News

UK: FOLLOWING on from the success of the International section of the Seeger Collection in New York last month, high quality and low estimates once again proved a winning combination for Sotheby’s (20/15/10 per cent buyer’s premium) when on June 14 they offered works by British artists collected by Stanley Seeger over the last 20 or so years.

The Lie Became Great: The Forgery of Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, by Oscar White Muscarella, published by Styx Publications, Postbus 2659, 9704 CR Groningen, The Netherlands. ISBN 9056930419 NG250. (approx £75)

NETHERLANDS: MEDAL collectors should watch Sotheby’s Amsterdam (20 per cent buyer’s premium) silver sales. For the second time this year this house has included medals of mainly Netherlands interest in a silver sale.

Historical Fashion in Detail: The 17th and 18th Centuries by Avril Hart and Susan North, published by V&A Publications. ISBN 18517772588 £19.95 pb

UK: THE most famous fortnight in lawn tennis is now upon us, and as a warm-up to the usual bazaar of champagne, strawberries and corporate hospitality, at Kempton Park on June 16 auctioneers Mullock and Madeley held aloft this Wimbledon trophy for the men’s doubles winners of 1919.

THE British Antiques and Collectables Awards were presented at a packed ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel in London’s Park Lane on June 19.

UK: COLLECTORS’ sales are more insulated against market polarisation than most other areas with the niche appeal of the generally more affordable entries attracting greater numbers of private buyers. This sale, with most lots selling under £500, was no exception, with an 88 per cent take-up resulting in a £51,000 total.