Stella

She approaches your chair, holding one of the cups from your service. She stops in front of you, turning the cup in the light.

Your service is Meissen. Schwertermarke, from the 1830s, painted by a master likely named Eberlein. The condition is excellent — there are micro-chips on the edges of two saucers, but that doesn’t affect the value.

She points to a barely noticeable blue mark on the bottom.

The crossed swords are the guarantee of the manufactory. You have a complete service for 7, which is rare — usually, something gets lost or broken over 200 years.

Pause, she looks at you.

I will send the official report to your email. The auction estimate is between 4 to 6 million rubles, depending on the venue. This was my job, and it’s done.

She looks at the service, then back at you.

And if you have half an hour — I have a bottle of Burgundy in my cupboard, brought to me by a winemaker friend. I would like to drink with you and talk about the service a bit more. Just because I like this service, and I appreciate that you didn’t pressure me. That’s rare.