Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Rare Commonwealth goblet makes 19-times estimate at Mallams
05 July 2021Mallams’ (25% buyer’s premium) Jewellery, Watches and Silver sale included this Commonwealth silver wine goblet.
‘Mouseman’ commissions excel in the salerooms
05 July 2021Smaller decorative pieces by Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson (1876-1955) continue to excel in the saleroom.
The life of Prof Riley – British tattoo pioneer
05 July 2021Thomas Riley was one of the few professional tattooists of the Victorian and Edwardian era and – with patrons among international royalty and the aristocracy – a key figure in the changing perception of tattoos from ‘sailors’ marks’ to ‘body art’.
Best Iraqi niello silver soars in value
05 July 2021As recently as a decade ago relatively little attention was paid to Iraqi niello silver.
Auction previews: issue 2500
05 July 2021A selection of 16 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK
Piano and stool from 1901 Glasgow Exhibition surfaces at eclectic Ayrshire summer sale
05 July 2021What auctioneer Michael Callan called “a modest mid terrace town house in Irvine, Ayrshire” was the source of one of the star lots of a recent Thomas R Callan (20% buyer’s premium) sale in Ayr.
‘Harmonica’ pistol from the 1860s stars in our weekly pick of five auction highlights
02 July 2021ATG’s weekly selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes includes a rare J Jarre & Co second type ‘harmonica’ pistol that made over four-times estimate in Italy.
German all-time auction record: Sino-Tibetan bronze takes €9.5m bid at Nagel
28 June 2021Stuttgart auction house Nagel called it ‘beyond doubt one of the most important gilt-bronzes to appear on the market for many years’ – and the monumental Ming dynasty Sino-Tibetan figure of the wrathful deity Vajrabhairava did not disappoint.
Mudge Green stands out in Taylor clock sale
28 June 2021Highlights from the first tranche of the clock collection of Isle of Man entrepreneur and horologist Dr John C Taylor (b.1936) were offered for sale by dealership Carter Marsh in London last week.
A clock by a Royal maker and a picture of William Hogarth’s dog are among five lots to watch at auction
28 June 2021With estimates from £1500-60,000 here are five previews of upcoming items this week.
Auction previews: issue 2499
28 June 2021A selection of 11 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK.
Family history lifts Cartier brooch to £120,000
28 June 2021The star of a recent Chiswick Auctions’ (25/12% buyer’s premium) Jewellery auction was an Art Deco diamond and rock crystal Cartier brooch, c.1925.
Liver bird brooch made as a wartime order
28 June 2021This liver bird brooch, hallmarked for 1943, appears to have been commissioned as a bespoke order for Margaret Hall, the daughter of a lord mayor of Liverpool who, from 1935-6, was herself the lady mayoress of the city.
How Cartier still shone despite the thrifty financial times
28 June 2021In the thrifty years after the Wall Street Crash, many Cartier jewels used fewer large diamonds and more colourful secondary stones. What they lost in intrinsic value they more than made up for with the ‘wow’ factor.
Tribal highlights: mask and figure at Woolley & Wallis
28 June 2021The best-performing lots in the tribal art sale at Woolley & Wallis (25% buyer’s premium) in Salisbury on June 8 were these two pieces: an Ibibio mask (idiok ekpo) sold at £30,000 and a Nicobar standing male figure (kareau) that brought £34,000.
Colour and texture are key to Kashmir sapphire appeal
28 June 2021Kashmir sapphires have acquired a near-legendary status, due to their lustrous cornflower colour, soft velvety texture and extreme rarity.
Jewellery: Marlborough gems strike gold again with £48,000 Nathaniel Marchant intaglio at Christie's
28 June 2021The collection of about 800 engraved gems formed by the nobleman and politician George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough (1739-1817), was the largest and most important of the age.
Boucheron bought direct from the Bond Street shop
28 June 2021Halls’ (23% buyer’s premium) Summer auction in Shrewsbury on June 16 included a private collection of nine pieces of Boucheron jewellery.
Mouseman powder bowl stars in our pick of five auction highlights
25 June 2021ATG’s weekly selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes includes one of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson’s smaller decorative pieces that made over three-times estimate in Yorkshire.
Pick of the week: Exhibition history adds lustre to Pilkington vase
21 June 2021A new record for the Pilkington’s Lancastrian factory was set by Moreton-in-Marsh firm Kinghams.