Latest News Articles by Anne Crane
Up with the revolution (for porcelain)
29 April 2024Russian porcelain is still in demand, especially those early Soviet-era pieces from the years following the Revolution.
Seat coverings come with Scottish family connection
29 April 2024Pictured here are two lots of seat furniture that impressed bidders in recent auctions in Gloucestershire and Cheshire.
Davenport displays Irish touch
29 April 2024Irish marquetry furniture is a very distinctive form of decorative technique associated in particular with Killarney.
Ornate mirror has the Thomas Johnson look about it
29 April 2024The furniture highlight of Cheffins’ (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) latest Fine sale in Cambridge was the catalogue cover star.
Fine copy of Hilliard’s miniature Raleigh portrait comes to light
29 April 2024The well-known miniature portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh by Nicholas Hilliard (c.1547-1619) in the National Portrait Gallery was painted c.1585, the year after Raleigh was knighted.
Furniture loaned to National Trust properties goes under the hammer
29 April 2024Many items from a group on offer in west London had been displayed at National Trust sites
Cistern used for wine doubles up as racing trophy
22 April 2024A substantial piece of Edwardian silver which has served both as a wine cistern and a racing trophy was the most expensive piece of silver in Tennants’ (24/20% buyer’s premium) dedicated auction of jewellery, watches and silver.
Tortoise novelty silver could be a sound purchase
22 April 2024A table bell was among the more sought-after lots in a dedicated 200-plus lot silver sale held by Roseberys (26/25/20% buyer’s premium) on March 20.
Bowls both with links to influential designer Dresser
22 April 2024These two pieces share a common Aesthetic-movement style and a link to the influential and avant-garde designer Christopher Dresser
Barehead spoon boasts early date
22 April 2024A highlight of Anderson & Garland’s (25% buyer’s premium) recent silver sale was a particularly early and rare North Country seal top spoon.
Rich pickings in the Cotswolds
22 April 2024It was a piece of modern design that led Kinghams’ (25/18/15% buyer’s premium) latest dedicated sale of silver and objects of vertu.
Dressed to kilt: a super sporran
22 April 2024This early 20th century 10in (25cm) long sporran impressed in Edinburgh at Franklin Browns (18% buyer’s premium).
Rare oval Chardin still life comes to auction in Paris this summer
16 April 2024A still life by the 18th century French artist Jean-Siméon Chardin with a notable provenance is to go under the hammer at Christie’s in Paris this summer.
George Owen Worcester wins admirers
15 April 2024Andrew Morris spent over 30 years putting together a collection focusing on the Worcester porcelain of the Kerr and Binns and Royal Worcester periods and Leonard Joel (25% buyer’s premium) offered it at auction in Melbourne, Australia, over two days on March 25-26.
European ceramics that went to Oz come back on the market
15 April 2024Deceased estates and collectors selling up mean items collected in the late 20th century reappear at auction.
Godwin connection lifts table to 13 times top estimate
08 April 2024The distinctive Anglo-Japanese tables designed by the architect GW Godwin in the later part of the 19th century are known as Smallhythe tables, after the example found in Smallhythe Place in Kent which was the home of the actress Ellen Terry.
Bidders detect Grendey quality in pair of chairs
08 April 2024Giles Grendey (1696-1780) was a well known English cabinetmaker with a workshop in Clerkenwell, a member of the Joiners company rising to Master.
Subject matter boosts sampler to over 80 times estimate
08 April 2024Embroidered samplers can appeal to buyers for all kinds of different reasons.
Sandford Orcas Manor: ‘A lovely sale to preside over’
08 April 2024Country house contents, global interest and a packed room of bidders - what more could an auctioneer wish for?
Mystery panel given warm welcome by bidders
01 April 2024This stained glass panel painted with two female nudes against a watery background flanked by the words 'FAR' and 'END' to the sides and 'SALVE' at the bottom was keenly pursued at Adam Partridge (20% buyer’s premium) in Cheshire on February 28.