Arms and Armour: Collecting Antique Weapons

Explore the niche world of antique arms and armour collecting, featuring dealers like Peter Finer, rare finds from the Bronze Age to the Renaissance, and the appeal to diverse collectors.

A few other examples of arms and armour are spread around the reasonable. A significant, ritualistic silver-gilt Guard of Achilles (1823 ), acquired by Ernest Augustus, when king of Hanover, is on sale at Koopman Rare Art for upwards of ₤ 2m. At Rupert Wace, meanwhile, is a set of spearheads dating to the late Bronze Age (16th-ninth century BC, ₤ 3,800 each or ₤ 7,000 for both). They are, claims the gallery’s Beth Franklin, one more pointer of how things like this can be as much regarding art as anything else.

Rare Finds: Spears and Silver

The gallery community for these kinds of products, nonetheless, is tiny: so little, in fact, that at Frieze Masters it belongs practically totally belongs to Finer, whose dealer was started in 1967. “I wish there were more suppliers,” Finer states. Finer says that his clients vary from “major galleries to individuals who collect a certain kind of item, right through to those that simply buy since they like the look of it”.

Finer’s Niche: Arms Gallery

Finer claims that his clients vary from “significant museums to individuals who accumulate a particular kind of item, right with to those who simply purchase due to the fact that they like the appearance of it”. “I have actually got a male who just gathers Viking swords, and he recognizes a lot a lot more regarding them than I do.

Younger enthusiasts are infrequent, though Finer’s boy Redmond has done much to shake up business, including bringing in ancient and Islamic product. The older Finer preserves a fantastic love for weapons.

Renaissance Swords and Crossbows

The space is a bonanza: other highlights include an Italian Renaissance sword, its gilt hilt featuring a face of Medusa, serpents twisting through her hair; and a delicately carved, late 16th-century crossbow constructed from products including staghorn, timber and bone. Prices begin at ₤ 6,500 and rise into seven figures.

Frieze Masters: Armour Showcase

Site Visitors to Frieze Masters wanting to shield themselves from the world– and people asking for directions to Gail’s– would certainly do well to visit Peter Finer’s stand, which is loaded with beautiful examples of arms and armour stretching back to the 15th century. Overlooking the space is a version of a man and equine, spruced up in resplendent opulent armour that is on sale as a suite for ₤ 1.8 m.

The gallery environment for these type of things, however, is little: so tiny, in fact, that at Frieze Masters it belongs nearly totally comes from Finer, whose car dealership was established in 1967. “I wish there were even more dealerships,” Finer states. “It’s a double-edged sword, to coin a pun, however occasionally people like to have more than someone to handle.” The trick behind Finer’s longevity and success? “We have actually got a remarkable supply, so we attempt not to replicate what we bring at fairs; we additionally buy back material on a regular basis.”