This month, the eyes of the world were set on London for the Coronation of King Charles III. In light of the historical, showstopping ceremony, ICEFAT members have been reflecting on their involvement with royal fine art shipping projects from across the globe. Our members treat every client like ‘royalty,’ but this blog post will shine a spotlight on the shipping of majestic museum treasures and prestigious palace projects that our agents around the world have undertaken.
Supporting National Institutions
Public heritage organizations open the doors of royal residences past and present to the public and ICEFAT agents directly support these efforts. In Spain, Técnica de Transportes Internacionales (TTI) works with the Patrimonio Nacional (National Heritage) and the palaces in its care. One recent example saw the company conduct a 6-week operation to transfer cultural and historical artefacts from Real Casa del Labrador to the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.
In Sao Paolo, Brazil, Millenium Transportes supported the public presentation of an imperial collection with the Museu Paulista Collection, more commonly known as “The Emperor’s Palace”. Millenium initially conducted a 16-month project of preparation, packing, transportation and unpacking of the collection of 18,000 works for long-term storage in its fine art storage facility, stored for over nine years, then re-installed over a 5-month period. Newly renovated exhibition rooms were adorned once again the collection returned to its former glory within the palace walls.
Delivering Royal Mystique
Exhibitions that celebrate the mystique of historic royal collections are popular globally, and ICEFAT agents have been responsible for sharing items of immense national heritage with the rest of the world. Indian ICEFAT agent Star Worldwide delivered a collection from Udaipur’s City Palace Museum to the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington DC for “A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur.” The project involved the transportation of artifacts packed in bespoke crates, transported in climate-controlled vehicles, and shepherded through customs clearances with airport supervision.
TTI in Spain has also been responsible for the cross-border presentation of Spanish royal treasures with the transport of the armor of Philip II from the Royal Palace in Madrid to the Musée de l’Armée in Paris for the exhibition “Guerres de Religion 1559-1610”.
ICEFAT agents regularly work together on operations like this. In Turkey, 185 Ottoman treasures from three Istanbul museums were packed by ICEFAT agent Bergen International Movers and shipped for exhibition in various cities in Japan, with the Japan-side transportation undertaken by Tokyo-based agent Yamato Transport Co., Ltd. You can read more about this particular operation here.
Royals today
Our agents not only work with historic royal artifacts, but also with modern-day royal collections. Canadian ICEFAT agent PACART worked with British-Canadian artist Henry Ward to transport his portrait of the now late Queen Elizabeth II to Windsor Castle. Ward appointed the PACART team directly which shipped the work to the UK in a custom crate, before its installation and unveiling to The Queen at Windsor. In the United Kingdom, Gander & White Shipping, a founding member of ICEFAT, is currently a proud grantee of a Royal Warrant for Fine Art Services.
The prestige of working with the custodians and owners of royal collections, and the complex and intricate projects that such partnerships entail, demonstrate the versatility of ICEFAT agents as guardians of the world’s finest works of art. Projects such as those discussed demonstrate how ICEFAT brings together highly acclaimed fine art shippers who adhere to the highest industry standards, with a commitment to cultural guardianship of all works they handle.