Chris Holmes Antiques

Chris Holmes Antiques Decorative antiques ranging from antiquities to mid-20th Century design. Showroom and Gallery in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, UK.

Open weekdays by appointment or catch us by chance! CATCH US BY CHANCE OR MAKE AN APPOINTMENT! We advise calling ahead if you are making a special visit. Chris Holmes Antiques specialises in bringing you rare, unique and beautiful antiques from some of the finest sources around Britain and Europe. First located in Harrogate, Chris has now expanded and re-located to a grand Grade II listed building

in Knaresborough on historic Finkle Street (located centrally near the station). Over two floors you will find an elegant showcase of interiors and exterior pieces: from Roman and Greek artefacts to exquisite 16th and 17th Century Italian decorative furnishings; mid-20th Century icons and architectural salvage; alongside contemporary art, paintings and sculpture from Chris Holmes Art Ltd. With over 30 years experience in the antiques trade Chris Holmes Antiques is renowned for his uniquely distinctive identity and individual approach to interiors, inspired by a reverence for the past and a desire to preserve it for future generations. Contact Us:

+44 (0) 7771 962 494
[email protected]


Visit Us:

CATCH US BY CHANCE OR MAKE AN APPOINTMENT! Chris Holmes Antiques and Art
22–24 Finkle Street
Knaresborough
North Yorkshire
HG5 8AA

23/08/2026

One of England’s greatest gardens was designed around a ruin.

Fountains Abbey was founded in 1132 and became one of the great Cistercian monasteries of medieval England. Centuries later, its ruins were drawn into the extraordinary designed landscape of Studley Royal — water, woodland and architecture composed around the remains of the medieval abbey.

But look closer.

Among the immense ruins are tiny surviving details: carved figures holding heraldic shields, including the three horseshoes — the medieval arms of Fountains Abbey.

And then there’s the cellarium. A forest of 12th-century columns and vaulting that feels almost cathedral-like, yet belonged to the working heart of the monastery and the world of its lay brothers.

Nearly 900 years of building, destruction, nature and reinvention, all layered into one extraordinary landscape.

And incredibly, all of this is just down the road from our showroom and gallery in Knaresborough.

Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, North Yorkshire.

13/08/2026

Look closely. This chest is hiding an entire Renaissance world.

Dating to c.1550–1600, this extraordinary Italian cassone is made from aromatic cypress and traditionally associated with the Alto Adige, although this distinctive group of chests also has fascinating connections with Venice and its Renaissance world of trade, printmaking and decorative arts.

Its astonishingly intricate surface was created using pen-and-ink drawing, shallow intaglio carving and thousands of tiny punched marks. Much of the original line work still survives — and the closer you look, the more you find.

A lion drawing an elaborate chariot. Trumpeters. Horsemen. Winged putti. Mermen. A lyre player. Serpents, dogs, hares, a tiny snail and fantastical creatures.

The lion is particularly wonderful — a powerful emblem in Renaissance Italy, associated with strength and authority. The Medici famously even kept living lions in Florence.

And then there is the lid. It appears to have been reversed during its later history, bringing the richly decorated face that would originally have been revealed when the cassone was opened permanently into view.

By the 19th century it had travelled from Renaissance Italy to Broom Hall, Gwynedd, North Wales, where it formed part of the house’s furnishings.

Almost 500 years old, and we’re still discovering what’s hidden within its decoration.

Italian Renaissance Cypress Cassone, c.1550–1600.
Now available.

12/08/2026

Made to safeguard something sacred.

This extraordinary 17th-century Italian Baroque reliquary casket takes the form of a small sarcophagus, created to provide a precious enclosure for the relics and treasures of the church.

Relics might have been placed within directly, or the casket could have protected a separate reliquary, chalice, sacred vessels or other valuable liturgical objects — kept securely behind its original lock and moved when required using the substantial iron handles at either side.

Opening the front reveals perhaps its most remarkable feature: an interior entirely lined in reflective gold leaf. Remarkably preserved after more than three centuries, it creates a luminous chamber for whatever sacred object was once entrusted to it.

The exterior is equally extraordinary, deeply carved with vigorous Baroque foliage, parcel-gilded and retaining extensive original red and darker polychrome decoration.

Italian, 17th century. Now available.

A casket made to house the sacred and precious.Created in 17th-century Italy, this remarkable Baroque reliquary takes th...
12/08/2026

A casket made to house the sacred and precious.

Created in 17th-century Italy, this remarkable Baroque reliquary takes the form of a small sarcophagus — its tomb-like form providing a symbolic as well as physical enclosure for the treasures held within.

It may once have contained relics directly, housed precious church treasures such as a chalice and other sacred vessels. Its original lock secured the contents, while substantial iron handles allowed the casket to be carried when required.

Behind its richly carved and parcel-gilded exterior lies an extraordinary contrast: a completely plain interior lined throughout in reflective gold leaf. Its exceptional preservation suggests that whatever was entrusted to it was carefully placed, protected and removed.

Deeply carved with scrolling Baroque foliage and retaining extensive original polychromy, the casket survives as an extraordinary object of both craftsmanship and devotion.

Italian, 17th century.

Now available.

Andrew Handyside & Co., Fountain No. 33, c.1879.A superb example of Victorian ornamental ironwork from the celebrated Br...
10/08/2026

Andrew Handyside & Co., Fountain No. 33, c.1879.

A superb example of Victorian ornamental ironwork from the celebrated Britannia Iron Works, Derby, its design recorded in Handyside’s Catalogue C of 1879.

Remarkably complete, the fountain survives with its broad scalloped basin, upper tier, baluster supports, fountain head and fluted pedestal, closely corresponding with the original foundry engraving.

The surface is particularly beautiful, with traces of historic decoration emerging through rich, naturally oxidised iron — the accumulated character of almost 150 years in the garden.

A substantial and wonderfully sculptural piece, designed to stand within a pool with water cascading between its two tiers.

Now available.

10/08/2026

From an engraving in an 1879 foundry catalogue to a fountain still running nearly 150 years later.

Recently acquired, this exceptional cast iron fountain is No. 33 by Andrew Handyside & Co., manufactured at the Britannia Iron Works in Derby and illustrated in the firm’s Catalogue C of 1879.

The original engraving records the design almost exactly as it survives today — the great scalloped lower basin, upper tier, elegant baluster supports, fountain head and deeply fluted pedestal.

Perhaps most compelling is its surface. Almost a century and a half of exposure has left successive layers of historic decoration amongst wonderfully oxidised iron; a depth and character that could never convincingly be recreated.

Handyside stood amongst the great Victorian iron founders, and to find one of their fountains so complete — and then identify the exact design in the original catalogue — is a particularly exciting discovery.

Andrew Handyside & Co., Derby
Fountain No. 33, c.1879
Pricelist catalogue c.1880
Now available.

A fantasy from late 19th-century Venice.An extraordinary grotto armchair by Pauly & Cie, the celebrated Venetian firm wh...
09/08/2026

A fantasy from late 19th-century Venice.

An extraordinary grotto armchair by Pauly & Cie, the celebrated Venetian firm whose fantastical furniture transformed the natural forms of the sea into sculpture.

A great scallop shell forms the seat and back, flanked by wonderfully expressive dolphin arms and raised upon conch-shell legs with gilded pearls. Most remarkable is the beautifully original parcel-gilt polychrome surface, worn and mellowed through more than a century of age.

The design is exceptionally well documented. An identical chair appears as Item 3019 in Pauly & Cie’s 1904 catalogue, while the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, holds an armchair made to the same design (W.2-1972).

Pauly & Cie’s grotto furniture was created for the conservatories, winter gardens and extraordinary interiors of the period. Examples were later owned by Helena Rubinstein, María Félix, Indira Gandhi and Henri Matisse.

Pauly & Cie, Venice, late 19th century.

Now available — enquiries welcome.

09/08/2026

A fantasy from 19th-century Venice.

This extraordinary grotto armchair was made by Pauly & Cie, the celebrated Venetian firm that transformed shells, dolphins and the fantastical world beneath the sea into some of the most imaginative furniture of the period.

The design is documented as Model 3019 in Pauly & Cie’s 1904 catalogue, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London holds an armchair made to the same design (W.2-1972).

Ours retains its beautifully original, time-worn parcel-gilt polychrome surface, with a great scallop-shell seat and back, sculptural dolphin arms and conch-shell legs ornamented with gilded pearls.

Pauly & Cie’s extraordinary grotto furniture was created for conservatories, winter gardens and fantastical interiors, and examples later found their way into the collections of Helena Rubinstein, María Félix, Indira Gandhi and Henri Matisse.

Pauly & Cie, Venice. Late 19th century.

Now available at Chris Holmes Antiques — POA.

09/08/2026

FAIR WARNING!

Our latest collection ‘Objects of Desire’ is out now, check your email if you signed up to our newsletter or head to chrisholmesantiques.co.uk

“The everyday prose of objects is transformed into poetry.”
— Jean Baudrillard

Exceptional pieces, spanning four centuries of art, craftsmanship and design.

07/08/2026

SUMMER AT THE GALLERY

For the summer, we’ll be open by appointment only…or catch us by chance!

If you’re planning a visit to Knaresborough, simply get in touch to arrange a time. We’re always very happy to open the gallery for you, whether you’re coming to view a particular piece or would simply like some time to browse.

Our full collection remains available online throughout the summer, with new acquisitions being added regularly.

We look forward to welcoming you.

chrisholmesantiques.co.uk

Chris Holmes Antiques
22-24 Finkle Street,
Knaresborough,
HG5 8AA
North Yorkshire

Call +44(0)7771 962 494
Email [email protected]

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22/24 Finkle Street
Knaresborough
HG58AA

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