Latest News Articles by Jonathan Franks
Estimate for Werner left far behind the final price
07 August 2026Kinsky (25% buyer’s premium) in Vienna completely underestimated the international interest for a painting by the late 17th century Swiss artist Joseph Werner (1637-1710) offered in an art and antiques sale this summer.
Museum director amassed impressive artworks
07 August 2026The one-time director of the State Museum of Baden in south-west Germany, Rudolf Schnellbach, was obviously an astute buyer of art.
Flintlock hunting rifle decorated with a flourish
07 August 2026Several bidders set their sights on a late 18th century flintlock hunting rifle which was offered by Dawo (25.95% buyer’s premium) in Saarbrücken.
Mozart memorabilia flies to 10 times the estimate
24 July 2026By coincidence, in the very week that a recently discovered work by Mozart – a previously unknown composition for harp and flute – was premiered in Paris, a piece of Mozart ephemera caused a stir in Vienna.
Viennese Secession poster successes in a Munich saleroom include Klimt, Schiele and Roller creations
17 July 2026A group of four original lithograph posters advertising exhibitions of the Viennese Secession was well received at Karl & Faber (27% buyer’s premium) in Munich.
Collectors happy to hunt for pocket watch auction buys over wide time range
19 June 2026Even though, as a rule, big-name wristwatches still attract the highest prices, recent sales show a resilient market for pocket watches.
Restituted Kolbe fountain quadruples estimate and sells to US collection
12 June 2026In a November sale last year, Grisebach in Berlin set a new record for a bronze sculpture by Georg Kolbe, when it sold Stehende Frau (Standing Woman) for €1.12m (£982,455).
Escher sends birds and bidders into a flap at Hamburg auction
12 June 2026One of the big surprises at a recent Ketterer (27% buyer’s premium) book auction in Hamburg was the result for a signed lithograph by Maurits Cornelis Escher.
Lemonnier historical work full of personality takes six-figure sum at German auction
12 June 2026Anicet Charles Gabriel Lemonnier had a long and distinguished career, making a name for himself with his many-figured paintings of historical meetings.
Blaeu finishes journey in America: atlas snapped up at German sale
12 June 2026Johannes Blaeu’s 'Atlas maior, sive Cosmographia…' is considered the finest collection of maps ever produced.
Autumn falls from one Swiss collector to another
12 June 2026Since it was purchased at Sotheby’s in London in 1935, a painting by Pieter Brueghel the Younger had remained in possession of the family of a Swiss collector.
KPM porcelain vase bought at auction by the saviour of the Berlin manufacturer
12 June 2026Banker and businessman Jörg Woltmann, who rescued the Berlin porcelain manufacturer, now also acquires a huge vase by the firm.
Restituted Georg Kolbe fountain quadruples estimate
11 June 2026In November sale last year, Grisebach in Berlin set a new record for a bronze sculpture by Georg Kolbe, when it sold Stehende Frau (Standing Woman) for €1.12m (£982,455).
Go on the Toyomasa snail trail in Cologne
05 June 2026The Japanese netsuke carver Naito Toyomasa (1773-1856) was renowned for his miniature portrayals of animals in a distinctive, highly detailed style.
Five-figure auction sums are a sign of the times
05 June 2026Selection of advertising art underlines the extraordinary demand in Germany
Glass – take your pick
05 June 2026Two very different pieces of glass went way over the odds at a specialist sale at Dr Fischer (30% buyer’s premium) in Heilbronn.
Impressive imperial vases take top place
05 June 2026Two impressive vases from the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St Petersburg took top honours at the sale held by Auktionshaus OWL (27% buyer’s premium) on May 16 in Bad Driburg in North-Rhine-Westfalia.
Klee and Kirchner meet at last
05 June 2026In 1934, a meeting of two great modern painters took place in Bern. One of them was the Expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, who had left Germany shortly before the end of the First World War.
Kandinsky clinches it
05 June 2026The illustrated book that Vasily Kandinsky published in 1913 under the title 'Klänge' (Sounds) is considered one of the finest examples of Expressionist literature.
A message that Sengers is in hot demand
05 June 2026Until now, paintings by the Dutch artist Lode Sengers (1896-1956) have rarely gone into four figures.