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

Suffragette archive

What lots caught bidders’ eyes in the last week? Six auction highlights including a Suffragette archive sold at Catherine Southon’s latest sale

01 March 2019

ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week includes a large scrapbook of ephemera relating to Isabel Seymour, secretary for the Women’s Social Political Union (WSPU), that sold at Catherine Southon’s latest auction.

Inman

Memorabilia from the estate of Are You Being Served? actor John Inman pops up at Newbury auction house

01 March 2019

The sale of a collection of John Inman memorabilia at auction has highlighted the 1970s star enduring popularity with collectors across the UK.

Sotheby's

Private sales boost auction house Sotheby’s results as turnover jumps 16%

28 February 2019

Sotheby’s reported a 16% jump in sales last year to $6.4bn (£4.8bn).

‘Le Port au soleil couchant, Opus 236 (Saint-Tropez)’ by Paul Signac

Pointillist painting of Saint Tropez by Paul Signac sets artist’s record at Christie’s auction

27 February 2019

A quintessential pointillist painting of the sun setting over the port of Saint Tropez made an auction record for Paul Signac (1863-1935) at Christie’s latest Impressionist & Modern art auction in London.

Alban Arms - A fine pair of Scottish steel and silver inlayed lobe butt pistols by Thomas Murdoch of Doune with 7.5 inch barrels circa 1760..jpg

First edition of new-look antiques arms fair in west London features international selection of dealers

27 February 2019

The inaugural staging of an expanded antiques arms fair in west London will welcome a number of European dealers.

Claude Monet's Le Palais Ducal

Claude Monet view of the Doge’s Palace in Venice sells for £24m at Sotheby’s

26 February 2019

A painting of the Doge’s Palace in Venice made by Claude Monet (1840-1926) during his one and only trip to Venice was knocked down at £24m at Sotheby’s latest Impressionist & Modern art auction in London.

Sotheby's New Bond Street

Sotheby’s and Phillips raise buyer’s premium with new rates higher than Christie’s

26 February 2019

Auction house Sotheby’s has increased its buyer’s premium to a level that goes beyond the recent changes announced by Christie’s.

Hollins with shirt.jpg

World Cup winner Gordon Banks match-worn England shirt comes up at auction

26 February 2019

An England football shirt worn by the late, great goalkeeper Gordon Banks is coming up for sale at Surrey auction house Ewbank’s.

Tim Maxwell
Clock

Five lots to watch at auction this week including a Gothic Revival clock and a George II mahogany table

25 February 2019

With estimates from £100-50,000, here are five previews from upcoming sales this week.

img_8-1.jpg

Pick of the week: 18th century pocket watch by Henry Cowper bought for £1 proves a profitable investment

25 February 2019

An 18th century pocket watch by Gibraltarian goldsmith Henry Cowper emerged for sale at Rowley’s auction house in Ely. It belonged to a Lincolnshire private collector who bought it over 50 years ago for £1 from a former resident of the Rock.

Antique weapons laws set for 2019 changes

25 February 2019

Laws relating to antique firearms and bladed weapons are set to change in the UK this year. Dealers, auctioneers and collectors will be affected by both the offensive weapons bill and an amendment to the Policing and Crime Act 2017 which are set to become law in 2019.

‘Venus and Cupid’ by Lucas Cranach the Elder

Trio of high-value Old Master paintings enter museums

25 February 2019

Three major Old Master acquisitions by museums have been announced over the last fortnight. They include two works that headlined London’s latest auction series in this category.

William H Stokes Antiques

Five highlights from the upcoming sale of the collection of William H Stokes Antiques

25 February 2019

The collection and stock of former Cirencester dealership William H Stokes Antiques will be offered at auction in the Gloucestershire town by London firm The Pedestal.

img_20-1.jpg

Time recorders and machines of their time

25 February 2019

Two single-owner collections built up over lifetimes were well received at Canterbury Auction Galleries (20% buyer’s premium) on February 5-6.

img_20-5.jpg

Seaweed marquetry longcase clock causes auction ripple

25 February 2019

Good times at the Oxford rooms of Mallams (20% buyer’s premium), when all bar one of 56 clocks got away almost all going comfortably above estimates.

Georgian chair

Relic ready to give a dealer lift at Scone Palace fair

25 February 2019

A rare Georgian invalid’s ‘chair lift’ is one of the highlights at the Scone Palace Antiques & Fine Art Fair.

img_19-1.jpg

Beyond Byron at the Harold Ward sale

25 February 2019

Collectables untouched by Byronmania but selling well at the Harold Ward auction at Mellors & Kirk on February 6-7 included a 19th century ‘Grand Tour’ Italian alabaster model of the Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, and a gold-mounted malacca walking cane engraved to the pommel with the 1816-37 royal arms.

img_12-1.jpg

VOGEL AND OLIVE COLLECTIONS: Two auctions showing the highs and the lows of traditional markets

25 February 2019

The sale of two great collections at auction – one in London, the other in New York – has highlighted the ebbs and flows of the market for early British pottery and furniture.

img_18-1.jpg

Byronmania grips bidders in extensive single-owner sale

25 February 2019

With the great country house contents sales of the past now largely a distant memory, single-owner collection sales have become the next-best thing.

News

Categories