Law, crime and regulation

Legal cases, stolen art, regulation and tax issues remain important part of the art and antiques sector.

This category ranges from the levy of the Artist’s Resale Right to controversies over fakes and forgeries.


Websit Christies

Christie’s website down, victim of apparent cyberattack

14 May 2024

Christie’s has been the victim of an apparent cyberattack that has brought down its website.

Matt Easton

Antique arms and armour trade defends itself in wake of mail sword ban

13 May 2024

Antique arms and armour dealers and auctioneers have come together to lobby against couriers restricting delivery of antique examples.

Egyptian coffin face

Group of 10 Egyptian antiquities restituted by Manhattan District Attorney

09 May 2024

Another 10 antiquities from Egypt are being returned to the country following an intervention by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L Bragg Jr.

Frank Auerbach's Albert Street 2009

Painting by Frank Auerbach recovered from money launderer to be sold

01 May 2024

Artwork and gold seized from a “prolific money launderer” as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation are to be sold.

Returned clock

Stolen 18th century bracket clock returned to museum after more than 20 years

30 April 2024

An 18th century bracket clock by the English clockmaker Thomas Hunter Jr (c.1760-70) has been recovered after being stolen 23 years ago.

Matt Easton

Royal Mail now refuses to deliver antique swords

29 April 2024

An antique arms and armour dealer is leading a campaign to stop couriers from restricting the delivery of antique examples.

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Top stories this week including jewellery stolen in a ram raid at Hansons

28 April 2024

The most viewed stories on this website over the last week included news of a ram-raid break-in at Derbyshire saleroom Hansons.

Bronze head

Getty becomes latest museum to return antiquities following provenance research

25 April 2024

The J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles is to return a bronze head from its antiquities collection to Turkey.

Sumerian sculpture

New York’s Met Museum returns Sumerian sculpture to Iraq as part of its ‘Cultural Property Initiative’

23 April 2024

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has returned a sculpture to Iraq following provenance research.

Hansons Derbyshire

Jewellery taken during ram raid at Hansons auction house

22 April 2024

Hansons’ saleroom in Derbyshire has been the victim of a ram-raid break-in.

La Psyché by Eva Gonzalès

The National Gallery buys its first work by Impressionist painter Eva Gonzalès

22 April 2024

A painting by French Impressionist painter Eva Gonzalès has been acquired by The National Gallery via a private treaty sale from a British collection for a “tax-advantageous price” of £1.49m.

Goldsmiths' Hall

How to spot faked or forged antique silver hallmarks

16 April 2024

Delegates attending the latest Goldsmiths’ Company London Assay Office seminar on April 12 were warned to be alert for faked objects purporting to be by the preeminent 18th century Huguenot silversmith Paul de Lamerie (1688-1751).

Danzig Harbour

Painting taken from Jewish family’s Berlin home restituted with help of The Art Loss Register

16 April 2024

A painting belonging to a Jewish family who were forced to flea Germany under the Nazi’s has been returned to the family’s remaining heir with the help of The Art Loss Register.

Jewellery

Art and antiques trade warned about latest rise in thefts

15 April 2024

The antique jewellery and precious metals trade has been warned to stay vigilant in the face of a rise in attacks and thefts.

Ian Towning

Police appeal after violent robbery at Ian Towning’s Chelsea antiques centre

03 April 2024

Two thugs armed with hammers targeted Bourbon Hanby Antiques Arcade and smashed cabinets and attacked three people.

GF Watts self-portrait

Self-portrait by George Frederic Watts acquired by Watts Gallery via tax deal

03 April 2024

A self-portrait by artist George Frederic Watts (1817-1904) has been acquired by Watts Gallery in Compton, near Guildford.

UK Parliament London

Pounds replace euros as currency for Artist's Resale Right in UK

02 April 2024

A change to Artist's Resale Right in the UK means the levy will now be calculated in pounds rather than euros.

Cabinet

Police appeal for witnesses following theft at Congleton antiques centre

02 April 2024

Valuable silver and jewellery lost after smash-and-grab in Cheshire

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Art and antiques given as corporate gifts: not just producing a feel-good factor but tax benefits too

01 April 2024

A new consultancy firm has been launched by two former Arts Council advisers, specialising in the UK’s policy and laws governing the movement of cultural property.

Eucharist

Poussin’s Last Supper painting purchased by The National Gallery via Acceptance in Lieu deal

26 March 2024

The National Gallery has acquired 'Eucharist' (c.1637-40), a depiction of the Last Supper, by Nicolas Poussin (1594–1664).

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