Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Original phrenology models turn heads at auction
15 April 2024Ceramic phrenology heads have become ubiquitous following numerous reproductions. However, original 19th century models are much harder to come by.
Highest price paid for not doing your duty
15 April 2024Dating from March 1-October 13, 1748, a journal for sale at London maritime specialist Charles Miller’s auction on April 23 was written by Admiral John Byng (1704-57) during the final negotiations of the failed Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle and some eight years before his infamous actions off the coast of Minorca.
Photographic viewing device can operate all day and night
15 April 2024The invention of the megalethoscope by the Swiss-Italian optician and photographer Carlo Ponti greatly enhanced the experience of viewing photographs.
Rare British camera emerges from Viennese source
15 April 2024Austin Farahar, head of cameras and photography at Chiswick Auctions (25% buyer’s premium), was recently contacted by a budding documentary photographer in Vienna who had received a collection of old cameras from his in-laws.
Goniometer going, going, gone at £2700
15 April 2024This Victorian lacquered brass device made by Elliot Brothers of London is a reflecting goniometer.
Science & technology: Collectors who know their type
15 April 2024Knowledgeable bidders generated high prices for early typewriters at German technology specialist’s latest sale
Botanical group features in Battle auction action
15 April 2024Twenty-six lots in the Science, Natural History and Curiosities sale at Burstow & Hewett (20% buyer’s premium) in Battle were previously owned by local botanist and entomologist George West.
Copy of Toulouse-Lautrec's first poster emerges in US sale
15 April 2024'Moulin Rouge, La Goulue' was Henri Toulouse-Lautrec’s first commissioned poster and it launched his poster-making career overnight.
Giant Garrard wine cistern adds plenty of weight to Heritage Auctions' sale
15 April 2024Almost 3ft (90cm) wide and weighing a massive 710oz, this Edwardian wine cistern is marked for Garrard & Co, London, 1903.
More from the Bobins collection: Danube danger overcome by the intrepid Ludwig
15 April 2024Leading Forum’s (30/24/14.4% buyer’s premium inc VAT) March 27 auction of more books from the remarkable library of Norman Bobins was a complete copy of a German work following the course of the Danube from its source to the Black Sea.
Steaming ahead but in safety thanks to lanterns
15 April 2024Although easily mistaken for railway or ship lamps, this pair of brass and iron lanterns were made for a road locomotive: the steam-driven traction engines that were some of the first powered vehicles to travel on Britain’s highways.
Microscopes under bidder focus in UK and US auctions
15 April 2024This aristocratic survivor from the ‘brass and glass’ era of microscope making, a version of Powell & Lealand’s famous ‘No 1’ compound monocular and binocular microscope, is dated 1898.
Bonhams expects as best of Nelson-themed ceramics come to auction
12 April 2024A single-owner collection of Nelson-themed ceramics and glass will be offered at Bonhams later this month.
Geoffrey Cope collection of British and Roman coins to be sold in Zurich
10 April 2024An outstanding collection of British and Roman coins comes to auction in Zurich this year.
Louis Vuitton luggage collection – including a trunk made for a large rubber duck - comes to auction
09 April 2024An extraordinary single-owner collection of 37 pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage – including a bespoke trunk made for a large rubber duck - comes to auction this month.
Geo Ham's Monaco Grand Prix designs lead Travel & Vintage posters auction
09 April 2024Original printings of two of the most reproduced of all automotive posters come for sale at Lyon & Turnbull this month.
Pick of the week: Tables spark a bidding battle
08 April 2024A pair of 18th century giltwood side tables from a Scottish country house sparked an international bidding battle at Lyon & Turnbull.
A Francis Picabia artwork is among five lots to watch
08 April 2024With estimates from £500, here are five previews of lots coming up at auction this week.
Boxwood comb would be a heartfelt gift to a loved one
08 April 2024The familiar heart symbol - that today is ‘read’ as love - made its first appearance as a rebus in the late Medieval era.