About

Bray & Co. Auctions

We are a leading New England auction house with a global reach and reputation. Based an hour north of Boston in the historic seaport town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Bray & Co. has ready access to regional, national and international markets. In addition to our live and virtual auctions, we also offer private sales, appraisals, and trust and estate services.

Bray & Co. excels at showcasing and selling a full range of art, antiques and collectibles, from fine and decorative arts, American folk art, furniture, jewelry and photography to historical memorabilia and outsider art. Our marketing emphasizes beautiful presentation and original research of each consignment, marrying art house aesthetic with curatorial rigor.

Our gallery is located in the heart of Portsmouth's bustling downtown, surrounded by nationally-renowned restaurants, hotels, boutique shopping and walkable sightseeing. We are just footsteps from Strawbery Banke Museum, Market Square and sweeping views of the Piscataqua River.

Derin Bray

Derin Bray, owner and principal auctioneer of Bray & Co. Auctions, has more than twenty years of experience in all aspects of the art & antiques business, and is a recognized authority on early American furniture and folk art. As an independent dealer, he has built several important private collections and has placed iconic and historically significant works of art, furniture, sculpture and photography at major museums and research institutions throughout the United States.

Derin holds a BA in History from Yale University, where he worked at the American Decorative Arts Furniture Study, and is a graduate of the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture. Early in his career, Derin honed his auction skills as a chief specialist of furniture at Northeast Auctions by Ronald Bourgeault.

Derin contributed major scholarship to the landmark publications and exhibitions Harbor & Home: Furniture of Southeastern Massachusetts, 1710-1850 (Winterthur Museum & Gardens) and To Please Any Taste: The Furniture and Furniture Makers of Litchfield County, 1780-1830 (Litchfield Historical Society). He is the author of the award-winning book Bucket Town: Woodenware & Wooden Toys of Hingham, Massachusetts, 1636-1945 (Hingham Historic Commission), and served as co-curator of the accompanying exhibition at Old Sturbridge Village. His articles have appeared in magazines and scholarly journals nationwide. His work has been featured in the New York Times and Boston Globe, as well as on NPR, CBS Boston, NH Chronicle and other media outlets.

Derin is also a leading collector and historian of early circus and tattoo ephemera, photography and flash art. Items from his personal collection have been featured in numerous publications, documentaries, and exhibitions. He is the co-founder of Rake House, a small press dedicated to publishing beautiful, authoritative books on tattoo history, circus & sideshow culture, and other topics off the beaten path. Derin is co-author of the award-winning book Loud, Naked, & In Three Colors: The Liberty Boys & The History of Tattooing in Boston, and co-curated the accompanying exhibition at Historic New England.