Latest News Articles by Laura Chesters
Lovejoy episode helps reunite stolen Napoleon altar plaques missing for 12 years
25 February 2026A 30-year-old episode of the BBC show Lovejoy helped an antiques dealer return two stolen Napoleon Bonaparte III altar plaques that had been taken in 2014 to their former home.
Antiques dealers speak out over Kensington council’s plans for Portobello Road improvements
24 February 2026Kensington and Chelsea council has announced a £4.4m plan for Portobello Road to “improve safety, accessibility, flood resilience, lighting and greenery”.
Winner’s medal from first Olympic games comes to auction
20 February 2026A winner’s medal from the first modern Olympic Games will be offered at Bruun Rasmussen in Denmark next month.
Focus on a formidable character
20 February 2026A look at recent book releases, including a work bringing to life Pilkington’s company driving force William Burton
Photo London unveils plans for its debut event at London’s Olympia in May
19 February 2026The newly redeveloped Olympia, set to be unveiled this spring after a £1.3bn makeover, will host Photo London in May 2026.
Movers & shakers: New Bonhams headquarters in the US and latest hires in the UK
18 February 2026New locations, hires and industry developments across the world of art and antiques
Nurse’s Suffragette Medal, rediscovered at auction, goes on public display
17 February 2026A Suffragette medal awarded to the chief nurse to Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928) is to go on public display in the UK at a new exhibition after being bought at auction.
Charity shop discovery takes four-figure sum at auction
13 February 2026A painting by Modern British artist George Hammond Steel (1900-60) which was discovered in an RSPCA charity shop in Royal Wootton Bassett drew strong interest at auction earlier this year.
Kansas museum buys rare 18th century writing desk by Parisian cabinetmaker
13 February 2026A bonheur-du-jour secrétaire by celebrated cabinetmaker Roger Vandercruse Lacroix (1728-99) has been purchased by a museum in Kansas from French dealer Galerie Léage for a six-figure sum.
Customer leaves it to last minute for rug purchase as LARTA celebrates a strong event
13 February 2026Sales at this year’s edition of The London Antique Rug and Textile Art Fair (LARTA) continued, literally, until the doors were shutting on the final day.
New antiques dealers believe The Decorative Fair at Battersea ‘is the perfect mix’
13 February 2026Each edition of The Decorative Fair brings new faces and this season Sheldrake Collection, founded by friends Alice Dickie and Chloe Shann, was one of them.
Plenty to bite into at The Winter Decorative Fair in Battersea
13 February 2026From huge sharks to chocolate pots, The Decorative Fair offered a tempting range to suit all tastes
Right riveting reads from the art and antiques world
13 February 2026Forget the biblical rain for a while, keep indoors and look forward to these books to bury your head in – with more to follow soon
Stolen 17th century panel returned to church after 30 years
11 February 2026A 17th century panel stolen from a church in Hertfordshire has been discovered and returned after being missing for 30 years.
British Museum succeeds in raising £3.5m for 'Tudor Heart' pendant
11 February 2026The British Museum raised the £3.5m needed to buy a gold pendant discovered by a metal detectorist in a field in Warwickshire in 2019.
Plea for UK institution to raise £750,000 for Bedford House puttis blocked from export
10 February 2026A pair of puttis, believed to have been crafted as one of a pair of chimney pieces for Bedford House in London, have been blocked from export.
Latest figures reveal art trade fines of nearly quarter of a million
06 February 2026Almost a quarter of a million pounds in fines have been issued to art dealers and auction houses by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in the six months to September 30, 2025.
First a Tudor portrait identified, now dealer follows up with a Canadian Highlander firmly named
06 February 2026A portrait of a mystery soldier identified by a dealer has sold to a private collector.
More than £200m collected since launch of Artist’s Resale Right
05 February 2026To mark the 20th anniversary of Artist’s Resale Right, collecting agencies the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) and the Artists’ Collecting Society (ACS) have issued updates on the amount collected and how it is distributed.
Promotions and hires across auction houses and art dealers
05 February 2026The latest round up of Movers & Shakers in the art and antiques sector