Latest News Articles by Jonathan Franks
Albert Birkle disturbs and delights at Lempertz
17 July 2023In the 1920s, the German painter Albert Birkle (1900-86) combined 'Neue Sachlichkeit' (New Objectivity) with his version of magic realism to produce sometimes disturbing results.
Time to consider pocket watches as a collecting option
19 June 2023Recent auction results in Germany and Switzerland give a snapshot of the market beyond wristwatches
Expressionists emerge together
29 May 2023Van Ham of Cologne is offering a work by the German Expressionist Otto Mueller on the occasion of its 500th sale: the painting Frau und Knabe (Woman and Boy) from 1922.
Galizia heads a selection of ‘Old Mistresses’ on offer at Vienna auction
29 May 2023A previously undocumented painting, bought from an English dealer by a European collector in 1995, shines at Vienna sale.
Wooden netsuke achieve top prices at Viennese auction house
29 May 2023Wooden examples of the art of netsuke are now the focus of collectors following ivory restrictions.
Hungary's Munkácsy bid to more than three times estimate at Swiss auction
29 May 2023Like many of his colleagues, the Hungarian painter Mihály Munkácsy (1844-1900) visited the major art centres of his day, such as Munich and Düsseldorf, before finally settling in Paris in 1871.
German artist Scholz's 'scandalous' picture takes six-figure sum at auction
29 May 2023Berlin is obviously a good place to sell paintings by the German artist Georg Scholz (1890-1945), one of the leading representatives of Neue Sachlichkeit (new objectivity).
Beckmann's depiction of friend’s family comes to Munich auction
29 May 2023Known for his countless self-portraits, second only in number to Rembrandt, and a distinctive style often with somewhat sinister undertones, Max Beckmann also created some surprising works.
Franco-Turkish artist Hamdi Bey's 'fashionable' picture takes €1m at auction
29 May 2023Top lot of Dorotheum’s (25/20.84% buyer’s premium) Viennese sale of 19th century paintings on May 2 lived up to its expectations.
Member of French clockmaking dynasty to feature in German auction
29 May 2023The signature Fortin à Paris on the dial of this 21in (53cm) high marble and gilt bronze clock shows that it was made by a member of one of the most prominent Parisian clockmaker dynasties of the 18th century.
Coral from the coast of Sicily
01 May 2023Since the 12th century the Sicilian town of Trapani has been closely connected to the art of coral carving. Thanks to the invention of a particular tool, ideally suited to the material, in the 16th century, the industry thrived.
Two vases sold in Germany underline demand for Bohemian glass
01 May 2023Judging by recent results, there has been a resurgence of interest in products from the Bohemian glass manufacture of Lötz Wwe (Loetz widow).
You’ve got the lion look
01 May 2023The design of a sofa and two corresponding chairs on offer at Hargesheimer (28% buyer’s premium) in Düsseldorf could never be described as restrained.
Early 19th century pianoforte makes sound price
01 May 2023Until his death in 2022, the musicologist and collector Rudolf Ewerhart lived in Wassenach, some 20 miles to the west of Koblenz.
Mary medal is one of just two known
01 May 2023To say that a mid-16th century gold medal that was auctioned by Künker (25% buyer’s premium) in Osnabrück during the sale of March 16-24 is rare would be quite an understatement.
Maltese bidders write on cue
01 May 2023Maltese furniture rarely makes it to the international auction market, so it was something of a sensation when a finely decorated, mid-18th century writing cabinet came up for sale at Metz (28% buyer’s premium) in Heidelberg.
Anker sketch with Renaissance undertones
24 April 2023Works by Albert Anker (1881-1910) are as popular with today’s Swiss collectors as they were in the late 19th century
The high priest of German Orientalism
24 April 2023During the second half of the 19th and the early part of the 20th century, the German artist Ferdinand Keller (1842-1922) had a highly successful career as a painter of historical motifs, some imagined, some of a more documentary manner
Lion hunt painting proves a real catch in Zürich auction
24 April 2023The biggest surprise at a sale held by Schuler (23/20/16% buyer’s premium) came when the dramatic depiction of The Lion Hunt was offered for SFr3000
Bavarian connoisseur clocks collection comes up for auction
27 March 2023For three decades, from the 1950s-80s, a Bavarian connoisseur amassed a collection of clocks, some of which are being sold by Nagel in Stuttgart.