A conversation with Curator O.

What people ask the curator

Curator O. answers questions about old objects: dating and origin, hallmarks and signatures, materials and techniques, condition and care, and a reasonable price from live sales of similar pieces. Send a photograph and O. will read the piece, saying what is established, what is probable and what it does not know.

• What is this mark — crossed swords under the glaze?
• Bronze or spelter — how do you tell from a photo?
• A Karelian birch chest — what year might it be?
• How do I clean a gilt frame, and what must I never do?
• What is an 1880s chesterfield in original leather worth today?
• I inherited a piece — where do I start to understand it?

O. does not replace a licensed appraiser: a formal valuation is a private document outside the platform. The Masters’ Circle helps you find a specialist.