Latest News Articles by Jonathan Franks
Double mazer goblet grabs the attention
27 October 2025In the 16th century, so-called double mazer goblets were highly treasured works of art.
Modersohn-Becker self-portrait was bought by Bauer
27 October 2025For many decades, the collection of the German industrialist Walter Bauer, who died in 1968, has been hidden from public view.
Courvoisier watch with royal speciality shows a sultan
27 October 2025From the mid-18th century onwards, members of the Courvoisier family belonged to the most important and innovative watchmakers in Switzerland.
Female ceramics designer shone in Copenhagen
27 October 2025Around 1900, the majority of women employed in the ceramic industry worked solely in the decoration department, more often than not as painters.
Spanish sign amazes at €180,000 hammer
27 October 2025In recent years, Germany has often shown itself to be a vibrant market for enamel signs, attracting international bidders who on several occasions have been willing to invest six-figure prices when rare pieces come under the hammer.
Archibald Knox classic clock makes 15 times estimate in Berlin
27 October 2025Arts & Crafts design for Liberty is highly prized at German auction
Painting extols virtues of pies and playing cards
27 October 2025The oeuvre of the Alsatian painter Sebastian Stoskopff (1597-1657) is far from extensive. Only some 60 of his works are thought to exist, of which 26 are signed and 10 dated.
Falling upwards: the chance to buy a rare horological survivor
27 October 2025Falling-ball or falling-globe clocks are great horological rarities; only about 30 examples are thought to have survived since their construction in the second half of the 17th century.
Adelsberger second slice offers extensive selection of 19th and 20th century porcelain
20 October 2025In the extensive sale of October 22-25, Wendl in Rudolstadt will be selling the second tranche of the porcelain collection amassed by Kurt Adelsberger.
David depicted at the moment of triumph in sculpture form
20 October 2025A late 19th century marble figure of David with the Head of Goliath at his feet was one of the stars at Neumeister (30% buyer’s premium) in Munich this autumn.
Casket once owned by a cardinal stars in wide-ranging Swiss auction
20 October 2025Example made in Gujarat or Goa goes to a Portuguese buyer
Hoffman silver bowl proves sought after in German sale
20 October 2025Among the countless designs that Josef Hoffmann, the Viennese architect and multi-talented driving force behind the Wiener Werkstätte, executed during his long career was a bowl with two scroll handles, sometimes described as a centrepiece.
Innovative typewriter idea turned out to be all wrong
20 October 2025On January 1, 1901, the German inventor Eduard Thürey applied for a patent for his typewriter design, the layout of which was completely different to all previous forms of writing machines.
Tinplate toy bike brings a touch of romance to Bornheim
20 October 2025In the 1950s-60s, the Yamazaki Gangu company, which traded under the internationally more recognisable name IY Metal Toys, was one of the leading Japanese producers of tinplate toys.
Erzebirge pyramid built up by eight years of hard work
20 October 2025Although the tradition of wood-carving existed in the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) in eastern Germany since the 1100s, it was not until the 19th century that the production of intricately crafted wooden folk-art became a fully fledged house industry.
Goblet sums up the busy Sigismund
29 September 2025Sigismund III Vasa (1566-1632) was a man of many parts. His father was King John III of Sweden; his mother Catherine was the daughter of King Sigismund I of Poland.
Very different styles of Meissen
29 September 2025Vase and clock produced around the same time nevertheless display significant design variation
Goth’s striking lady makes another auction impact
29 September 2025The distinctive 'Portrait of a Lady' by the Hungarian artist Imre Goth was star of the show at an auction at Mehlis (24% buyer’s premium) in Plauen, Germany.
Art Nouveau 'fishing' vase sells at six times estimate
29 September 2025On numerous occasions, Théodore Deck, who has often been called the father of Art Nouveau ceramics, collaborated with the sculptor and designer Joseph Chéret, brother of the painter and lithographer Jules Chéret.
Mighty mice: Zsolany vase taken to €24,000
29 September 2025In 1896, Vilmós Zsolnay, director of the eponymous ceramics factory in the south-western Hungarian city of Pécs in Hungary, presented his newly invented Eosin lustre glaze at the National Millenium Exhibition in Budapest.