Within your career to date, which item would you class as your favourite? 

There are so many to choose from! Whilst I was working at Dreweatts our team found a previously unknown Henry Moore lead sculpture depicting a mother and child. This was an amazing item to research and working with the Henry Moore Foundation to recognise the sculpture as a work by the artist was a truly unique experience. The sculpture eventually sold for £320,000 after a fierce bidding war which was a testament to how such rare and unique pieces continue to gain strong interest.

What aspect of your career do you find most satisfying?

I love the story! Both my parents are historians and so I think finding out about the history of an object, the story behind it, has always been an extremely exciting aspect of the job. When you are able to find the missing pieces of the puzzle, it is extremely satisfying. I also enjoy knowing that these items are going to be shared with people who enjoy them as much as you do and finding a new home for them.

If money were no object, what would you most like to buy?

Oh gosh, there are so many to choose from! Probably The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, as it was one of the first paintings I remember seeing in person as a child, and I became interested in Greek/Roman mythology from there!

Employment history – where have you worked in the art and antiques business before joining Dawsons?

I worked at Dreweatts auction house in Newbury, in the Picture department, before joining Dawsons.

Did you go on to further education, if so, what did you study?

I studied at Christie’s Education for two years in London and then went on to Glasgow University to finish my MA in History of Art and Art in World Practice. It was an amazing course that introduced me to the world of auctioneering. I was able to visit different museums, such as the Wallace Collection and the British Museum, and go behind the scenes to handle different priceless items and learn how objects, such as antique furniture, were made and restored. It was a wonderful experience also to work with Christie’s on their final sale at South Kensington and witness the famous Salvator Mundi sell. It was because of this course that I knew I wanted to work in auctioneering. I have also a diploma in Art Profession Law and Ethics??

Did you do a dissertation or thesis on a particular subject/artist?

I completed my dissertation comparing and contrasting the self-portraiture of Artemisia Gentileschi and Rembrandt, particularly focusing on how they presented themselves in their work and how they used their self-portraits to attract patrons and buyers. I have always loved the Baroque period, the dramatic lighting of chiaroscuro along with its focus on storytelling and emotion, but finding out about Gentileschi’s story, and how she overcame incredible hardship to create such powerful paintings, became a real passion of mine.

What are the favourite items you deal with in your department?

I’m lucky enough to work across several departments, so I don’t have to limit my interests to one area and have different favourites from different departments. My favourite items to deal with in the Entertainment Memorabilia department are film props and letters as it is an snapshot into the process of the film or an insight into a person’s life and are so interesting to research.

In the Painting department I really enjoy working with paintings where you have to do a bit more research to find out who the sitter is or what the story behind it might be, we had a lovely work after Michael Dahl where the sitter was wrongly attributed on the label to Lady Henrietta Cavendish Holles and so it was very interesting to find out that the sitter was in fact a portrait of Lady Margaret Cavendish-Harley.

For the Interiors it is the quirky and unusual items that I enjoy the most, we’ve had some many fabulous items come through our doors ranging from a Dunhill Aquarium table lighter to an early 20th century 'Higgins Bros. Dairies' hand-pulled three-wheel milk cart.