“We believe it was irresponsible for a third party to raise doubts about Beethoven’s “Allegretto” in B Minor manuscript when they had not inspected it first-hand or taken into account its provenance and the inscription by an English vicar confirming that it was composed and written by Beethoven.”
Sotheby’s released a statement following the failure to sell of a musical manuscript catalogued being hand of handwritten by Ludwig van Beethoven. The auctioneers were reacting to the questioning of the attribution by Professor Barry Cooper of the University of Manchester who said he was “certain” that the manuscript was not in Beethoven’s hand.
“Dealers, practised in figuring out who painted what, are ideally placed to help identify some of the 40,000 unknown works of art the nation owns.”
Bendor Grosvenor, art historian and dealer, on Art UK’s hunt for dealers to help identify paintings in public collections.
“It is the Star Wars logo which has commanded the most attention and bids. So now we know, it’s not just the boxes we need to keep with our toys, but the bags too.”
Kathy Taylor at auctioneer Vectis Auctions on the sale of a plastic bag from Palitoy staff shop that sold for £240.
“It was like walking around a museum where you could buy everything.”
Daniel Agnew co-organiser of the London International Antique Teddy Bear, Doll and Toy Fair on its inaugural run.
“It is unusual to receive consignments of any such private royal photographs, but having 17 of them in one lot, which represent the king who gave away his empire for the woman he loved, is extraordinary.”
Denise Kelly, Bellmans Auctioneers, who sold a group of photographs of the wedding of Edward, Duke of Windsor, to the divorcee Wallis Simpson.
“It was a complete sleeper. The day before the sale we had been tipped a wink that it could make £10,000 but no one was expecting this.”
Chris Ewbank on the tribal art necklace which took £99,000 plus buyer’s premium against a £60-100 estimate at Ewbank’s last week.
