Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
English delftware tankard raises toast to the Pelham Olive collection at Bonhams
04 February 2019Among the best performers at the Olive collection of early British ceramics, metalwork, furniture and treen sold at Bonhams on January 31 was this large English delftware tankard.
Government strengthens law to protect treasure finds
01 February 2019The government is proposing to strengthen the Treasure Act to include important finds that do not fit the current legal definition.
What lots caught bidders’ eyes in the last week? Five auction highlights including a replica 'Alfred Jewel' and a Chelsea squirrel
01 February 2019ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week include a Chelsea white-glazed model of a red squirrel and a 17th century portrait miniature.
Chinese vase smashes Exeter saleroom record taking £460,000 at auction
31 January 2019The potential for vendors, and auctioneers, to strike it rich in the field of Chinese works of art is alive and well.
‘Best of its type’ Vigo five guineas sets auction record for British coin
28 January 2019An auction record for a British coin was set in New York when a 1703 Vigo five guineas piece sold at $900,000 (£703,000) – $1.08m (£845,000) including premium. The sale was conducted by Baldwin’s of St James’s as part of The New York Premier Sale in Manhattan on January 13.
Pick of the week: English tin-glazed earthenware cat jug claws its way to new owner
28 January 2019The precise function of the series of English tin-glazed earthenware seated cat jugs common to the 1650s-70s is unknown but, as many are dated and initialled, they may have been given as marriage or betrothal gifts.
Collection of Tipu Sultan treasure including gold-encrusted sword offered at Antony Cribb sale
28 January 2019Historical weapons from the personal armoury of Tipu Sultan will be offered for sale in Oxfordshire in the spring.
Rare Dresser armchair made for Art Furnishers’ Alliance makes 70-times estimate at auction
28 January 2019This Aesthetic movement X-frame armchair took £11,000 against an estimate of just £100-150 at Lawrences of Crewkerne.
What lots caught bidders’ eyes in the last week? Five auction highlights including a rare 17th century candlestick and an Arts and Crafts brooch
25 January 2019ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week include a pencil collection, a rare candlestick and an Arts and Crafts brooch.
Rediscovered Bowie songs come to auction in Merseyside
24 January 2019A copy of a previously unheard studio recording made by a young David Bowie comes up for sale at auction next week.
Totals remain steady in the UK regions – ATG's review of the auction market for 2018
21 January 2019Salisbury saleroom Woolley & Wallis regained top spot in the UK regional auction market for 2018, while the investment at Chiswick Auctions has begun to bear fruit. These were just two of the findings in ATG's annual review of the hammer totals and trends at some of the leading salerooms in the UK and Ireland.
Buyers give warm reception to winter Holliday dispersal at Sworders
21 January 2019A single-owner collection, including significant works from the Modern British canon, sold for £541,200 at Sworders in Stansted Mountfitchet last week.
Eight auction highlights from 2018 in the UK and Ireland
21 January 2019A selection of eight top items sold at regional salerooms who reported hammer totals for ATG's annual round-up of the auction market for 2018.
Bonhams focuses on contemporary and online with new hires
21 January 2019Bonhams has made a trio of hires as contemporary art and digital growth become a focus for the auction house following the purchase by private equity group Epiris in September.
Another good day on the tiles for De Morgan
21 January 2019The British Art Pottery sales at Woolley & Wallis have posted some remarkable sums for single William De Morgan tiles.
Certified vintage video games make debut at Heritage Auctions
19 January 2019Following on from new-found nostalgia for toys and games of their youth, collectors tempted by fond memories for often Star Wars and Lego are now moving on to vintage video games.
What lots caught bidders’ eyes in the last week? Five auction highlights including a George I walnut chest
18 January 2019ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week include a George I walnut chest with some appealing decoration and a bronze sculpture of a golden eagle by Dame Elisabeth Frink.
Six remarkable objects from the collection of Anne and Frederick Vogel III at auction this weekend
17 January 2019The collection of Anne and Frederick Vogel III – for sale at Sotheby’s New York on Saturday – includes not just a stellar array of early American furniture but also a remarkable collection of early English delftware, metalwork, textiles and related vernacular works of art.
Movers and shakers: the latest arts and antiques appointments including at Bonhams in London and at Christie’s France
15 January 2019A trio of hires for Bonhams as contemporary art and digital growth become a focus for the auction house following the purchase by private equity group Epiris in September 2018.
Monumental Meiji vase 'rediscovered' in a Californian restaurant comes to auction
14 January 2019For over a century, a monumental 8ft (2.44m) high Meiji cloisonné vase provided the focal point to one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s oldest restaurants.