Latest News Articles by Anne Crane
Sarah Percy-Davis takes over reins at Asian Art In London
20 October 2014Asian Art in London, the organisation that runs the annual focus on the Capital’s expertise and wealth in this field, have appointed a new chairman.
Frum beats the tribal drum alongside the Parcours
24 September 2014ALL 49 lots from the Murray Frum collection of Oceanic art found a buyer on September 16 at Sotheby’s (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) in Paris. The hammer total was €6.24m (£5.2m).
Boston outshines New York with $22m vase
22 September 2014The US staged a raft of dedicated Asian auctions in New York salerooms and beyond last week. Top lot as ATG went to press was this 2ft 10½in (88cm) high fencai vase from the Qianlong period with a six-character turquoise Qianlong mark to the base when it sold for $22m (£14.2m) hammer at Skinner (23/20/12% buyer’s premium) in Boston on September 17.
Piasa’s new Paris premises
15 September 2014As Paris moved into top gear last week with the opening of the ‘Biennale des Antiquaires’ fair at the Grand Palais and the ‘Parcours des Mondes’ tribal art trail, the auction firm Piasa chose this as the moment to unveil their new headquarters at number 118 on the fashionable rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, set midway between Sotheby’s and Christie’s Paris rooms.
Heads up for two tribal gatherings
26 August 2014As the summer break ends, next month sees a rush of activity in the art world with a flurry of events not least in the Tribal Art category.
How a distinctive British style developed in the post-War era
22 August 2014Britain may not have the same high-profile post-War design tradition as countries like Italy or Denmark (and its products do not command such high prices in the marketplace) but the period was a fertile and creative one which saw a number of talented designers and manufacturers produce a distinctive look.
Fashion dolls flaunt the 1867 look
08 August 2014There may have been no internet or TV in the third quarter of the 19th century, but it was possible to find out what the fashionistas of 1867 were wearing at the time.
Treasures made for China see explosion in value
25 July 2014For some years now, Far Eastern buyers have been demonstrating their fascination with so-called ‘sing-songs’ – the elaborate 18th century automaton table clocks made for the Chinese market by paying ever-increasing sums to secure them.
Timekeeper from Darwin’s Beagle voyage makes £60,000
18 July 2014The most historically interesting entry in Bonhams’ clock sale held in their New Bond Street rooms came from the ten-lot section devoted to marine chronometers.
English cameo glass stars at $260,000 in Kansas
23 June 2014English cameo glass was the star of the show at Woody Auction’s second dispersal from the collection of Dr Ernest and Karin Rieger held in Wichita, Kansas.
Earliest dated Vermeer expected to fetch £6m-8m
17 June 2014The earliest dated picture by the 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (1632-75), one of only two works by the artist left in private hands, will be a highlight of Christie’s Old Masters auction in London next month.
€900,000 – the price on emperor’s head
20 May 2014An ancient Roman marble bust of the Emperor Hadrian that had been in the same private collection for over half a century was the runaway highlight in a recent sale held by Tessier Sarrou & Associés at Drouot in Paris.
Netsuke bonanza at Cologne saleroom
12 May 2014In a series of sales to be spread over the coming years, Cologne auctioneers Lempertz are selling netsuke from the Kolodotschko collection.
Sculptor to the Medici emerges as the hand behind ‘German’ ewer
28 April 2014A very hefty price for a Baroque work of art emerged recently at the Drouot auction centre.
Huge cache of Arts and Crafts wares emerge from bank vault
28 April 2014A massive cache of British Arts and Crafts metalware and ceramics stored in a bank for over 25 years will be sold by Bonhams through their forthcoming decorative arts auctions.
Scandinavian style, exclusive design
14 April 2014The uncompromising Danish furniture designer/carpenter Peder Moos (1906-91) carefully hand-crafted virtually all his distinctive furniture.
Babylonian cylinder sealed at $500,000
14 April 2014The star entry in the latest sale of rare books, autographs and manuscripts at Doyle in New York proved to be an example of one of the most ancient forms of writing.
Chicken cup sets new record at £21.5m
14 April 2014A new auction high for Chinese porcelain was set last week when Sotheby’s sold a tiny Chenghua period ‘chicken cup’ for a hammer price of HK$250m (£21.5m) as part of their latest Hong Kong sale series.
Winter Olympic gold – torches scoop top prices
17 February 2014Like those London buses where you wait forever then two come along at once, two versions of a rare Olympic torch limited to just 33 examples turned up in separate Drouot auctions in Paris within the space of just ten days.
Piasa move to bigger headquarters in Paris
14 February 2014Paris auction house Piasa will move this spring to a new location at 118 rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, the prestigious Right Bank shopping street, home to art and antiques galleries and to Sotheby’s Paris.