Christopher Payne is his family's third generation of furniture specialists—his grandfather opened an antiques shop in Leicestershire in 1901. Christopher started his career at Sotheby's, where he stayed for 25 years, becoming a director of the Furniture department. He is now a private fine-art consultant advising clients internationally and is concentrating on writing and furniture research. His books include 19th-Century European Furniture (1981) and Animals in Bronze (1985). He is also general editor of Sotheby's Encyclopaedia of Furniture and a trustee of the British Regional Furniture Trust.