S Franses Ltd

Franses is a leading dealership and consultancy in the world of textiles, specializing in tapestries, carpets, and textile art. Established by Sidney Franses in London in 1909, the firm has supplied the Royal Household, museums, and great collectors. Today, it operates from galleries at 80 Jermyn Street, London, and has a New York office.

Franses was first established by Sidney Franses in London in 1909. The firm occupied a gallery at 4 Burlington Gardens, off Old Bond Street, and supplied the Royal Household, museums and great collectors. David Franses took over the company in 1955 and rapidly developed the business. In 1960, the firm moved to a spacious gallery in Knightsbridge. Notable sales included a set of four tapestries of The Continents by Judocus de Vos to the Foreign Office in Brussels. During this period Jack Franses joined the gallery and later headed the Carpet and Islamic Art department for Sotheby’s. In 1967 Michael Franses entered the business. He later set up The Textile Gallery and co-founded Hali Magazine. Simon Franses joined the firm in 1982 and the company moved to galleries in Jermyn Street. In 1985 the famous Pontremoli workshops in London were acquired, and Franses Conservation was established there with a large team of specialists and technicians. In 1987 the Franses Research Archive was founded and Thomas Campbell was appointed Archivist, a post he held for seven years. Dr Campbell then left to join the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1991 the firm’s current purpose-built galleries were opened on the corner of Jermyn Street and Duke Street. The galleries were further expanded in 1996 to accommodate the growing library and research archive. Since 2004 Franses held several exhibitions of tapestry and needlework in New York and London.

1. 1Franses · Transforming spaces throughout the worldfranses.com
2. 2Franses · Transforming spaces throughout the world · A FAMILY BUSINESS SINCE 1909franses.com