Phillips

Harry Phillips founded the auction house in 1796 in Westminster, London. Phillips gained international recognition by selling paintings from the estate of Queen Marie Antoinette and household items from Napoleon Bonaparte, and it remains the only auction house to have ever held a sale inside Buckingham Palace. Harry Phillips was an innovator who combined business acumen with showmanship, introducing elaborate evening receptions before auctions – a standard practice in the auction business today.

Ownership of the company passed through Harry’s son and successors through the 1800s and early 1900s. By the 1970s, Phillips had expanded its categories to sell fine art, furniture and estate collections.