About Carlton Hobbs Provenance
Carlton Hobbs Provenance is a space dedicated to pieces which once formed part of the Carlton Hobbs collection. The daily study of the histories of the pieces we acquire, some of them nearly 400 years old, is quite a humbling experience in that we become keenly aware of the fact that each owner, ourselves included, accompanies a piece for only a brief interval in its life.
A collector of any precious object or piece of furniture is only its temporary guardian. However, by virtue of his social standing, glamorous career or generally acknowledged exceptional taste, a collector can certainly add value to a piece just by having once owned it.
Rescued from obscurity, some of the pieces to be posted on this site have now acquired an iconic status, such as the Ebony Bookcase inset with Chinese Mirror Paintings, yet their maker or patron still remain unknown.
This website is designed to further research into these special pieces and to encourage the interaction of interested people from the trade, academia and private collectors.
