Latest News Articles by Jonathan Franks
Portrait by talented Rembrandt pupil gives boost to Old Masters sales in Germany
02 December 2019Pictured here is a selection of notable Old Master results from recent sales in Cologne and Munich where international bidders battled with German dealers and collectors.
Rococo couple by Höchst in autumn glory
18 November 2019The first incarnation of the porcelain factory in Höchst near Frankfurt existed for exactly half a century. It was founded in 1746, making it the second-oldest producer of porcelain in Germany after Meissen.
Vintage print of Julia Margaret Cameron's 'The Dream' offered at Berlin auction
18 November 2019Although her career as a photographer lasted only some 16 years, Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-79) is acknowledged as a pioneer of the medium, creating a remarkable oeuvre of portraits and other photographic compositions.
Family values at Munich saleroom
18 November 2019The private collection of the late auctioneer Rudolf Neumeister was on offer at the saleroom bearing his name – which is now run by his daughter.
Schiele reveals his artistic manifesto
18 November 2019“There is no such thing as modern art, there is only art and it is perpetual.” The author of these lines was, perhaps surprisingly, the highly modern Austrian painter Egon Schiele and are part of an artistic manifesto written on July 17, 1911.
Dorotheum saleroom’s seven heaven
18 November 2019Dorotheum (28/25/22/18% buyer’s premium) in Vienna could boast two seven-figure prices in as many days, including the highest Austrian auction price of this year so far.
A price not to be sneezed at
18 November 2019In the first decades of the 19th century, watchmakers in many parts of Europe made a living by producing highly ornate watches and gold boxes, many of them for Chinese buyers.
Einstein surprise at Stuttgart auction
18 November 2019One of the biggest surprises at Nagel’s (33% buyer’s premium) sale in Stuttgart on October 16-17 came right at the end of the auction.
Final slice of Soo Pieng
18 November 2019In recent years, Geble (22.61% buyer’s premium) in Radolfzell has sold several paintings by the Singaporean artist Cheong Soo Pieng (1917-83) from a German collection.
Pupil follows master’s example
18 November 2019It is no coincidence that a glass bowl designed by Carl Witzmann (1883-1952), which was sold at Dr Fischer (28% buyer’s premium) in Heilbronn on October 19, reminded bidders of works by the great Austrian designer Josef Hoffmann. Witzmann was, after all, one of his pupils.
Bernhard Hoetger's 'light and shadow' ceramic figure emerges at German sale
18 November 2019After training in Düsseldorf and Paris, where he had met Rodin and Maillol, both of whom had a major influence on his work, the German sculptor, painter and architect Bernhard Hoetger (1874-1949) joined the artists’ colony in Darmstadt in 1911.
Snail netsuke from Nagoya crawls into Cologne auction
18 November 2019During the late 18th century, schools of netsuke carving were established throughout Japan.
Head of a saint in Munich sale
28 October 2019The extensive autumn sale at Hermann Historica in Munich runs from November 11-20 and is accompanied by five catalogues for the ‘bricks and mortar’ sale and a further six for the subsequent online auctions.
Stuck sculpture shows athletic inspiration
28 October 2019The German artist Franz von Stuck is generally associated with portraits of sultry, mystical fin-de-siècle women, laden with symbolism.
Greek doves inspire Romans
28 October 2019The history of the motif which inspired an unknown Italian master of the second half of the 18th century can be traced back to the 2nd century BC.
Panels portray palaces and architectural scenes
28 October 2019One of the highlights at Lempertz in Cologne on November 15 is a set of nine late-18th century scagliola panels.
Raise a glass to two big Munich fairs on in same month as the huge beer fest
07 October 2019Autumn in Munich means different things to different people. For several million visitors the high point of the year is the Oktoberfest. For several thousand the main attraction is two art and antiques fairs that run more or less concurrently.
More from Munich: the Neumeister Collection
07 October 2019Over three days, from October 22-24, Neumeister in Munich is holding a very special sale. Katrin Stoll, the daughter of Rudolf Neumeister (1925-2017), who took over the running of the firm in 2008, and her team will be selling her father’s extensive private collection.
Pendulum pioneers
07 October 2019In 1657, the 10-year-old Dutch orphan Christiaan Reijnaert was apprenticed to clockmaker Salomon Coster in The Hague. It was a momentous time for Coster: he is credited with building the first pendulum clock, incorporating the invention by Christian Huygens.
Lalique table lamp
07 October 2019Munich auction house Quittenbaum is holding a specialist sale of works by René Lalique on November 12. One of the eye-catchers is an 11in (27cm) high table lamp with a bronze base, engraved with peacocks, and the opalescent figure of a naked young woman holding a translucent drape in her outstretched arms.