The role of the antique rug dealer has changed dramatically over the last few years.
With the advent of the internet many of the transactions now take place online, ranging from emails to eBay to even prestigious auction houses. The dealer and his gallery is often merely a point of transit  and is destined to become obsolete.

‘Hunting and Gathering’ is a series of yearly web and gallery exhibitions aiming at restoring the fundamental role of the dealer.
Borrowing the term from Archaeology, where it is used to describe the human mode of subsistence since the Palaeolithic, it depicts what we dealers really do best – travel the world, not only virtually, hunting for the best pieces (which are more often than not hidden in some corner of the world and not available online) and putting them aside waiting for the best moment to present them to the market. The now ‘older’ generation of merchants had this as its modus operandi – think of all their beautiful yearly publications containing a selection of their recent acquisitions.
Our main asset is the gigantic mental database that comes with years of hunting and it’s an invaluable experience equal to the hours spent in the operating room by a neurosurgeon. The downside of social media is that everyone can self proclaim himself as an authority on a subject. Here instead we offer documentary proof of our knowledge and commitment to our profession.
Each of these yearly exhibitions will be distinguished by a specific theme.
This inaugural edition is dedicated to the weavings of China, Tibet and East Turkestan, which has been one of my focuses during the last few years.
Each piece is photographed front and back and can be studied in detail by means of a zoom function. All the captions will feature a structural analysis, a condition report and a general description, indicating also the provenance. The price will be listed in every case.
The aim is that of combining the traditional role of the dealer with modern technology and with the complete transparency that contemporary dealership entails.