Collecting antiques is a social phenomenon, often misrepresented as being the hobby of only a select few. From my own experience working in the trade, perusing galleries, working at and attending fairs and auctions over a long period of time (some 30 years) collecting antiques is a pleasure indulged in by a vast number of people from very different backgrounds and all walks of life.

Collecting aesthetically pleasing items is quite normal and fulfills a deep emotional need within us all. You can become “hooked” on the search for that special piece, forgotten, unappreciated and unloved. It is not a question of cost, but an individual quest, one that showcases the triumphs of mankind.

Over the centuries thousands of dilettante, investors, learned connoisseurs and curio hunter’s have all had one thing in common. A persistent, and well documented impulse, desire, or instinct that compels them to pursue their consistent passion for collecting.

Taste is a word we often hear used to describe a collector’s criterion and, from an aesthetic point of view, people’s taste’s vary widely, ranging from loving what some may regard as less important objects, to those who collect items that costs millions of dollars. The efforts of collectors, whatever their objective, have helped document the evolution of society. And, each contemporary generation has an opportunity to learn from what has gone before in order to progress the future.

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Carolyn McDowall, Creative Director, The Culture Concept Circle

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4. CIVILISED: At the Beginnings of Art
5. The Culture Concept Circle – You Tube Channel