Auctions

News and previews of art and antiques sold at auctions throughout the UK and overseas, from multi-million-pound blockbusters to affordable collectables.


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European avant garde design embraced by American silversmith

07 October 2024

Relatively little is known about the German-born artist and designer Elsa Tennhardt (1899-1980).

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Hawker aluminium furniture gives a lift to Bucks auction

07 October 2024

A recent sale at Claydon Auctioneers (21.5% buyer’s premium) in Buckinghamshire included a suite of aluminium bedroom furniture by the HG Hawker Engineering Company.

Watercolour of the Great Lavra Belltower of Kyiv

Kyiv belltower view stands out as a Williams watercolour highlight

04 October 2024

A collection of watercolours amassed by Iolo Williams (1890-1962) which had been kept under a bed for over half a century raised a total of £89,150 at Olympia Auctions on October 2.

Porgu (Hell) by Eduard Wiiralt

Eduard Wiiralt etchings bring fervent bidding at US auction

04 October 2024

Two of the most familiar works by Estonian graphic artist Eduard Wiiralt (1898-1954) came for sale at a recent sale at Revere Auctions in St Paul, Minnesota.

Francois Nicole musical box

Music to vendor’s ears as Francois Nicole box doubles estimate at auction

03 October 2024

A rare example from a pioneer of modern musical boxes came for sale at Lawrences of Crewkerne

Edwin Beer Fishley vase

‘The largest selection of Fishley pottery to be included in a single auction’

03 October 2024

An impressive array of North Devon pottery dating from the 18th to the 20th century comes for sale at Chilcotts in Honiton on October 12.

Daguerreotype

First known ‘romantic’ photograph of an interracial couple in the US comes to auction

03 October 2024

On October 26, Freeman’s Hindman in Cincinnati will offer what is believed to be the first American photograph of a romantically posed interracial couple.

Wind In The Willows

EH Shepard Wind in the Willows illustration among Forum Auctions sale highlights

02 October 2024

A selection of important British works were on offer at Forum Auctions, including these four highlights that hammered over estimate

barniz de Pasto escritorio

Cabinet showing 17th century ‘globalisation’ in action makes over 90 times estimate

02 October 2024

Due to the fact that they represent a meeting of three continents and cultures, barniz de Pasto (Pasto varnish) boxes have recently been described by Jorge F Rivas Perez, curator of Latin American Art at the Denver Art Museum, as ‘some of the first works of a globalised world’.

Teak window panel

Window panel from Getty collection reaches six figures at Stair Galleries

01 October 2024

A final treasure from the Ann and Gordon Getty collection excelled at the latest sale at Stair Galleries in Hudson, New York.

Wedgwood George VI coronation mug

'Unique' yellow coronation mug sets record for a Ravilious ceramic

01 October 2024

A rare colourway of the Ravilious for Wedgwood coronation mug took a bid of £13,500 at Gildings – a record price for Ravilious ceramics.

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Punning box found among bric-a-brac makes four figure sum

30 September 2024

Plucked from a box of bric-a-brac brought in for a general sale, a Commonwealth gilt brass sealing wax box sold for £5200 at Lawrences of Crewkerne. A clever pun gives a clue to its maker’s identity - and perhaps his political leanings.

Robert Ker Porter watercolour

Rare view of Kyiv skyline features among five lots to watch

30 September 2024

With estimates from £400, here are five previews of items coming up at auction this week

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Swinton estate sale brings a flavour of Le goût Rothschild to Yorkshire

30 September 2024

The Swinton Estate, which spans approximately 20,000 acres of North Yorkshire, has been in the Cunliffe-Lister family since the 1880s.

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Horrocks back in fashion

30 September 2024

Actress Jane Horrocks took to the rostrum at Ewbank’s in Surrey on September 19 for Diary of a Wardrobe - A Celebrity Charity Auction for Marie Curie.

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Mystical posters mesmerise collectors at auction

30 September 2024

A recent Vintage Posters sale at Swann Galleries (25/20/12% buyer’s premium), a summer staple of the New York auction house, was dominated by three large early 20th century magic posters, each hammering for $22,000 (£16,650).

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Silver linings in a suitcase

30 September 2024

Pulling out a suitcase from under a bed during a probate valuation, Dawsons’ valuer could scarcely have guessed what they would find hidden inside.

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Bidders in the market for a Glover

30 September 2024

Large urban landscapes, lorry parks, shantytowns and thronging markets feature heavily in the work of Ghanian painter Ablade Glover (b.1934).

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Seals of the Duchy

30 September 2024

Of numismatic interest in the Swinton sale were two George VI silver seal matrices made for the County Palatine and the Duchy of Lancaster.

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Outback artist on the front foot

30 September 2024

Aboriginal painter Namatjira’s evocative Australian work makes rare appearance in a British saleroom

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