Q. What led to your fascination with shawls?
A. My fascination with shawls came while dealing in other textiles and Oriental carpets. I was living in Paris and hanging out during the 70s at Paris’ most exciting auction house, Hotel Drouot. Soon enough, I was put on specialised sales the first of which, ironically, was of 19th century American patchwork quilts, hundreds of which I had brought in from the US. It was actually a celebration of America’s bi-centennial in 1976 and the French audience went on a buying frenzy. All the pieces had to be opened, studied and meticulously written up for the catalogue. That was the beginning of my interest. When I put together collections of European and Indian shawls, it led me to the point of an obsession.

Antique Kani Kashmir Moon Shawl, circa 1860.