Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Far Eastern works from Earls of Crawford and Balcarres lift auction North of the Border
01 June 2020Scotland’s key role in the 18th and 19th century China trade has a legacy. Some of the nation’s country houses remain the repository of important Far Eastern works of art.
Gown from the wardrobe of Madame Lombard Bedaux turns heads at Essex auction
01 June 2020This couture gown, sold for £360 at Sworders (25% buyer’s premium), was once owned by the woman who hosted the wedding of Wallis Simpson and the Duke of Windsor.
Delft tulip vase and Victorian carriage clock are among five auction highlights that caught bidders’ eyes
29 May 2020ATG’s selection of hammer highlights this week includes a late 17th century Delft blue and white tulip vase that made over 25-times estimate and a 19th century carriage clock which may have been a gift from Florence Nightingale.
Charles Dickens books: A market always wanting more
26 May 2020No other Victorian could equal Charles Dickens for fame, earnings and sheer popularity. And few can match him today in the collecting arena.
Men of letters: Dickens and Burns light up works on paper parade
25 May 2020Two outstanding works on paper – a letter by Robert Burns and a page from the manuscript for Charles Dickens’ 'Pickwick Papers' – headline the June offerings across the field of books, maps and prints.
Pick of the week: Shedding golden light on an Iron Age ruler
25 May 2020The original names of the gold coins used by the indigenous tribes of Celtic Britain are unknown but collectors have dubbed them staters after the Greek coins that inspired them.
Paul Nash drawing and a model train among four lots to watch at auction this week
25 May 2020With estimates from £3000-60,000 here are four previews of upcoming items this week.
One giant leap for auctioneers
25 May 2020Covid-19 crisis has launched the art and antiques world into technological exploration
German imperial snuff box and Banksy screenprint are among five auction highlights that caught bidders’ eyes
22 May 2020ATG’s selection of hammer highlights this week includes a German rococo revival snuff box which was a gift from Kaiser Wilhelm II to a loyal courtier that made five-times estimate.
Cecil Beaton sketches turn heads at Bonhams auction
19 May 2020The latest sale of Modern British art held by Bonhams in Knightsbridge was its first live event held ‘behind closed doors’ in the UK. It included 22 pen and ink drawings by Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) which formed part of the famous photographer’s ‘The Book of Beauty’ published in 1930.
Lobbying helps art industry make key step in return to full trading in England
18 May 2020Following representations by the British Art Market Federation (BAMF) and the Society of Fine Art Auctioneers And Valuers (SOFAA) to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), auction houses were removed from the list of businesses that must remain closed due to the government's lockdown measures. DCMS said antique dealerships will also be able to open premises from June 1.
Scottish country house supplies £36,000 vase
18 May 2020A Beijing enamel vase from a Scottish country house topped the Asian art sale held ‘behind closed doors’ by Lyon & Turnbull (25% buyer’s premium).
A feline vesta case and a Stuart embroidered panel are among six lots to watch at auction this week
18 May 2020With estimates from £60-6000 here are six previews of upcoming items.
William and Mary longcase clock strikes the right notes at Tennants
18 May 2020Results from two salerooms including an £18,000 longcase reflect strong demand
Schneider brothers take a peek into royal palaces
18 May 2020Trudpert Schneider (1804-99), a Freiburg carpenter whose first brush with photography was to repair a broken box camera, is today deemed one of Germany’s most important daguerreotypists.
Ventriloquist’s doll highly spoken of in Tetsworth auction
18 May 2020The sale held by Swan Fine Art (20% buyer’s premium) in Tetsworth on May 6 included a fine-quality ventriloquist’s doll, c.1930.
Auction previews: issue 2443
18 May 2020The auction calendar has been much changed by Covid 19 restrictions. However, as indicated by these lots offered for sale, an increasing number of auction houses are transacting safely behind closed doors holding timed sales or ‘live online’ sales with bids taken via bidding platforms such as thesaleroom.com or over the phone. Typically purchases can either be collected safely and couriered, or stored by the auction house until the current government guidance is lifted. With auction houses set to be able to be reopen premises to the public from June 1, more and more sales are now being added to the auction calendar.
Scandinavian silver vase and coins for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee are among five auction highlights that caught bidders’ eyes
15 May 2020ATG’s selection of hammer highlights this week includes a full proof set of coins issued by the Royal Mint for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887 and a silver vase from c. 1920 marked for prize-winning designers Svend Hammershoi and Holger Kyster.
Pick of the week: Chinese vase sets new online record
11 May 2020A Chinese blue and white vase achieved a hammer price of over £3m at an online auction that closed in Singapore last week.
Cain Hoy porcelain: number of known survivors grows to 11 as tea bowl and saucer emerge at Adam Partridge
11 May 2020More previously unrecorded porcelain attributed to the John Bartlam factory of Cain Hoy, South Carolina, has emerged for sale in the UK.