Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Stiff competition at Suffolk sales indicates strength of Staffordshire pottery market
09 January 2023Collectors of Staffordshire have noted a number of higher prices of late and further evidence of a more active market came when a pair of Victorian Staffordshire flatback figures was offered by Lacy, Scott & Knight (22.5% buyer’s premium).
Silver pineapple serves a different role
09 January 2023A late 19th century novelty silver teapot offered at Halls (22% buyer’s premium) was made by US silversmith Gorham of Rhode Island.
Furniture combination becomes centre of attention
09 January 2023The chest of drawers and the kneehole desk are both classic forms of early Georgian walnut furniture. However, rarely are they seen on the same piece.
Previews: issue 2575
09 January 2023A selection of 16 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK.
Schmidt led cameo fightback
09 January 2023Carved c.1880 and acquired in Shanghai during the 1930s, the opal cameo shown here was the choice of pre-Christmas jewellery offered in a Somerset sale.
A Moorcroft vase and an Arts & Crafts silver goblet are among four lots to watch
03 January 2023With estimates from £400, here are four previews of items coming up at auction in the next seven days.
Dunhill ‘Aviary’ lighter sparks a bidding battle at Chiswick Auctions
02 January 2023An auction record was set for an Alfred Dunhill ‘aquarium’ lighter at Chiswick Auctions.
Previews: issue 2574
02 January 2023A selection of eight upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK.
Rothschild Qing cache packed away but now seeing the light of sale day
02 January 2023A major draw to a recent Dreweatts’ (25% buyer’s premium) sale of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art was a cache of Qing porcelain and hardstone carvings previously owned by Anthony de Rothschild (1887-1961).
Two birds dish brings in £165,000 at Kinghams
02 January 2023The sale at Kinghams (23% buyer’s premium) in Moreton-in-Marsh included a 12in (30cm) carved cinnabar lacquer dish dating from the late Yuan or early Ming period – c.1350-1400.
Services surface from a country house
02 January 2023Dreweatts’ (25% buyer’s premium) ‘part II’ sale of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art at the end of last year included Chinese export porcelain from ‘the china store of a Somerset country house’.
Pick of the week: Take tea early with an Elers English caddy
02 January 2023Although Dutchmen John and David Elers came to London sometime in the 1680s as silversmiths, the brothers are remembered today as the potters who brought fine unglazed stonewares to Staffordshire.
Folk and drama prints proved popular with urban audiences
02 January 2023By illustrating and combining popular folk songs with scenes of dramas of the time, the artist or workshop named Ding Liangxian created a new type of woodblock print for urban Chinese audiences in the second quarter of the 18th century.
Asian art: Look through a lens of Tibetan Buddhism
02 January 2023Creative examples featured in recent UK auctions show the influence of religion and culture on the Manchu rulers of the Qing
Home called Hazelwood stood in Shanghai
02 January 2023A large reticulated ‘dragon and phoenix’ censer came for sale at Mallams’ (25% buyer’s premium) in Cheltenham from a Herefordshire vendor whose family had lived in Shanghai in the 1930s.
Sword makers and armourers forced to turn to peaceful pursuits
02 January 2023The Komai family of sword makers and armourers were among the many Japanese metalworkers courting a new clientele during the Meiji period (1868-1912).
Vietnamese focus at UK sales
02 January 2023Vietnamese buyers have sent the best works of art from the Le (1428-1789) and Nguyen (1802-1945) dynasties to unchartered territory in recent years.
Hiroshige took a stand for the vertical format
02 January 2023The Rokujuyoshu Meisho Zue (Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces) series was the last great landscape work created by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858).
Provenance is key to cong result
02 January 2023Neolithic jade congs – the inspiration for many pieces of Qing and later porcelain – are probably some of the most intriguing objects from ancient Chinese culture.
George I walnut ‘combination’ furniture stars in our pick of five auction highlights
23 December 2022ATG’s weekly selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes includes a rare piece of furniture combining a desk and chest of drawers that made over six times estimate in Dublin.