Old Stock Photos
A Personal Photographic Archive · First Article
Objects,Collections &EarlyDiscoveries
A growing visual record of decorative arts photographed through years of dealing, museum visits and visits to historic houses.
Every antique has a story, and every dealer has a beginning.
Over the years, I have photographed decorative arts wherever I encountered them: objects handled by OTOAntiques, pieces seen at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, displays at Polesden Lacey in Surrey and other local country houses, and works observed during museum and collection visits.
From the Archive is therefore more than a record of old stock. It is a personal visual reference built through dealing, travelling, visiting collections and learning from the objects themselves. Some images were taken with simple cameras, before I developed my present photography style, but each preserves something worth remembering.
Please note: an object appearing in these galleries should not be understood as having been owned or sold by OTOAntiques. The archive brings together photographs made for study, inspiration and as a record of my experience with antiques.
Chinese Art & Ceramics
The largest part of the archive: blue and white, enamelled porcelain, monochrome wares, carved stone and metalwork photographed across museum displays, historic houses and the antiques trade.
Chinese ceramics · Blue and white
Chinese Blue & White Porcelain
“These photographs bring together blue-and-white porcelain seen in very different settings—from museum cases and historic interiors to pieces encountered through OTOAntiques.”
Famille rose, famille verte, Imari and iron-red
Chinese Enamelled Porcelain
“A visual study of colour and decoration across famille rose, famille verte, Chinese Imari and iron-red porcelain.”
Celadon, monochrome, earthenware and stoneware
Chinese Monochromes & Early Ceramic Wares
“Seen together, these quieter wares show how much can be expressed through glaze, form, texture and firing alone.”
Carved stone
Chinese Jade & Hardstone
“A small study group of jade and hardstone carvings photographed for their material, workmanship and subject.”
Metalwork
Chinese Bronze & Pewter
“Bronze and pewter objects recorded across museum, historic-house and dealing contexts.”
Enamelled metalwork
Chinese Cloisonné
“Colour first draws the eye, but the photographs also preserve the precision of the wirework and enamel.”
Japanese Art & Ceramics
A smaller but steadily growing record of Japanese porcelain, bronze and cloisonné encountered in collections, historic displays and through the antiques trade.
Japanese ceramics
Japanese Porcelain
“A photographic study of Japanese porcelain and the distinct materials, palettes and decorative traditions that separate it from Chinese ceramics.”
Japanese metalwork
Japanese Bronze
“Japanese bronzes encountered in collections and through the antiques trade, recorded as part of an expanding visual reference.”
Japanese enamelled metalwork
Japanese Cloisonné
“A close record of the precision and patience concealed beneath brilliant enamel surfaces.”
English & European Finds
English and European objects photographed in country houses, museum collections and through the course of dealing.
English antiques
English & British Finds
“English and British objects photographed in historic interiors, museum displays and through the course of dealing.”
European antiques
Continental European Finds
“Continental European objects that caught my attention during visits, study and the everyday search for antiques.”