A Conversation With Arms and Armour dealer and specialist, Redmond Finer

With so many pieces from different periods and from all over the world, I assume that a late 19th century Japanese tanto and a pair of late 18th century holster pistols will have different considerations. How should an interested buyer approach a purchase?

In the words of my father, ‘buy what you love, and buy the best examples you can afford.’ If there is a particular historical era, culture or locale that interests you, investigate how its arms and armour reflected its artistic and scientific achievements. Talk to us about your area of interest and we can both show you what is available or might at some point come on the market. Different periods and materials have varying considerations; indeed, it is our job to help you fully understand the object and all its context, both historical and in today’s art market. It is our pleasure to do so!

Once a client has bought an artwork, are issues of provenance relevant and is it appropriate to request condition reports? How should a client verify that the paperwork is accurate and are there any signals that a document may not be ingenuous?

As a dealer our reputation is everything. A dealer should always try and be forthcoming and patient with a client’s questions and requests, and yes, an item’s provenance is important both in terms of artistic value and legalities these days. My advice would be to work with dealers on the international stage, who play the long-game and who want to build personal, trusted, long-term relationships with their clients. Dealers who exhibit at art fairs like Tefaf, Masterpiece or Frieze have essentially themselves been ‘vetted’ (as are the works they exhibit at these fairs); these dealers have strong reputations and long-established businesses.

As a luxury design studio, Designed By Woulfe integrates artwork into their designs for a “whole living” € approach. How do you advise integrating the pieces from your inventory into designs?

We supply custom made stands for each piece to show the true beauty and form off. This makes placing the objects into a modern or more traditional setting easier, and we are always open to working with designers to achieve the desired look.

Are there any steadfast rules about maintaining the pieces? Recommendations such as not putting pieces in direct sunlight, near a radiator, how to keep them clean, etc.?

This is dependant on each individual piece and we always give advice.

Designed By Woulfe has invited Tova Ossad of Ossad Art Management to interview a range of art world personalities. Her fifteen years’ experience working in this sphere has exposed her to many artists, auction specialists, art advisors, conservators, and gallerists, thereby giving the Design Journal fresh insight into the fundamentals of art. This series will explore buying, selling, appreciating, and everything in between.