Exploring Athens’ Timeless Treasures at Monastiraki

“You’ll be able to’t miss the Martinos Vintage and fantastic artwork gallery – it’s a narrative in itself,” says collector and journalist Dimitris Xanthoulis as we focus on athenian vintage outlets and Monastiraki’s bustling Sunday flea market, and make plans to go to the bustling bazaar that springs to life in AvYssinias sq. and its quick environment each Sunday morning.

Martinos Vintage and Tremendous Artwork Gallery, a landmark which, since 1894, has been entwined with Athens’ city transformation, is definitely the proper place to begin this journey by means of time. Nevertheless, it’s not that near Avyssinias Sq. and, furthermore, it’s closed on Sundays. “We’ll want two days,” Xanthoulis declares, and so we prepare to satisfy first on Saturday morning at 50 Pandrossou Road.

Standing earlier than the elegant three-story pre-war constructing that has housed the store since 1926, we take within the putting facades designed by Takis Zenetos, one in all Greece’s most celebrated postwar modernist architects. What I see by means of the store window jogs my memory of a cupboard de curiosités: intricately adorned chests stacked with precision, 18th-century English silverware, conventional Skyrian chairs, and lithographs depicting Greek themes. There are additionally beautiful necklaces and belts from Macedonian and Attic costumes, and embroideries from the Cyclades and Epirus. Nineteenth-century silver pistols are elegantly displayed in built-in showcases; Oriental rugs and Italian modernist chandeliers add to the eclectic, timeless allure of this treasure trove of artwork and historical past.

Wherever we glance, we’re greeted by totally different eras. Each object right here serves as a reminder that gradual dwelling shouldn’t be a contemporary idea – it’s a lifestyle we’ve merely rediscovered, reviving outdated habits and forgotten crafts. Each bit on this store, sourced from numerous international locations, intervals and traditions, shares a typical thread: the meticulous care and fervour with which individuals as soon as tended to even the best facets of each day life.

As I ask questions on vintage silver buttons and opaline vases, my companion’s consideration is caught by an 18th-century Italian water jug and a low, sq. desk with a ceramic prime by Eleni Vernardaki, Greece’s most essential up to date ceramicist. “Lately, I’m solely interested by post-war Athenian ceramics and the works of Ira Triantafyllidi,” he says, whilst he picks up the jug.

I ask Xanthoulis if he’s ever tempted to amass one thing exterior the scope of his assortment, such because the merchandise he’s holding.

“On a regular basis! A collector’s at all times tempted, particularly in a store like this, the place you’re surrounded by ardour and experience,” he says with a smile. “However you must watch out – area and cash are at all times briefly provide.”

We step exterior and start strolling down the road, and I ask him how he first obtained into gathering.

“Actually, I can’t keep in mind anymore. I’ve at all times had a love for objects,” he says. “At first, I’d purchase something that caught my eye – glassware, tableware, silver, even some furnishings. However over time, I’ve honed my focus to very particular objects.”

And what about errors? How does one keep away from them? “You’ll be able to’t,” Xanthoulis says, smiling. “All collectors make errors. You wind up actually regretting a few of your purchases, however the subsequent week you’re again at it, crouched over stalls, on the lookout for extra.”

We prepare our subsequent assembly for eight o’clock the next morning in Avyssinias Sq.. I get the sense he’s wanting to half methods for now, providing a well mannered excuse about not desirous to “damage” my Saturday. The following morning, that suspicion is confirmed; collectors, it appears, treasure the solitude of their pursuit.

On the prowl

I arrive on the sq. sooner than anticipated. From a distance, I spot Xanthoulis – already there, scanning the scene. He tells me he’s been right here since daybreak. For him, the Monastiraki flea market is a sacred Sunday ritual, one he by no means misses when in Athens.

“I begin on foot from my house in Syntagma and make my solution to Monastiraki through Mitropoleos Road,” he says. “Alongside the best way, I run into different collectors. We change greetings, share information, and infrequently arrive right here earlier than the sellers even set out their wares. Then, every of us goes our separate manner.”

I look round, feeling each captivated and overwhelmed. Every little thing right here seems extraordinary, but completely extraordinary. How does one navigate this maze of objects? Xanthoulis, nonetheless, appears utterly comfortable. He thrives within the vitality of the market – the voices, the sights, the playful banter. Goethe as soon as stated that collectors are happiest once they’re of their aspect; right here, that sentiment is palpable.

It rapidly turns into clear that this place holds all the things: banknotes from the Occupation; tin toy trains from the ’50s; silverware; Danish eating chairs; wristwatches; gramophones; Viennese porcelain; woven rugs; ICARO ceramics; embroidery; a white leather-based armchair by Joe Colombo; 18th-century carved picket mirrors; Rafaella Carrà information; and reproductions of Alekos Fassianos work.

How are you aware if one thing is actually beneficial?

“You don’t know at first,” my companion says, shifting swiftly from one vendor to the subsequent. “Your eye will get higher over time. Issues I walked previous for years with out noticing – I can spot them now.”

He slips into the slender alleys, and I virtually lose sight of him fully – till the distributors, recognizing him, start calling his title, keen to indicate him one thing they suppose would possibly catch his eye.

“What’s Monastiraki, actually?” I ask. “Hidden treasures buried within the mud, or simply the forgettable wares of modern-day hawkers?”

“Monastiraki is Athens’ again door – the gateway to a different world,” he says, stopping at a stall. He asks in regards to the value of a small ceramic vase, one with a picture of Mickey Mouse holding a Greek flag.

The bargaining begins. “Haggling is a part of the ritual,” he says. “The distributors thrive on it; it’s what they sit up for.”

I ponder aloud how typically he feels genuinely thrilled by a purchase order.

“Not fairly often anymore,” he admits. “Generally, when nothing actually catches my eye, I’ll discount for one thing trivial – only a random trinket – to fulfill the itch to purchase one thing. Then I hold wandering aimlessly. It’s like a bug, an obsession.”

What recommendation would he give to a customer or a newbie collector?

“First, work out what pursuits you,” he says. “Take your time exploring Monastiraki, and at all times haggle. Make your supply and maintain agency. However most significantly, perceive the place you might be. You gained’t discover historical items right here – the oldest objects date again to the late 18th century.”

He explains that fantastic objects from grand properties in cities like Athens or Thessaloniki had been scarce in previous centuries. Rich households had been few, and when cash did exist, it was usually spent on extra sensible considerations. “They wanted to increase their landholdings or present dowries for his or her kids. Because of this, costly objects – particularly these of international origin – had been exceedingly uncommon.”

“The Greek bourgeoisie developed very in a different way from its European counterparts,” he continues. “We had been – and nonetheless are – a comparatively poor nation. However Monastiraki is the proper place for anybody in search of tangible remnants of Greek historical past, artwork and custom.”