Shipwreck & Maritime

Recovered material is handled only where the recovery itself is documented and any applicable permissions, licences or salvage agreements can be evidenced. A piece of wreck cargo without a named wreck and a recovery record is decorative; with them, it is a historical object.

We ask which wreck, who carried out the recovery, under what authority, and in what year. Where a wreck is subject to a protection regime or a recovery was conducted under a government or court-supervised agreement, we supply what we hold.

Material raised from salt water is unstable until it has been treated. Ceramics and glass need desalination; iron and other metals need active treatment and sometimes continuing care. An untreated object will keep deteriorating in a drawing room.

The entry records what conservation has been carried out, by whom, and whether any continuing care is needed. Where we do not know, we say so and recommend an assessment before purchase.

Which wreck, and what evidence ties this object to it. Who recovered it and under what permission. What conservation has been done. Does it need anything further.