Rosemary Whelan, from Ireland, has been in the antiques trade for almost 25 years. A member of the Irish Antique Dealers Association, she has a passion for quality antique furniture and artefacts.
Having shifted base to Muscat she established Richwood Antiques, a company specialising in the sale of beautiful 19th century European antique furniture.
On Monday, Richwood Antiques opened an exhibition of a few quality pieces imported from Paris and Dublin at the Bait al Zubair Museum. These pieces are priced RO200 and above.
“It took a bit of time to pull this off since sourcing suitable antique items, especially ones for different rooms of the house can take time and requires expertise,” said the former editor and partner of Ireland’s Antiques & Period Properties magazine.
“Antique furniture has a practical aspect to it as well. It can be kept in a modern city apartment or in a regal mansion.” What can visitors expect? “A unique selection of exquisite items including furniture made in mahogany, rosewood, satinwood and walnut, finely carved and decorated with intricate inlays, all skillfully executed by craftsmen of the period.
“Magnificent mahogany dining room tables, sets of dining room chairs, sideboards, display cabinets, dumbwaiters, book cases, desks, wardrobes and spectacular gilt-framed mirrors finished in 24 carat gold,” said Rosemary.
She also specialises in contract sales, working closely with architects and designers to provide furniture and artefacts for both, commercial and private projects.
“I usually work to the client’s design specifications and requirements while providing appropriate pieces for every area of a commercial project like the reception, boardrooms, offices and for entrance halls, living and dining rooms and bedrooms in homes.”
She said this exhibition shows how much interest antiques can generate in Muscat. “I am very excited about its success. We have already sold several decorative items.
“The very large feature pieces have drawn huge interest and you may get to see one of these pieces gracing the interior of one of Muscat’s finest hotels soon,” she said.
She also has more of such exhibitions in mind. “I want to do something permanent here in Oman. When I got here about two years ago, I was surprised by the fact that people here did not have access to antique European furniture.
“That has changed over time. I want to establish a permanent supply chain and can only do that when there is a sufficient amount of interest.”
The exhibition at Bait al Zubair Museum will conclude on Friday.
Source:Artifacts that Attract