Anglo-Oriental
Antiques was set up in 2003 by Miranda Brankin – Frisby.
Miranda has two Masters degrees specializing in Indian and Islamic
Art from the Universities of London and Edinburgh. She has worked
for Bonhams as a specialist in their Islamic department and as
a consultant for Phillips Auctioneers in the same sphere before
deciding on a career as a dealer. The stylistic impetus behind Anglo-Oriental Antiques is based
on an enduring European romance with the `Orient` initiated in
the 18thC when colonial expansion opened the door to a wealth
of new experiences and artistic influence. `Orientalism` as an
artistic movement must be understood in the wider context of
a Western European interpretation with no strict boundaries.
It was not an exclusive preoccupation with the Far East as is
often thought but the present day Middle and Near East and the
Indian Subcontinent.
The love for all things Oriental extended to fashion, furniture, decoration
and works of art. Anglo-Oriental Antiques endeavors to evoke a period in British
decorative fashion, which is at the same time both quintessentially European
and Oriental.
The English painted furniture we stock is typical of that which
would be found in a fashionable English Interior of this date.
This is combined with Indian and Islamic items, which were collected
and appreciated by a European market. These were often items,
which they personally commissioned in the country of origin.
For example the Vizagapatam Ivory and Satinwood Writing Slope (Stock No: 1002),
which bears the initials of a European patron. The total effect should be a
homogenous interpretation of the varying elements of interior decoration.
The company sources most items from European shores in an effort
to stay true to a European taste. |