of pieces around the world. Ronald Phillips is today one of the leading fine English antique dealers in the world and has proudly handled some of the most important pieces of English furniture from the 18th century available on the market.
Amongst their many loyal customers are Museums, Royalty and private collectors from all over the world. The shipping department ensures safe transport to any destination by experienced and approved shipping companies. He is also responsible to oversee the restoration of antique coverings such as needlework and tapestry materials.
Photograph credit: Ronald Phillips Ltd
Photograph credit: Ronald Phillips Ltd
FURNISHING A ROOM OR A HOUSE
The Georgian period was the most significant and enlightening of architectural periods and development of exquisite antique furniture. Furniture design in the Georgian era was governed by traditional doctrines of design, particularly those involving scale and proportion. Whether you are restoring an existing 18th century property or looking to furnish a new house a great interior designer or experienced dealer will advise and illustrate how their pieces will work within the respective setting: from a town-house in New York to a beach-house in Malibu, an English Country Estate or a private yacht. The respective voice and demeanor of each piece of furniture must also incorporate the philosophy of the client’s personalities and lifestyles.
Photograph credit: Ronald Phillips Ltd
Photograph credit: Ronald Phillips Ltd
FORMING A COLLECTION
When WOOLF helps a client to invest in an original, rare, particularly collectable or valuable piece of antique furniture, a dealer like Ronald Phillips has the expertise to advise leading interior designers, on those investments. Be it from the beginning of forming a collection or adding suitable pieces to an already established collection, we require that each piece of furniture acquired will be rigorously vetted by a team of in-house experts for its authenticity and chosen for its merits of quality, color and condition. It is only through working with dealers with an unblemished track record of expertise and delivery that WOOLF has built up a reputation of trust and integrity within the antiques world and are in a position to handle top quality, rarest pieces of fine English furniture. Explore Antiques in WOOLF projects
