Latest News Articles by Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Surreal successes in the US
03 July 2026When a Philadelphia family consigned Europa, a 1927 painting by Czech Modernist Josef Šíma (1891-1971), to Freeman’s (28/21% buyer’s premium) last year, it prompted scholars and art historians to do a double take.
Perfume bottles bring aroma therapy
03 July 2026The 18th annual sale presented by Perfume Bottles Auction (20/25% buyer’s premium) took place on May 2. The online auction, conducted in New York by Ken Leach, served as the finale of the 2026 convention of the International Perfume Bottle Association (IFBA).
Leech jars provide a healthy showing at auction
03 July 2026New England Auctions – Fred Giampietro (26% buyer’s premium) of Branford, Connecticut, continues to win big with leech jars from the collection of the late Dr Jerry Phelps (1935-2025), an anesthesiologist from Kentucky.
Zsolnay owl vase glaze dazes eager bidders
19 June 2026A triple-faced owl vase by the Zsolnay factory hammered for $9000 (£6610) at Thomaston Place Auction Galleries (25% buyer’s premium).
Indian Katar dagger packs punch at $70,000 hammer price
19 June 2026A steel Katar dagger, made in the Tanjore region of India in the 17th or 18th century, hammered way above hopes at Ripley Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) in Indianapolis.
Montague Dawson breezes in for watercolour record
19 June 2026A Montague Dawson (1890-1973) watercolour, 'With the Wind', hammered for $44,000 (£32,700) at New Orleans Auction Galleries (25% buyer’s premium) against a guide of $3000-5000.
St Jerome with Pietro Torrigiano link adored by a US auction bidder
19 June 2026A 16th century gilt bronze tomb figure of St Jerome that had suffered ignominies before reaching the auction block hammered for $32,500 (£24,100) against a guide of $6000-8000 at Richard Opfer (23% buyer’s premium).
Family portraits consigned by descent include Mary Jane Peale depiction of an enslaved woman
19 June 2026An early work by Mary Jane Peale (1827-1902), a member of the famed family of American artists, hammered for $275,000 (£204,000) against a guide of $5000-8000 at Doyle (27% buyer’s premium).
Inscribed by Nietzsche to his close friend
05 June 2026An “exceedingly uncommon” signed and inscribed photograph of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) earned top-lot honours in an Autographs sale held at Swann.
Doubled Darwin print run reaped the rewards
05 June 2026Book owner’s son realised the impact this landmark work would have
Houdini challenge accepted
29 May 2026Part of the legend of escapologist Harry Houdini (1874-1926) rests on the hundreds of ‘challenges’ he accepted from manufacturers of packing cases, boxes, handcuffs and the like.
Not to be sneezed at: 1776 hankie bought by US museum
29 May 2026A handkerchief made in early 19th century Scotland celebrating the 1776 Declaration of Independence and featuring portraits of George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson hammered for $55,000 (£40,425) at Eldred’s (26% buyer’s premium).
Original Asterix cover art earns its laurels
29 May 2026An original piece of Astérix cover art painted by Albert Uderzo (1927-2020) sold for an $360,000 (£267,000) at Heritage Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) in Dallas, Texas.
Author’s powers of Persuasion
29 May 2026Two-in-one edition of the first and last Jane Austen novels had sat undisturbed in a hallway for over 50 years
Giambologna cast emerges at California auction
22 May 2026An undated cast of Giambologna’s Allegory of Astronomy hammered for a remarkable $500,000 (£367,325) at San Rafael Auction Gallery in California.
Silver linings as Sir Robert Walpole’s first seal salver sells at $190,000
15 May 2026Sir Robert Walpole’s first seal salver re-emerged from a century in a US private collection to sell for a hammer price of $190,000 (£140,500) in New York.
De László portraits rediscovered in North Carolina auction
01 May 2026Two pictures relating to the family of former US president George HW Bush added to catalogue raisonné
‘Try to find another one that’s not in a museum’
01 May 2026This Flemish Baroque carved ebony table cabinet shown below opens to reveal intricate silk needlework images of flowers to the inside of its three doors.
Big bucks for British documents as James I royal warrant and Trafalgar order of battle emerge
01 May 2026Two choice British documents emerged across two different sales at Amherst, New Hampshire firm RR Auction (25% buyer’s premium).
Ignatius Sancho second edition sells in New York
01 May 2026Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, an African, tells the remarkable story of an African born on a British slave ship who earned a place among the London elite.