Latest News Articles by Alex Capon
Bonhams business sold to private equity firm Epiris
04 September 2018Auction house Bonhams has been acquired by the private equity group Epiris.
Unveiling of Salvator Mundi at Louvre Abu Dhabi delayed
04 September 2018Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism is postponing the unveiling of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Salvator Mundi’ at The Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Italy’s decision to cancel export licence “undermines trust”, says dealer
03 September 2018An art dealership that sold a portrait of Napoleon’s brother-in-law to The Frick Collection in New York has strongly criticised Italy’s decision to retrospectively rescind its export licence.
Christie’s to offer major Chinese rarity as Song Dynasty scroll is given £40m estimate
03 September 2018An extraordinarily rare artwork by pre-eminent Chinese scholar Su Shi (1037-1101) will be offered at Christie’s Hong Kong later this year. The auctioneers are hoping that it could make a record for any Asian work of art.
10 highlights from Sotheby’s Irish art sales going on view in Dublin
30 August 2018Works from two prominent collections of Irish art are going on view at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin this week ahead of being offered at Sotheby’s in London. They feature works by some of Ireland's greatest painters.
A Gold Rush for Heritage Auctions in Philadelphia
27 August 2018Heritage Auctions reported a string of high-value sales as part of its numismatic auctions held alongside Philadelphia’s 'World’s Fair of Money'.
Rare example of the ‘first dollar of the New World’ sells at Heritage’s coin auction
27 August 2018The silver eight-Reales coins struck in Mexico City in the 1530s are sometimes referred to as the ‘first dollar of the New World’.
“Not the product of a human mind”: Christie’s to test market for portrait created solely by Artificial Intelligence
25 August 2018An unfinished copy of 19th century portrait? A defaced painting of a churchman? A piece of contemporary art? This painting could be all three.
“The ultimate collector's poster” – 5 lots from Sotheby’s dedicated sale including the design for the first ever public film screening
24 August 2018Sotheby’s latest online sale of film posters includes plenty of designs for 20th century cinema classics – but also a remarkable 19th century example.
Welsh connections: Christie’s brokers sale of Augustus John portrait of Dylan Thomas to National Portrait Gallery
22 August 2018Christie’s has helped broker the sale of portrait of a young Dylan Thomas by Augustus John (1878-1961) to the National Portrait Gallery.
Why reclining Morris armchair proved a £7600 Victorian seat of power
17 August 2018A Morris & Co adjustable armchair brought strong competition at a recent auction in Cumbria. In largely original condition despite some obvious signs of wear and tear, it was taken to 10 times its estimate at PFK Auctioneers before it was knocked down at £7600.
Rossetti the salesman – unrecorded letters from Pre-Raphaelite patron’s collection discovered in house clearance
17 August 2018A large cache of letters from Victorian artists including founder member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) have been consigned to Shropshire auctioneers Trevanion & Dean.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh cabinet made for Glasgow tea room entrepreneur makes £11,000
16 August 2018A cabinet made by Scottish designer and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) for a Victorian tea room businesswoman has sold for £11,000 at Willingham Auctions in Cambridge.
Full steam ahead: 5 pieces of railwayana available at auction this week
15 August 2018Railway-related items remain one of the staples of the collectables market, with rarity and links to locomotive history among the key factors determining demand. Here ATG selects a small group of items from the healthy supply of lots on offer at two auctions taking place this week.
Salvator Mundi: Christie’s refutes Oxford academic’s opinion challenging attribution to Leonardo
09 August 2018Auctioneers Christie’s have refuted the view expressed by Oxford academic Dr Matthew Landrus that Salvator Mundi should be attributed to one of Leonardo’s assistants rather than the master himself.
Egypt recovers Islamic manuscript spotted in Bonhams auction
09 August 2018A rare Islamic manuscript consigned to a Bonhams auction in London has been returned to Egypt in the latest example of Egyptian authorities succeeding in retrieving artefacts from abroad.
Corbet oil head and shoulders above the rest
06 August 2018A small but enigmatic study attributed to Victorian artist Matthew Ridley Corbet (1850-1902) drew dramatic competition at John Nicholson’s in Fernhurst, Surrey.
’Giotto’ export an issue for Italy says High Court
06 August 2018The owner of a rediscovered painting attributed to Giotto has lost a High Court battle over its export from the EU.
5 key details about this rare Scottish silver ‘argyll’
02 August 2018A rare George III argyll (or gravy warmer) will be offered at Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh this month. Despite the associations with the Dukes of Argyll, only two Scottish silver vessels are recorded.
Titanic rescue medal makes £45,000 at Bourne End auction – VIDEO
01 August 2018A prolonged bidding battle emerged today in Buckinghamshire as the gold medal awarded to the bursar on board the RMS Carpathia, the ship that famously rescued survivors from the Titanic in 1912, sold at £45,000.