The Founder

THE FOUNDER

Emanuele Pisu

Founder & Antiquarian Dealer

For Emanuele Pisu, the antiquarian trade began long before the establishment of a shop. He started collecting original historical photographs at the age of fourteen, developing a lifelong interest in nineteenth-century portraiture, genealogy, manuscripts and printed ephemera.

Born in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy, Emanuele Pisu spent more than twenty years living in Ireland, where he established his antiquarian business in 2011.

His background includes studies in antiques and appraisal at the Asheford Institute of Antiques in the United States. He is currently undertaking further training in Conservation of Documents and Books and Preventive Conservation of Photography, with plans to pursue specialist studies in Forensic Document Examination, particularly handwriting analysis and historical signature authentication.

His principal private collecting interest is the photographic history of Cagliari, Sardinia. Over more than three decades, he has assembled a collection of thousands of original nineteenth-century portraits documenting the city's people and photographers. The collection remains privately held and has not yet been publicly exhibited.

In 2011, Pisu established an antiquarian shop in Dalkey, County Dublin, initially dealing in rare and signed books, Victorian literature, historical curiosities and unusual collectables. During the Irish years, he worked with Gerry Anderson of Vartry Books in Ashford, County Wicklow, drawing on an extensive book stock of approximately 30,000 volumes, and maintained relationships with Irish booksellers, auctioneers and dealers, including Treasure Chest Antiques in Blackrock.

Alongside his longstanding involvement with Ten Bells, the founder built an international career spanning more than fifteen years in senior roles across the technology and education sectors, specialising in strategic partnerships, institutional relations and international business development.

His professional responsibilities included leading international teams, developing long-term relationships with universities and major organisations, and negotiating strategic partnerships across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. This experience established a strong foundation in professional accountability, international business and the importance of trust in lasting relationships.

Throughout these years, Ten Bells remained an enduring personal commitment, developed alongside his professional career and rooted in a lifelong passion for rare books, historical photography and documentary heritage.

After relocating to Gothenburg in May 2026, he entered the Swedish antiquarian market without an established local network or knowledge of Swedish. Within five months, Ten Bells Auction House sold the Wiktor Emil Rylander Collection to the National Library of Sweden in Stockholm and sold an Aron Jonason historical photographic document to the University of Gothenburg Library.

Ten Bells remains an independent, founder-led house, with particular attention to provenance, historical context and preserving coherent collections rather than dispersing their contents.

Having now chosen to dedicate himself entirely to the House, the founder is leading Ten Bells into a new chapter of its development. His ambition is to establish Ten Bells Auction House as an internationally recognised specialist house, distinguished by the quality of its material, careful historical research, transparent dealings and lasting relationships with collectors, dealers and cultural institutions.

The aim is not simply to grow the business, but to build a respected and enduring institution — one in which every collection is approached with care, every client relationship is valued, and professional integrity remains central to its future.