Latest News Articles by Terence Ryle
Carpenter’s hits include chart toppers
01 November 2021Antarctic maps take highest prices in collection relating to key Terra Nova crew member
Musical monkey business proves an attractive ensemble
01 November 2021Eye-catching and ear-pleasing, this early example of a monkey chamber orchestra musical automaton picture was one of the star performers at Tennants’ (20% buyer premium) Scientific and Musical Instruments sale.
Steel string guitar strikes a cord in Lincolnshire auction
01 November 2021Bought in 1952 by a semi-pro Skegness musician who played with East Coast seaside entertainers, this steel string guitar got a big show of hands at Louth auction house John Taylors (18% buyer’s premium).
Scottish ballet impresario's collection in step with decorative fashion
27 October 2021It was not to high-end purist tastes, but ballet pioneer’s collection reeled in eager bidders
London calling at Catherine Southon's Surrey saleroom
27 October 2021Underground or overground, London travel memorabilia amounted to a £95,000 hammer total at Catherine Southon (24% buyer’s premium).
Crawforth collection shows its metal
27 October 2021Aided by strong American bidding action, the collection of Andrew Crawforth, the late Portobello Road trader and leading authority on early metalware, turned base metal into gold when all 431 lots – offered wihtout reserve – sold at Bonhams’ (27.5% buyer’s premium) Edinburgh sale.
Auction full of West Country wonders
18 October 2021Including seafaring, tin, copper, studio potteries and fishing, a Penzance sale covered just about everything from the region bar pasties.
Dapper dummy made in Austria, brought to UK, now heads to US
18 October 2021This ventriloquist’s dapper dummy was one of the surprise star turns at Halls’ (23% buyer’s premium) Shrewsbury auction.
Scandal and sedition in ceramics
27 September 2021Salisbury sale offered commemorative ceramics from single-owner collection
If life gets you down a cup of tea always helps
27 September 2021While Americans demonstrated by throwing tea into the harbour, the British registered complaints by putting the leaves into suitably decorated teapots.
Desirable davenport discovered in Ilkley auction
20 September 2021Few furniture forms suffered a bigger crash in prices than the davenport.
Relics from rare Keith silver to symbols of Jacobite rebellion feature at Edinburgh auction
06 September 2021The rarest Scottish provincial town marks, known only from spoons and ladles, are those of Stonehaven, Ellon and Keith.
Not bad for a sewer find – 400-year-old candlestick proves 'where there’s muck there’s brass'
06 September 2021With the unusual provenance of having been dug out of a London sewer during excavations in 1930, the 15th or early 16th century copper alloy candlestick shown here underlined the truth of the maxim that where there’s muck there’s brass.
Barn find jukebox could be golden oldie
30 August 2021A classic ‘barn find’ piece, this somewhat dilapidated jukebox was spotted as a potential golden oldie at Gardiner Houlgate (22% buyer’s premium).
Cover star with substance to follow at North Yorkshire summer auction
23 August 2021Front page pair of £68,000 candelabra headed a varied auction with plenty of highlights
Snuffbox copy has its own charms
23 August 2021Along with its Summer Fine Art sale, Tennants held a jewellery, watches and silver sale on July 17.
Antique furniture: Quality counts if condition is poor
09 August 2021The dictum that class is permanent was borne out in a Newbury saleroom by prices for damaged pieces
Drury bronzes and a devilish buy at Dreweatts
09 August 2021From the same north London home as the Chinese Export mirror and an Irish dining table sold at Dreweatts was this pair of bronzes by Alfred Drury (1856-1944).
Mortlake tapestry leads the way
09 August 2021Depicting Bacchus and Ariadne riding a golden chariot drawn by leopards, a monumental Mortlake tapestry led a small but significant textiles section at Dreweatts.
Chinese ritual wine vessel has considerable animal attraction
05 July 2021Based on Warring States (475-225BC) archetypes, archaistic bronze ritual wine vessels, zun, formed as tapirs became popular during the Northern Song period, remained so through to the Qing dynasty, and are major draws in Western salerooms today.