Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
Why it’s all blossoming at Tennants in Leyburn…
10 October 2014This huge installation created using more than 40 gallons of oil paints will be the centrepiece of the first exhibition to mark the launch of shows by visiting artists to The Garden Rooms at Tennants.
Franklin medal for sale as wreck is discovered
26 September 2014169 years after Franklin’s ill-fated 1845-48 attempt to find the western exit to the Northwest Passage, his Third Officer's Arctic Medal has come up for sale just as the Canadian government has announced that one of Franklin’s ships has been located.
Pinchbecks reclaim clock after nearly 300 years
22 September 2014Collector Robin Pinchbeck had never bought a clock before, but when he set his sights on the George I walnut-cased astronomical longcase on offer at Mitchells (17.5% buyer’s premium) of Cockermouth on September 11-12 he knew he simply had to have it.
Phillips join the Mayfair set in Berkeley Square
17 September 2014Phillips have made a statement of intent by opening their new saleroom and exhibition space in the heart of Mayfair and on the doorstep of Sotheby’s and Bonhams.
Museums could face tougher penalties for selling off works
04 September 2014Stronger sanctions against museums that sell off items from their collections donated by the public are being considered.
Saleroom throws open its (large) doors to a revamp
02 September 2014Auctioneer Philip Allwood is pictured here looking pleased as punch to be standing in front of a big barn door because it marks the completion of Moore Allen & Innocent’s new offices.
Chamberlain’s other piece of paper
11 August 2014The ‘piece of paper’ waved by Neville Chamberlain on his return from meeting Hitler in 1938 must count as one of the most infamous documents in history.
Cave coins find could shed new light on Iron Age culture in Britain
28 July 2014Coins from the Late Iron Age and Republican Roman eras have been found buried together for the first time.
Artcurial show Austrian ambitions
23 June 2014French auctioneers Artcurial are expanding their reach by opening an office in Austria, following on from the Milan and Brussels branches established in 2012.
The coin that gives clues to the murder of an Anglo-Saxon king
20 June 2014The name Æthelberht and the title REX on an Anglo-Saxon penny just sold in London may provide a vital clue to a royal murder.
World Cup latest – auctions score with 1966 shirts
13 June 2014“They think it’s all over... it is now!”
Soane’s weekend retreat to be restored in £9m project
09 June 2014While Sir John Soane’s labyrinthine central London treasure trove of a house is very well known, less familiar is his country home to the west of the city.
Noël Coward’s Fascist secret
09 June 2014The First World War shattered not just lives but also perceptions of the ‘natural order’ of things across Europe and how it was ruled.
Chinese dealer jailed in US over ivory smuggling
09 June 2014An antiques dealer from China has become the latest person to be jailed over rhino horn and elephant ivory smuggling as the US continues its crackdown.
Sale focus on family fortunes
06 June 2014Was this the ring of the Tiger of Mysore, taken from his body when he was killed in battle?
Newly discovered ‘comet’ helps rare planetarium to £95,000
23 May 2014A rare late-18th century George Adams Junior combined planetarium and tellurian that sold at Bonhams includes a reference to the ‘Georgian Planet’ engraved on the top plate. Today that planet is better known as Uranus, which was first observed by William Herschel on March 13, 1781, although he initially recorded it as a comet.
Art gets its own national private eye on the internet
19 May 2014Public collections in need of information about their oil paintings can be connected with specialists and members of the public with relevant knowledge thanks to a scheme called Art Detective.
Maple cabinet with intriguing artistic collaboration
12 May 2014Mystery surrounds the origin of a maple cabinet designed by Edward William Godwin and painted by James Abbott McNeill Whistler which has been bought by National Museums Scotland (NMS).
NAVA hope for big rise in membership
14 April 2014NAVA (National Association of Valuers and Auctioneers) are hoping to boost membership after a shake-up of their application system which takes practical experience into consideration rather than having to take exams.
Police appeal over antique shop robbery
04 April 2014Distressing footage of a female staff member at a Devon antique shop being grabbed by a robber has been released in an attempt to track down the man