Phillips Antiques: Museum with price tags

Pick any objet d’art at Phillips and if at first it doesn't thrill you, the shop's charmingly understated proprietor, Mr. Issa, will make sure it does.

Less a salesman or storekeeper, more like a gentleman art historian, Issa oversees a vast collection of everything from bargain bric-a-brac (such as Phillips' fabulous boxes and trunks) to stunning antiques, original engravings and an ambitious accumulation of Tanjore and glass paintings.

Possibly India’s best and oldest antique store, established in 1860, Phillips has singular access to an amazing array of treasures, its latest collection of Madhubani art paintings being no exception. It's like a museum for sale, Mr. Issa its capitalist curator.