Art & Furniture Collections
Paintings, period furniture, objets d'art, tapestries: Chevrons helps French and American families understand, restore and preserve their collections. During renovation works, we keep them safe; when they need to travel, to Switzerland, the United States or England, we handle every step of the shipping and the paperwork.
Assessment & condition survey
Every project starts with an in-depth study. Working with independent experts, art historians and auctioneers, we establish the precise condition of the collections and gather the documentation that underpins their value.
Inventory
Photographic and descriptive inventory of each piece: location, dimensions, materials, marks and maker's stamps.
Condition report
Condition assessed by specialist conservators, with priorities for treatment.
Provenance & documentation
Research into archives, invoices, certificates and the history of each piece, useful for insurance, sale and export alike.
Valuation & insurance
Insurance values updated with experts, and a review of cover with a fine art insurer.
Our approach
A collection calls on many rare skills that must work together: conservators, cabinetmakers, gilders, experts, packers, specialist shippers, freight forwarders, insurers. Chevrons selects and coordinates them so that you have a single point of contact and are consulted only on the decisions that matter.
I
One person knows your collection piece by piece and oversees every intervention.
II
Conservators, experts and shippers chosen for their skill with each type of object, at negotiated rates.
III
Every piece is tracked, from its location to its condition, at every stage.
Restoration
Cabinetwork, precious-wood and Boulle marquetry, gilt bronzes and French polishing, entrusted to specialist furniture conservation workshops.
Frames, paneling, console tables and gilded seating, restored using traditional techniques.
Cleaning, consolidation of the paint layer, relining, conservation mounting and framing.
Cleaning, consolidation and lining of tapestries, wall hangings and silks, with suitable hanging systems.
Protection during renovation
Façade restoration, a new roof, interior renovation: a building site exposes a collection to dust, vibration, changes in humidity and the risk of theft. We organize its protection before the first hammer blow, working with the architect and the contractors.
I
Inventory and condition report, with reference photographs piece by piece.
II
For each piece, a choice between on-site protection and removal, approved by the family.
III
Protective casings, covers and protection of fixed décor: paneling, fireplaces, parquet floors, chandeliers.
IV
Removal by specialist teams, custom packing, insulated crates where needed.
V
Storage with a fine art storage specialist, at controlled temperature and humidity.
VI
Return of the pieces, hanging and a final condition report, compared with the pre-works one.
Tracking
You have an up-to-date inventory and, for every treatment or move, a clear record: where each piece is, in what condition, under what cover, and what remains to be decided.
CHEVRONS
Tracking record · Collection, Paris
Piece
BVRB commode – library
Location
Conservation workshop, Paris
Condition
Bronze restoration under way, return expected in March
Insurance
Updated agreed value
Decision needed
Approve the shipping quote to Geneva
Sample record
Shipping
When a collection needs to travel, to a residence abroad, an exhibition, a sale or a storage facility, we organize the shipment from end to end with specialist fine art shippers. For families who wish, we arrange storage in a Swiss freeport, notably in Geneva, where works are kept under customs supervision with duties and taxes suspended.
Export formalities
Export certificates and licenses for cultural goods, CITES permits for protected materials.
Packing & couriers
Custom crates, climate-controlled air-ride trucks, air freight and couriers when needed.
Customs & import
Coordination with freight forwarders in Switzerland, the United States and the United Kingdom, for temporary or permanent import.
Swiss freeports
Choice of facility, storage conditions, inventory, insurance and organization of withdrawals.
Regulations
Taking cultural goods out of France above certain age and value thresholds requires a certificate issued by the French Ministry of Culture; outside the European Union, an export license is also required. We prepare the applications and plan ahead for processing times.
The French State may refuse the certificate for a work of major importance to the national heritage, which then cannot leave the country permanently while the refusal stands. We check for this risk before any planned export or sale.
Ivory, tortoiseshell, certain precious woods such as Brazilian rosewood: pieces containing them fall under the CITES convention and national rules that are sometimes stricter, particularly in the United States. We obtain the necessary documents before any shipment.
Contact
Every relationship begins with a confidential conversation. Write to us to arrange an initial meeting, in Paris or by video call.
contact@chevronsfamilyoffice.comChevrons Family Office
97 Bd Malesherbes – 75008 Paris
