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Tony Geering
Founder of Puritan Values, formally trained engineer, specialist in decorative arts
Tony Geering established Puritan Values over 40 years ago. After working as an engineer in the oil and gas industry, he followed a desire to deal in Historic Design. He was soon drawn towards the Arts and Crafts and Aesthetic Movements, particularly furniture and Decorative Works of Art from those periods and placing them back into the historical context they deserve. His engineering background gave him the skills to see and understand how a piece is made and what it is made from, investigating its journey, provenance, history, to the designers and makers. Each piece is a historical document to be unravelled and understood by piecing each clue together before it is finally evaluated.
Read more about Puritan Values and Tony’s history.
An engineer’s eye for quality
Tony's engineering background enables him to value furniture with the same scrutiny as a master craftsman, by observing the proportions, tolerances, joinery, fastenings, tool marks, and finishes. How the timber has moved over its lifetime, where an intervention has been made and why, or if a surface has been retained or overwritten. Small things like these matter; they give crucial clues that may otherwise be overlooked: a disguised joint line, wear patterns, slight timber or patina mismatches. When combined with strong evidence, our descriptions can delve into the full depth of the journey. When the evidence is lacking, our descriptions remain conservative because integrity is more important than misplaced certainty. This blend of engineering eye and history informs descriptions of our pieces before, during, and after their placement.
A life in the trade
Tony's early years were spent at auctioneers such as Durrants and the rigour of Brick Lane Market early 1990s. These were a second apprenticeship; the stock, the sharp eyes, the hard lessons and the encyclopaedic knowledge that can only come from volume and repetition.
Prior to full-time dedication to antiques, Tony was an engineer in the oil and gas sector. Taking the plunge early at 24 Tony bought into a small second hand shop in Lowestoft. His experience was gained through house clearances and buying trips, honing his visual perception. Not only quality items but also the provenance of items came from these house clearances. Over the years his interest has increasingly been on the Arts and Crafts Movement with its honesty, skill and seriousness of purpose. These ideals are still very much reflected in the way the business Puritan Values operates today.
You soon learn in this business that taste is not everything. It is about judgement. Judging what is original, what is reproduction, what is rare, what is merely good and what is worthy of preservation. based not only on his visual perception but also on his knowledge of the market and his unwillingness to take shortcuts at the expense of standards.
Tony also has an extensive book library, uses it actively and works from a large archive of illustrated reference books, period catalogues and papers and research collected over his time exploring the history of decorative arts.
Saving the Middlesex Guildhall clock
The Middlesex Guildhall clock was rescued and restored, and then returned to its former spot, the panelling, which had been removed during the Supreme Court refurbishment, was also rescued and replaced. It is vital work like this which ensures original important works are not lost to redevelopment, and that significant pieces of history are preserved for the future, one example of the many pieces saved.
Tony has a long-standing interest in restoration work, and upholds standards of sympathetic intervention, period-correct techniques where possible and not "improving" things. In plain terms, it means conserve what you can, replace only what you have to and not take the easy route out, which erases the history and character of a piece that has a lifetime longer than everyone alive today. The aim is to maintain continuity and for the item or interior to remain what it has been throughout its lifetime, not be modernised.
Museums and interior designers supplier
Through Puritan Values, Tony works with museums, interior designers, architects and private collectors worldwide, including the film and television industry. For over 20 years, he has supplied Liberty and Co of Regent Street with original Liberty pieces, including 18 of their annual exhibitions.
Some of the museums Tony has supplied include:
- Blackwell House (National Trust)
- The National Trust, William Morris museums and Sutton Hoo
- The Victoria and Albert Museum
- The Bröhan Museum, Berlin
- Museum Hofmobiliendepot, Vienna
- Le Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Notable private collectors Tony has supplied:
- Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Sir Frank Lowe
- Andy Murray
- John Paul Getty
Documentary work
Tony has produced and filmed long-form documentaries on architecture, design and restoration. These projects are produced with the same values held within his antique dealing. Accuracy, context and respect for original workmanship.
Documenting design heritage with depth. Projects that include the documentation of buildings, interiors and details of historical importance with depth, presenting them truthfully without simplifying what makes them special. So far, He has filmed a series on Art Nouveau architecture around Europe, filming standout examples on location and also the history of Art Nouveau filmed at the Bröhan Museum, with releases scheduled for YouTube.
View Puritan Values media.