Latest News Articles by Anne Crane
Napoleon’s own Civil Code copy sells in Paris
31 March 2025Before his death on St Helena, Napoleon Bonaparte said: “What nothing will erase, what will live forever, is my Civil Code.”
Chaumet marriage trousseau more than matches auction expectations
10 March 2025Tiara takes highest sum as jewellery supplied to an aristocratic family features in Paris sale
New London dealers join Salon du Dessin line-up
10 March 2025March is traditionally the month for drawings and works on paper in Paris, a magnet that attracts enthusiasts from around the world to the French capital.
Jug judged to be a bear essential
10 March 2025Staged in England from medieval times through to the early 19th century, bear baiting provided a popular theme in ceramic art in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Royal silver oils the deals in Paris
03 March 2025Elaborate cruet frames from the pre-revolutionary period stand out in a traditional sale selection
Rediscovered Claudel bronze has aged well
03 March 2025Lost from view for a century, a three-figure bronze group by the sculptor Camille Claudel (1864-1943) made an auction appearance in Orléans on February 16.
‘My style is my signature’: Why Belperron felt her unsigned pieces were sufficiently distinctive
02 December 2024The influential 20th century jewellery designer Suzanne Belperron (1900-83) had a wide-ranging clientele during her lifetime spanning royalty, artists and people from the worlds of fashion and entertainment.
Dutch drawing and Vietnamese painting both impress at Ivoire
02 December 2024Pictured here are two strong results recorded in French regional salerooms by members of the Ivoire Group of auction houses.
International roster for FAB Paris as 100 dealers set to stand
11 November 2024The latest edition of FAB Paris (Fine Arts La Biennale) takes place in the French capital from November 22-27.
Early Poussin emerges at Paris sale
21 October 2024An early work by Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) will be offered by Ader at the Drouot auction centre on November 26.
Focus on fashion quality in Paris auction celebrates Haute Couture
21 October 2024Christie’s Exceptional sale format offers works across a wide range of different categories that are notable for their quality, rarity, provenance or a combination thereof.
Merkle collection showcases slapstick scenes of the Commedia dell’arte to a Parisian audience
21 October 2024On October 31 Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr of Paris will be holding the second instalment of its dispersal of Meissen porcelain from the collection of Hadrian Merkle.
Full house is always a winner: French château contents sale in detail
21 October 2024Old-fashioned contents sale from a château helped Drouot autumn season kick off with a strong start
Dudley set his sights on sailing
21 October 2024Tajan is to offer a rare early pioneering maritime atlas/encyclopedia in its Paris rooms on November 27.
Painting reveals Thomas Germain silversmith secrets
21 October 2024The star of a recent auction held by Pousse-Cornet (21.8% buyer’s premium inc tax) in Blois was a particularly interesting still-life painting by the artist Alexandre-Francois Desportes (1661-1743).
Watches were doctor’s orders when it came to his collecting
21 October 2024Aguttes (26/23% buyer’s premium) held a 66-lot sale in Neuilly on October 8 of a collection of watches spanning the 17th to 20th centuries formed by a doctor and horological enthusiast.
Autumn signals busy art market
23 September 2024With the Olympics over and the new season well under way, there is plenty of activity in the French art market.
Monet sketchbook draws the eye
23 September 2024Studies include caricature-like portraits which were an early preoccupation of the young artist
Surrealism and tribal in tandem
27 August 2024Themed exhibitions at this year’s Parcours des Mondes link ethnographic art with Surrealist movement
Tibetan statuettes hit heights
22 July 2024Himalayan gilt metal statuettes featured prominently among the best-sellers in several Drouot sales including a number of modestly estimated examples that were pursued to way past their guides.