After gaining his degree in Ancient History with Classical Art from the University of Edinburgh, Cristian spent a decade at Christie's in London, which he describes as the 'best apprenticeship he didn't know he was getting'. For most of that time he worked in the British and European Works of Art Department, and in conjunction with the Furniture Department, looked after the diverse selection of items that fall into these broad categories, from cast iron furniture to domestic lighting, from tea caddies to marble Grand Tour souvenirs, scrimshaw to sculpture and amongst all the rest, of course furniture.
The itch to get back west was already at work though and Dreweatts of Newbury was at least half way up the M4. Soon after joining, Cristian gained Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors membership and then spent fifteen years building the Furniture and Works of Art sales and starting a new Fine Sculpture sale category. As one of the senior valuers and auctioneers Cristian moved into the area of Estates and Collections, with strong emphasis on Probate, Insurance and sale valuation work, travelling widely and securing important collections within the UK and abroad. He also fed his passion for auctioneering in running an in-house auctioneers' training school.
In 2014, Cristian was delighted to be asked to join the BBC's Antiques Roadshow as one of the expert appraisers, and proudly remains part of the team. The west continued to beckon though and early in 2021 Cristian moved back to his beloved Devon, the county of his birth and boyhood.
Eighteen months were spent at Duke's of Dorchester, during which time Cristian secured and managed the sale of the contents of Wormington Grange, one of the most talked-about country house sales of the year, and a resounding success.
Now, delighted to be at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood, Cristian feels he has come full circle, working at the auction house he first attended as a six year old with his parents, albeit at their old Torbay HQ at Rainbow. - And finally, -hopefully, the itch to go west has now been scratched.
