Latest News Articles by Jonathan Franks
'Chapel lock' secures four-figure result in Munich
04 November 2024From the 14th century onwards, locksmith guilds were well established in major cities throughout Europe.
Cabinet sold by order of Stalin nearly a century ago, now back at auction
04 November 2024Mid-17th century piece of furniture bought in a Berlin saleroom in 1928 sells again in the German capital
Francken's Triumph of Love comes to Munich saleroom
04 November 2024Around 1621, the Flemish painter Frans Francken II created a type of Who’s Who of mythological couples, when he painted his 20in x 2ft 1in (50 x 64cm) 'Triumph of Love' on a copper panel.
Royal clockmaker’s revolutionary turn
04 November 2024In the 18th century, it was common practice for English watchmakers to spend several years in Paris where they were able to learn from the greatest craftsmen of the day, before returning home.
Nerly brings Venetian grandeur, intrigue – and snow – to a Cologne auction
14 October 2024On October 26, Cologne saleroom Lempertz is holding a sale in Berlin devoted to the collection of some 100 paintings amassed by a German connoisseur from the 1980s onwards.
Five upcoming auction highlights in Germany
14 October 2024Our selection of lots from five sales taking place in Germany this season
Rozenburg porcelain gets to the art of the matter and Zsolnay hits its peak
07 October 2024Among the hundreds of new products launched at the Exposition Universelle in 1900 was the so-called eggshell porcelain, produced by the Rozenburg Royal Delftware Factory in the Hague.
Celebrated Swiss auctioneer Kornfeld’s own collection offered on the rostrum
07 October 2024Items amassed by the late Eberhard Kornfeld feature in bumper series of five sales at the firm he ran
Seven-figure successes help celebrate saleroom 70-year anniversary
19 August 2024This year, Munich auction house Ketterer (32/27/22% buyer’s premium) is marking its 70th anniversary and the evening sale provided plenty of opportunities for celebration.
Sketch sourced from Austrian castle captures Cairo terror in Napoleonic era
19 August 2024Viennese auction house Tiberius (27% buyer’s premium) recently sold the inventory of Laudon Castle, a privately owned, moated baroque residence on the outskirts of the Austrian capital.
Chinese works of art provide lots of reasons to raise a smile
19 August 2024Recent sales show the appetite for Chinese art from bidders with deep pockets is not at all diminished
Cartier catches the mood and big bids at debut Stuttgart sale
19 August 2024Nagel’s (29.5% buyer’s premium) first sale dedicated to Fine Arts and Luxury in Stuttgart obviously caught the mood of the bidders.
Dalí painting was originally bought by Edward James
19 August 2024Instantly recognisable and with a perfect provenance, a painting by Salvador Dalí (1904-89) more than lived up to its expectations at a sale held by Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer (22% buyer’s premium).
Menzel pastel benefits from provenance
12 August 2024In recent years, there has been an upsurge in interest for works by Adolph Menzel (see also ATG No 2649), whose works often go way above the guides and achieve unexpected six-figure prices.
Museum homes in on dolls’ house packed with details
12 August 2024Sometime c.1900, a craftsman or accomplished amateur spent a lot of time building or converting a 6ft 7in (2m) cupboard into a fully fitted dolls’ house.
Works by Swiss artists tempt Swiss collectors
12 August 2024Swiss collectors were in a generous mood at Koller’s (25/22/15% buyer’s premium) recent Zurich auction.
Du Paquier porcelain packs in plenty of interest for bidders
12 August 2024Examples of products by Viennese factory founded 10 years after Meissen prove popular purchases
Drawing result is a surprise even for Klimt in Austria
12 August 2024Works on paper by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) are regularly strong sellers at Austrian auctions, but even so, the result for one of his coloured pencil drawings at a Dorotheum (30/25% buyer’s premium) sale in Vienna was quite a surprise.
Cannon barrels point to date around time of Ottoman invasion and Siege of Vienna
05 August 2024On July 2, Vienna auction house Tiberius (27% buyer’s premium) sold the inventory of Laudon Castle, a privately owned, moated baroque residence on the outskirts of the Austrian capital.
Artist not confirmed but Old Master tells a Florentine family history tale
24 June 2024While the identity of the main artist was up for debate, the impressive ownership of a work sold in Austria was not in doubt