Latest News Articles by Anne Crane
Virgin and Child originally sat in a French chateau's chapel
18 August 2025A rare and early late 11th or early 12th century wooden statue of the Virgin and Child in Majesty was the highlight of the 'Haute Epoque' auction of antiquities and early works of art held by Aguttes (25/23% buyer’s premium) at Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Gory sketch goes for more than a million euros at auction
18 August 2025In 1830 the French government organised a competition for a painting to decorate the wall of the Chamber of Deputies’ Sessions Hall in the Palais Bourbon.
Puisaye potters: Ceramicists from the Burgundy area take centre stage in a single-owner collection
18 August 2025The second half of the 19th century was a key period in the European art pottery movement with much experimentation in glazing and design.
Louis XIV bronze cannons fire up a château sale
04 August 2025French château contents sales, like their equivalent country house sales in the UK, still surface occasionally on the auction market.
Toulouse-Lautrec preparatory study comes to auction
02 June 2025A rare preparatory study by Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec (1864-1901) for one of his famous lithographic posters proved to be the highlight of the 20/21 Century Art evening sale at Christie’s (26/21/15% buyer’s premium) in Paris.
Research revealed how Louis XIV mirror reflected the Armand look
02 June 2025A finely crafted Louis XIV period mirror frame attributed to the skilled royal cabinetmaker Jean Armand was one of the star performers in the Classics sale held in Paris by Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr (28/27/21/14.5% buyer’s premium).
Auctions cover royalty at Versailles and empire at Fontainebleau
02 June 2025French firm holds auctions relating to earlier monarchy and Napoleon
Museum interest notable at 33rd Salon du Dessin
19 May 2025International museum and institutional interest is always a feature of the Salon du Dessin but this year it was even more marked with nearly 500 curators attending.
Anatomical studies stand out as highlight of Paris drawings sale
19 May 2025Sheet of various figures and body parts in red and white chalk set an auction record for Primaticcio
Silver caster sprinkles sale magic at a sensational €88,000 hammer price
19 May 2025Silverware with connections to key figures from the famous French firm of Puiforcat proved to be a major component in a sale of items from a Parisian family collection held by Beaussant Lefèvre (28% buyer’s premium).
Foliot’s chair keenly contested
28 April 2025A traditional ensemble of art and antiques that had come from a property in the department of Ille et Vilaine attracted no shortage of attention when it went under the hammer at Ivoire Nantes (24% buyer’s premium) earlier this year.
Watches marked a time of aviation achievement
28 April 2025Collection included timepieces presented to intrepid French pilots
Dunand deco design fires the imagination
28 April 2025Jean Dunand was an Art Deco period craftsman known above all for his skill in the technique of lacquer and a good example of his craftsmanship was the star turn in a sale of decorative arts held by Tajan (26/21/14% buyer’s premium).
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.