Art Market

Ben Rogers Jones was a happy man after the latest Welsh Sale at Rogers Jones (24/15% buyer’s premium) in Cardiff.

Can an original frame make all the difference to price? A recent Surrey auction provided an interesting test.

Another high price for Helen Bradley (1900-79) came at Cheshire saleroom Wilson55 (22% buyer’s premium) last month.

Works by William Ratcliffe (1870- 1955) are pretty rare on the market and, when they do turn up, they tend to appear at London auctions.

Colourful work with provenance back to artist’s sister catches the attention in Kent saleroom

Glamorous portraits of wealthy women such as Lady Northcliffe command the highest prices

A romanticised view of Venice by Austrian painter Franz Richard Unterberger (1838-1902) led the latest fine art sale staged by Cambridge saleroom Cheffins (24.5% buyer’s premium).

One of the most notable harbour scenes ever to emerge by the Victorian artist William Mitchell (1823-1900) of Maryport was among the lots bringing interest at a recent Mitchells sale.

A good number of lots offered at Great Western Auctions (24% buyer’s premium) on June 17-18 demonstrated the demand that can emerge for works on paper pitched at attractive levels.

Thomas Sandby’s (1721-98) architectural drawings are significant part of the artist’s oeuvre.

Among the 20th century works on paper generating demand at regional sales in the last few months was a Keith Vaughan (1912-77) study of a group of bathers.

For collectors on a budget, works on paper can provide a more accessible route to acquiring works by key artists.

The market for drawings and watercolours, both modern and traditional, has long been regarded as delicate ground – sensitive towards estimates, market freshness and condition.

Compared to oil paintings and watercolours, drawings by the Scottish Colourists seem to appear less often at auction.

Two fresh-to-the-market watercolours with appealing subjects by major names in the Modern British market, perhaps understandably, drew attention at Woolley & Wallis (25% buyer’s premium) latest specialist sale in this category.

The latest themed sale at Bonhams (27.5/25/20/14.5% buyer’s premium) was an auction titled India in Art, offering a mix of pictures and objects relating to the subcontinent.

A study of a figure wearing a robe and turban drew a fierce bidding battle at Eldreds (25% buyer’s premium) in Plymouth at the end of last month.

Recent biography, major show and strong auction prices suggest younger Nash is on the rise.

Demand continues to grow for works by Modern British artist Ruth Doggett (1881-1974) after her auction record was broken twice in the same auction.

A group of 39 lots at Dreweatts’ latest Old Master, British and European Art sale on May 26 came from a descendant of the artist John Anster Fitzgerald (1832-1906).