UK

The United Kingdom accounts for more than one fifth of the global art market sales and is the second biggest art market after the US.

Through auctioneers, dealers, fairs and markets - and a burgeoning online sector - buyers, collectors and sellers of art and antiques can easily access a vibrant network of intermediaries and events around the country. The UK's museums also house a wealth of impressive collections

Parliament

House of Lords: Ivory bill is a “stringent and draconian ban”

14 September 2018

A House of Lords debate heard from a handful of members of the upper house who opposed elements of the ivory bill and deemed it “ill-conceived”, “stringent”, “draconian” and creates “massive and unnecessary bureaucracy”.

Roseberys event at High

Roseberys mixes British fashion and Mod Brit art in Mayfair

14 September 2018

Auction house Roseberys teamed up with fashion label High by Claire Campbell for a preview in Mayfair of its upcoming Modern & Contemporary British Art sale.

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Four portraits by Thomas Gainsborough sell from Hungerford antiques centre ahead of 25th anniversary celebrations

13 September 2018

Four portraits by Thomas Gainsborough sold recently at Great Grooms, a Hungerford antiques centre.

Criterion

Criterion Auctioneers plans specialist auction calendar in London saleroom

13 September 2018

Criterion Auctioneers plans to hold regular quarterly Fine Art Sales following a successful trial at its Islington saleroom.

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Adam Partridge Antiques Hunting Weekend takes in Dorking

13 September 2018

Adam Partridge hosts an Antiques Hunting Weekend at Dorking this Saturday and Sunday, including a visit to The Dorking Halls Antiques Fair.

Charles II by Anthony van Dyck

Sotheby’s to offer two Royal portraits by Anthony van Dyck

12 September 2018

Two royal portraits by Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), including one of the future King Charles II, have been pitched at a combined £2.6m-3.8m as part of Sotheby’s Old Master auction in London on December 5.

Puppets

More puppets make their mark as latest lot more than trebles estimate at Edinburgh auction

12 September 2018

Following puppet-maker John Blundall’s entire collection being auctioned at Lyon & Turnbull through a series of sales, another rare puppet set more than trebled its estimate last week.

Robert Barley collection, TW Gaze

“Never Boring” antiques dealer Robert Barley’s collection comes to auction in Norfolk

12 September 2018

The collection of the “Never Boring” antiques dealer, the late Robert Barley, will come to auction at TW Gaze later this month.

Duggleby Stephenson

Yorkshire auction houses team up to expand in York

11 September 2018

Duggleby Stephenson, a joint venture between Scarborough’s David Duggleby and Boulton & Cooper Stephensons, is opening a new saleroom at the York Auction Centre.

Parliament

House of Lords proposes amendments to ivory bill ahead of parliamentary debate

10 September 2018

A group of members of the House of Lords have requested changes to the wording of the ivory bill ahead of a debate in the upper house, due to begin this afternoon.

Bonhams in New Bond Street

Robert Brooks bows out as Bonhams sold to Epiris

10 September 2018

Bonhams’ chairman Robert Brooks is retiring from the auction house after selling the company to private equity group Epiris.

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Pick of the Week: Poster promoting first movie show makes £160,000 at Sotheby's

10 September 2018

Posters advertising the first-ever public screening of a film, which took place in Paris in 1895, have hardly ever emerged outside France. While one is known in an American collection, the appearance of another at Sotheby’s latest online film posters auction understandably caused some excitement.

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Management team replaces Pratt at Bellmans

10 September 2018

West Sussex auction house Bellmans has reshuffled its top team following the departure of managing director Jonathan Pratt, who left to join Dreweatts last month.

Rugby School in Warwickshire

Art from Rugby School’s historic collection consigned to Christie’s

10 September 2018

Christie’s is staging a stand-alone sale of works from Rugby School in December. The 200 lots are expected to raise around £3m.

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Britains' Lancers ride to £11,000 result

10 September 2018

Considering that W Britain began making his revolutionary hollowcast toy soldiers only in 1893, a set dating from just three years later certainly deserves the tag ‘early’.

Banknotes

Rare specimen banknotes book sets auction record at Hertfordshire saleroom

10 September 2018

A book of specimen banknotes printed for locations across the world has set a house record for Tring Market Auctions (17.5% buyer’s premium) by selling for £205,000.

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Heraldic manuscripts lead Halls sale in Shrewsbury

10 September 2018

Two lots offering heraldic manuscripts – one of them being of particular regional interest – produced the highest bids in a mixed sale of collectables and militaria held in Shrewsbury.

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The very last ‘Fall of Princes’?

10 September 2018

Known familiarly as the ‘Audley End Lydgate’, the mid-15th century vellum manuscript shown below is ‘The Fall of Princes’, a Middle English version by the poet John Lydgate of Laurent de Premierfait’s French translation of Boccaccio’s De Casibus virorum illustrium.

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Ivory regulation will be balanced, says Ellis

10 September 2018

The UK government will ensure that ivory regulations are balanced and with “appropriate exemptions”, the new minister for arts, heritage and tourism told the Art Business Conference last week.

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Beef encounter as Victorian works test the ‘Cow’ Cooper market

10 September 2018

It’s fair to say the work of Victorian animal painter Sidney Cooper (1803-1902) is not flavour of the month.

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