Latest News Articles by Jonathan Franks
Terracotta figures set for €240 taken to €62,200
17 October 2022There was obviously much more to a pair of 14 and 15in (35 and 37cm) terracotta figures offered at auction than the starting price of €240 suggested.
Vase reveals a tale of romance
17 October 2022The auctioneers at Hargesheimer (28% buyer’s premium) in Dusseldorf were not expecting the broad international interest eventually generated by an 18in (45cm) high Chinese porcelain vase.
Tree trunk takes on different role
17 October 2022Five years after he acceded to the throne in 1873, King Albert of Saxony decided to renovate the 17th century hunting castle at Wermsdorf.
Munich 'Highlights' fair means high life
17 October 2022Since its inception, the focus of the 'Highlights' fair on Modern and Contemporary art has increased and in recent years photography dealers have also been given more space.
Bamberg dealers back to business at this year's festival
04 July 2022After the difficult years of the pandemic, the organisers of the Bamberger Antiquitätenwochen are hoping that this year’s event will mark a return to some form of normality.
Die Brücke group works prove sought after among German Expressionist works at Munich auction
04 July 2022Ketterer’s (25/20% buyer’s premium) recent evening sale in Munich got off to a perfect start.
More to a Chinese plate than meets the eye
04 July 2022A big surprise was in store for the owner of a Chinese lacquer plate consigned to Hermann Historica (25% buyer’s premium) in Grasbrunn, just outside Munich.
Stuttgart buyer wise to a Tibetan thangka
04 July 2022A string of high prices way over estimates emerged at a recent Asian art sale held by Nagel (24.5% buyer’s premium) in Stuttgart.
Lakshmi vendor prospers thanks to US collector's bidding
04 July 2022A US collector went way over the odds to secure a 15th century southern Indian bronze that took top honours at the Asian art sale at Lempertz (26% buyer’s premium) in Cologne.
Alice Bailly loved both art and music
06 June 2022In 1923, soon after the Swiss avant-garde artist Alice Bailly painted her 2ft 2in x 20in (65 x 50cm) canvas La cantatrice, it was bought by the collector Friedrich Trüssel at an exhibition in Bern.
Talent torn apart by tragedies
06 June 2022Two paintings sold in German auctions were produced by artists killed in wartime
Peacock chair struts to five figures
06 June 2022Inspired by British Windsor chairs, the Danish designer Hans J Wegner created his so-called Peacock chair in 1947.
Buddhist deity forges ahead
06 June 2022Among the numerous sculptures for sale at Nagel’s June 13-14 auction of Asian art in Stuttgart is the ferocious figure of the Tibetan Buddhist deity Dorje Legpa in the incarnation of Damchen Garwai Nakpo, or the Lord of the Forge.
Majorelle arrowhead table points to top-quality Art Nouveau
06 June 2022The latter years of the 19th century and the first of the 20th marked the most productive era of the French designer Louis Majorelle.
Porcelain plaque inspired by Hofmann
06 June 2022Twenty-five finely decorated porcelain plaques, several from the legacy of a German aristocratic family, are being sold at auction.
Just what the doctor ordered
06 June 2022Numerous pieces in the Asian art sale at Lempertz in Cologne on June 11 come from the collection of the German doctor Ludwig Jansen.
Headless but not valueless
09 May 2022Even though the head of the Christ Child was missing, numerous bidders joined in the action when a carved figure of the Madonna with Child came up for sale in Düsseldorf.
Mahogany armchairs inspired by Percier and Fontaine offered in Stuttgart
09 May 2022The countless designs for furniture and decorative arts created by Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine, who were known as Napoleon’s architects, not only found favour with the French emperor but also had an enduring influence on cabinetmakers throughout Europe.
Romanian artist Brauner does the twist
09 May 2022The Romanian artist Victor Brauner is known above all for his disturbing Surrealist paintings, often incorporating violent scenes.
Treasures escape the Red Army
09 May 2022German castle’s works of art hidden away in the war come to light in Munich saleroom