Moving artworks and antiques
Some pieces can’t be replaced. An oil painting, a longcase clock that’s been in the family for generations, an antique sideboard, a sculpture by an artist who is no longer with us. For belongings like that an ordinary removal isn’t enough. We move art, antiques and valuable heirlooms with specialist materials, experienced crews and an approach decided per item in advance.
Why art and antiques need a different approach
With ordinary household goods the aim is to get things safely from A to B. With art and antiques the aim is that the piece arrives in exactly the state it left in — because any damage is permanent, and often irreparable.
Older materials also behave differently from new ones. Antique timber has dried out and has joints that haven’t moved in decades. Varnish and paint layers won’t tolerate pressure or friction. An oil painting must never be stacked flat, and certainly not wrapped tightly in plastic, because moisture then sits against the canvas. A longcase clock is top-heavy and has a movement that must be removed before anything tilts.
These aren’t things you improvise on moving day. They’re decided in advance, item by item.
What we move
Paintings and oil canvases
From small framed works to large canvases. Carried upright, never stacked flat, with corner and surface protection and no film directly against the canvas.
Sculptures
Heavy, top-heavy and often awkwardly shaped. Calls for proper support and several carriers rather than force.
Longcase clocks
Pendulum, weights and movement come out first and travel wrapped separately. The case is carried upright and secured.
Antique cabinets and sideboards
Solid timber furniture with fragile veneer and old joints. In one piece where possible, and carefully dismantled where not.
Vintage and design furniture
Pieces whose value lies in their original condition — one scratch on an authentic finish costs part of that value.
Family heirlooms
Your grandparents’ cabinet, a dinner service, a mirror. Financial value isn’t the measure here, and we treat them as though it were.
Experience where it counts
You only get this kind of work if people are willing to trust you. A few examples from practice:
An art house in Amsterdam
We handled the move of dozens of high-value artworks, including large oil canvases. The owner chose us because we could demonstrate how we handle pieces like these — and then entrusted us with the entire collection.
A sculpture school in Rotterdam
Not only the artworks but the studio too: sculptures, works in progress and heavy equipment. Two very different kinds of load in a single day, each with its own approach.
Private collections
Customers moving house who want their art handled separately and with extra care. We do this regularly, including for individual pieces.
This isn’t occasional work for us. It’s a standing part of what we do, and the crews who carry it out are the same people who handle the fragile pieces on ordinary moves.
How we work
- Item-by-item inventory. We look at what needs moving, what it’s made of, how fragile it is and how it comes out of the property. For valuable collections we always visit first.
- Approach and materials agreed. For each piece we decide how it will be wrapped, carried and secured, and with how many people. Where needed we arrange bespoke packaging.
- Wrapping. Soft inner layer, corner protection, moving blankets and careful wrapping — without any material sitting directly against a paint layer or finish.
- Protected route. Floors, door frames and banisters are covered before anything moves. If a piece won’t go through the stairwell, we bring in a moving lift.
- Transport. Upright or supported, set apart in the van and secured so nothing can shift or come into contact with anything else.
- Placing and checking. In position, unwrapped in your presence, and gone over together.
Heirlooms and sentimental value
Far from everything that deserves extra care is worth a lot of money. A large share of the pieces we handle this way are heirlooms: grandfather’s clock, your mother’s dinner service, the cabinet you sat at as a child.
Things like that can’t be replaced and can’t be paid out. So on every move we ask which pieces need special handling — even if there are only two or three. Mention it when you enquire and time and materials get planned for it, rather than it emerging on the day.
Insurance and value
Your household goods are insured during the move up to €200,000 per claim. With art, antiques and collections it’s worth discussing value in advance: if there’s a piece with a substantial appraised value, we record that beforehand so there’s no discussion afterwards.
Have appraisals, purchase records or certificates? Keep them to hand when you enquire. For your own insurer’s cover, a current valuation is often decisive too. Full terms are at our terms.
What does it cost?
The price follows from the care the pieces require: the number of objects, how fragile they are, what packaging material is needed and how many people have to work on it. Taking one antique cabinet along on an ordinary move is quite different from relocating an entire collection.
For valuable pieces we prefer to work from a free pre-move survey. A planner assesses the objects and the route on site, and you receive a quote setting out how each piece will be handled. That way you know in advance exactly what happens and what it costs.
Often booked together
- Piano and grand piano moving
- Valuable and fragile items
- Packing service with professional materials
- Moving lift for large frames and heavy pieces
- Storage in a dry, secure facility
- International moving of art and antiques
Where we work
We move art and antiques throughout the Netherlands, mainly in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Haarlem. See all locations.
Frequently asked questions
Do you move entire art collections?
Yes. Among others we have moved an art house in Amsterdam with dozens of high-value works, including large oil canvases, and a sculpture school in Rotterdam including works in progress and studio equipment.
How do you transport a large oil canvas?
Upright, never stacked flat, with corner and surface protection and no film sitting directly against the canvas. Canvases are set apart in the van and secured so they can’t come into contact with other pieces.
Can you move a longcase clock?
Yes. The pendulum, weights and movement are removed first and wrapped separately, then the case travels upright and secured. A longcase clock is top-heavy, so it isn’t a piece to tilt casually.
I only have a few valuable pieces. Is that possible?
Certainly. Many customers have their home moved normally and book the extra care only for a handful of pieces. Tell us which ones when you enquire.
Are my artworks insured during the move?
Your household goods are insured up to €200,000 per claim. If there’s a piece with a substantial appraised value, discuss it in advance and we’ll record it beforehand.
What about heirlooms without high market value?
Exactly the same as expensive pieces. Irreplaceable is irreplaceable, which is why we ask on every move which belongings need special handling.
Should I pack these myself?
Preferably not, and with fragile pieces we’d advise against it. We bring the packing material and wrap on site, so there’s no gap between wrapping and loading.
What if a large painting won’t fit through my stairwell?
Then we set up a moving lift against the façade. With large frames in older upper-floor flats that’s a normal solution, and often safer than manoeuvring on the stairs.
Can you store art temporarily?
Yes, in our own dry, secure storage with CCTV. With a move booked through us the first week is free.
Valuable pieces to move?
Tell us which pieces are involved — we’ll arrange a no-obligation survey and set out an approach for each object.
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