Latest News Articles by Jonathan Franks
Märklin carousels are money-spinners at German auction
06 March 2026While two early Märklin carousels went round and round, the bids at Hohenstaufen (24.5% buyer’s premium) in Göppingen went up and up.
New record set for sculptor Georg Kolbe at Berlin auction
06 March 2026Stehende Frau (Standing Woman) by Georg Kolbe soared to a new record at Grisebach (32% buyer’s premium) in Berlin.
Austrian artistry in the spotlight at auction
06 March 2026Vienna sale includes sought-after works by local creative talents Moser, Hoffmann and Marenzeller
Art Nouveau vase by Henri Bergé for Daum blossomed at German sale
06 March 2026From 1897, when he joined Daum in Nancy, until his death in 1937, Henri Bergé was one of the leading designers at the firm.
Sèvres plate too expensive for a French king comes to auction in Germany
06 February 2026Sèvres had high hopes of royal approval and purchase but the Service des Départements was rejected
Massier parrots and palms planter cultivate bids at auction
06 February 2026Delphin Massier, the creator of a large cachepot on stand sold by Dannenberg (28% buyer’s premium) in Berlin, was a member of the dynasty of ceramic artists who worked in Vallauris from the 18th century onwards.
Rare Transylvanian wedding beaker celebrated at German sale
06 February 2026In many parts of the German-speaking world, it was once customary for a newly married couple to drink together from a silver or parcel gilt bridal beaker.
Wedding of wine god Bacchus inspired Boucher’s work
06 February 2026Greek mythology provided François Boucher with an endless source of inspiration. One tale he returned to on several occasions was that of Ariadne and Bacchus.
Iznik dish set to bloom in Stuttgart
06 February 2026A late 16th century Iznik pottery dish will surely attract bids at Nagel’s sale titled Six Continents in Stuttgart on February 25.
School more successful at drawing in artists than teaching German
06 February 2026When north German pastor Johannes Jacobsen founded a school of weaving in the then German-Danish border town of Scherrebek in 1896, his intention was driven by nationalism.
Bust follows style of sculptor and ‘nose breaker’ Torrigiano
05 January 2026When a 16th century white marble bust of an elderly man with a furrowed brow and resolute gaze came up for sale at Nagel (29.5% buyer’s premium) in Stuttgart, it was clear that more than one bidder was confident of knowing either the identity of the artist or that of the subject.
Adelsberger part 2 all sold as German collector's porcelain impresses once again
05 January 2026Every one of the 300 vases and figures from German collection gets away on the day
Good heavens, what a useful case to own
05 January 2026An astronomical compendium sold at Rehm (22% buyer’s premium) in Augsburg contained everything that a 16th or 17th scholar of the heavens needed for observations.
Style contrasts of Wiener Wërkstatte
05 January 2026It was little surprise that Kinsky (25% buyer’s premium) in Vienna was given the legacy of Michael Kovacek, a specialist dealer in Art Nouveau and Art Deco, to sell.
Irish silver lights up German sale
05 January 2026Irish silver rarely appears at German auctions but when it does, it seldom goes unnoticed.
Statue showing Romans fleeing Pompeii is saved from a garden
05 January 2026Numerous bidders at a Peter Karbstein (25% buyer’s premium) auction in Düsseldorf took a fancy to a 19th century marble statue of The Flight from Pompeii.
Movie camera of type that starred in Buster Keaton film is now in the frame at auction
05 January 2026A hand-cranked movie camera from 1908 was one of the stars at a recent sale at Auction Team Breker (21.8% buyer’s premium) in Cologne.
Latin America art emerging at last in its own right
05 January 2026The arts and crafts of colonial America are enjoying a purple patch in the market as Western institutions seek to tell the story of Latin American art in more inclusive and expansive ways
Ogawa Haritsu inro value enhanced by matching netsuke
05 January 2026When he was not crafting lacquer works, the 18th century Japanese artist Ogawa Haritsu spent his time, painting, creating pottery and composing haiku poems.
Jays and squirrels scamper to life across Kaendler creations for Meissen
05 January 2026In his workshop records for the period October 1739 to January 1740, Johann Joachim Kaendler, Meissen’s most accomplished modeller, noted his creation of a “life-sized jay sitting on a trunk, naturally depicted, next to him is a life-sized squirrel seated on a branch, modelled in clay, along with other appropriate ornamentation”.