Latest News Articles by Laura Chesters
Trump's new tariffs come in but art and antiques are exempt
24 July 2026US President Donald Trump has introduced a new set of trading tariffs that will impact the UK and 60 trading partners.
Fake or Fortune discovery: Earliest recorded painting of an Indian sitter by a European female artist emerges
24 July 2026A picture wrapped in a sleeping bag and brought to the Fake or Fortune? team for investigation is the earliest recorded painting of an Indian sitter by a European female artist.
Auctioneer wins lengthy battle over Ivory Act exemption
24 July 2026A Suffolk auction house has successfully received an exemption certificate for an early 20th century ivory figure following a complex appeals process.
Shops and centres braced for business rate changes and confusion as new rules kick in
24 July 2026The art and antiques market is braced to fight rising business rates following government changes in the spring.
Ten questions with dealer Mark Burlton
24 July 2026Mark Burlton is a new antiques and collectables dealer from south-west London. He was previously a retail-focused international property adviser and ran Cross Border Retail.
Mod Brit artist Joan Warburton in demand with museums and at auction
23 July 2026Modern British artist Joan Warburton (1920-1996) is having a moment in the art market.
Summer season continues with art exhibitions ongoing into August
22 July 2026The height of the summer art season has drawn to a close but there are still plenty of art and antiques exhibitions to view right into August.
French museum buys Belle Époque table for six figure sum following TEFAF Maastricht fair
21 July 2026Among the museum purchases at TEFAF Maastricht earlier this year was a table sold by a Brighton dealer to Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in a deal that has just been announced.
Appeal for lost sweetheart brooch and stolen rings
21 July 2026Two people are appealing for help from the antiques trade and auctioneers after a lost brooch and a theft of rings occurred this month.
LAPADA Fair boosted by high-end dealers signing up
16 July 2026A clutch of high-end dealers have signed up to exhibit at the LAPADA Fair in Berkeley Square this autumn, building on momentum started last year.
Tyrannosaurus rex specimen takes record $43m at auction
16 July 2026One of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex specimens ever discovered was hammered down at $43m (£32m) at Sotheby’s after a 10 minute bidding battle between seven bidders.
Christie’s and Sotheby’s report stellar half year results
15 July 2026Christie’s has reported its best first-half results in five years while Sotheby’s posted its highest ever figures for the same period.
Rare documents discovered under the seat of a sedan chair
15 July 2026Gregory Ebbs has a reminder for fellow dealers and auction houses: “Always check underneath the seat – you never know what history might be waiting to be found”.
New guidance published for latest anti-money laundering rules
14 July 2026Last month The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2026 came into force, updating the 2017 rules.
Photo special: Alfies Antique Market 50th birthday party
10 July 2026The well-known London antiques centre celebrated its birthday in style.
Parliamentary proceedings as dealer snaps up 'seminal document' at auction
10 July 2026A “seminal document of Parliamentary history” has been purchased at auction by dealership Philip Mould & Company for a hammer price of £62,000.
Plea for the return of 27 jewels stolen from The Lalique Museum in France
09 July 2026Thieves broke into The Lalique Museum in the early hours of July 5 and stole 27 items of jewellery valued in the region of €4.5m.
Plea to UK museums to raise funds to keep Palaeolithic handaxes in the country
07 July 2026Two 500,000-year-old flint handaxes discovered in Norfolk have been blocked from export in the hope a UK institution can raise the funds to keep them in the country.
Hill House comes home to Kensington
03 July 2026Hill House Antiques & Decorative Arts is returning to Kensington after two years away.
Queen Esther returns home after more than a century away
26 June 2026One of a group of seven 16th century tapestries that hung in Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk until they were sold at auction in 1924 has returned home after the National Trust bought it from an antiques dealer following TEFAF Maastricht last year.