1) Auctioneer to charge for condition reports
Cotswold auction house Moore Allen & Innocent is trialling a new operation to encourage more people to attend its saleroom. Among the changes is a £10 charge for condition reports for lots that are estimated at less than £100, and a storage fee for items left longer than three days after auction.
2) Art dealer and Fake or Fortune? presenter Philip Mould rediscovers Charles Dickens miniature
Dealer and Fake or Fortune? presenter Philip Mould has rediscovered a portrait miniature of Charles Dickens which will now go on public display.
A detail of the portrait of Charles Dickens (1812-70) by Margaret Gillies (1803-87). Image courtesy of Philip Mould & Company.
3) Rembrandt fingerprints discovered on painting ahead of Sotheby’s Old Masters auction
The fingerprints of Old Master artist Rembrandt van Rijn have been discovered on a 17th century oil sketch by auction house Sotheby’s.
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (1606-69) ‘Study of the head and clasped hands of a young man as Christ in prayer’. The 10 x 8in (25.5 x 20cm) oil on oak panel is estimated at £6m-8m at Sotheby’s. Image: Courtesy of Sotheby's.
4) What lots caught bidders’ eyes this week? Six auction highlights including a rare Old Master landscape and pair of royal Russian shoes
ATG’s selection of hammer highlights that sold at auction in the last week, including a 16th century landscape by the artist known as ‘The Master of the Female Half-Lengths’, and a pair of children’s shoes with connections to Russian royalty.
‘Panoramic Landscape with the Conversion of Saint Paul’ by the Master of the Female Halflengths (active c.1525-50) – €330,000 (£293,465) at Lempertz of Cologne.
5) LS Lowry leads Modern British art sales as rare racecourse scene sells at £4.5m
The latest series of Modern British art auctions in London generated a £47.2m total including premium which was significantly up on the equivalent sales last year.
‘A Northern Race Meeting’ by LS Lowry – £4.5m at Christie’s.
