Latest News Articles by Jonathan Franks
Carriage clock reaches astronomical height
30 June 2025A complicated astronomical carriage clock by Breguet & Fils, first sold in January 1826, went dramatically over the odds at Antiquorum (25% buyer’s premium) in Geneva.
Blaschkas recreated marine life as intricate glass models
23 June 2025The Bohemian glassmaker Leopold Blaschka’s fascination with marine life began in 1853, when the ship in which he was travelling to the US became becalmed off the Azores.
Porcelain producer Nast was regarded as rival to Sèvres
23 June 2025In its day, the Parisian porcelain manufacture founded by the Austrian born Jean Népomucène Hermann Nast in 1783 was regarded as a worthy competitor to Sèvres.
Bidders vie in Vienna for rediscovered work by visionary landscape painter De Bles
23 June 2025The Salvator Mundi drawing attributed to Leonardo da Vinci’s workshop which sold for €500,000 (ATG No 2692) was not the only sought-after work at Dorotheum’s (28/25/22% buyer’s premium) spring Old Master sale.
Rare work by short-lived artist Horny comes to the saleroom
23 June 2025Works by the tragically short-lived German artist Franz Horny are by necessity relatively rare.
Buyer takes the underground route to Meissen
23 June 2025Meissen decoration linked to mining is not a rare sight but a cachepot with cavern scene is sought after
Märklin model of doomed airship Hindenburg surpasses estimate
19 May 2025The toy manufacturer Märklin did not just produce models for private use.
Trompe l’oeil painting reveals hint of a Medici connection
05 May 2025Painting of a cabinet includes letter fixed to the door with possible mention of Grand Duke Cosimo III
Vases demonstrate changing styles of Berlin porcelain
05 May 2025The evolution of Berlin porcelain – produced by Royal Porcelain Factory founded in 1763 by King Frederick II of Prussia – was well illustrated by two vases which both went way over the estimates in recent sales.
Bosschaert rediscovery blooms in the saleroom
05 May 2025A floral still-life by Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, discovered only recently in a European private collection, was one of the stars at a recent sale at Koller (25/22% buyer’s premium) in Zurich.
Venetian glass smashes estimate
05 May 2025Two enticingly estimated, early glasses from a west German private collection were fiercely contested in the online sale held by Wendl (21% buyer’s premium) in Rudolstadt.
Only Woodwiss of Birmingham clock known comes to auction in Germany
21 April 2025An impressive 19th century longcase regulator attracted several bidders at a sale held by Metz (28/25% buyer’s premium) in Heidelberg.
Gray table could be the prototype
21 April 2025An unmistakable piece of modern furniture is the highlight of the sale on May 16 at Lempertz in Cologne.
French clock ticks happily along among legendary chaos
21 April 2025Nineteenth century French creation features Fall of Phaeton Greek myth
Bidders eye up ducal armband
21 April 2025Star lot of a section of a recent Neumeister’s (30/27/25% buyer’s premium) auction in Munich devoted to the legacy of Alexander Eugen, Duke of Württemberg, who died last year at the age of 91, was literally one of the eyecatchers.
Lievens’ version of Susanna bathing surfaces at Cologne saleroom
21 April 2025The biblical story of Susanna and the Elders, also known as Susanna Bathing, has inspired artists throughout the centuries, among them Jan Lievens who painted this version in c.1630.
Centrepiece given to Prussian politician was thought to be a snub to Bismarck
21 April 2025As a token of their appreciation for his work as administrator of the region around the German town of Geldern, a few miles from the Dutch border, 16 mayors from local towns presented the Prussian politician and bureaucrat Georg von Eerde with a monumental silver centrepiece.
Plants pressed into action to create Harder’s Herbaria
14 April 2025Two unusual books took top honours at a Neumeister (30/27/25% buyer’s premium) auction in Munich, both achieving multiples of the estimates.
Classic Sengantini mountain view climbs to €150,000 hammer price
24 March 2025A landscape by Gottardo Guido Segantini (1882-1974) was the highly fought-after favourite at Döbritz (26% buyer’s premium) in Frankfurt on February 22.
Zsolnay snakes in with a jardiniere
24 March 2025The continuing interest of international collectors for ceramics by the Zsolnay factory in Pécs in south-west Hungary could be seen at a recent auction held by Mehlis (24% buyer’s premium) in Plauen.