Holliday & Sons

General information

Antiques Restorer and Dealer Barry Holliday has himself been in business of antiquity for 50 years. He was born into an environment enriched by appreciation and love for treasures of the past. His great-great-great grandfather founded Holliday and Sons in Britain in 1848 and his son Jason is the sixth generation Holliday to be apprenticed to the business. As a young man, Barry made his way around Europe where he furthered his interest in antiquity by studying art and classical architecture in all the major European cities and places of historical interest.
In doing so, he followed in the footsteps of 18 and 19th century travelers who called such a trip the Grand Tour. He spent time in Italy studying artwork and the techniques of restoration at the Uffizi in Florence and later worked with the now infamous Sir Anthony Blunt the Keeper of the Queen’s Paintings in London.
Over the years Barry has made over 150 trips to the UK and Europe in search of genuine antiquity which, as a purist, he would describe as anything made prior to 1830. Thereafter came the advent of industrialisation and with that the age of machinery, which gave absolute accuracy but not the beautiful proportion, and flow the human hand created. The period the best exemplifies Barry’s antiquarian taste is the late Georgian because, in his view, it encompasses the very best in style and quality.
Today the showrooms of Holliday & Sons also reflect the very best, one can buy on the European and the domestic market, although not all furniture is pre 1830. Later pieces are also set for sale, but only if they reflect the quality and beauty, that original New Zealand artwork exudes, enhancing its appeal.