Latest News Articles by Laura Chesters
Appeal for help to trace stolen snuff shoe from antiques fair
04 July 2019A snuff shoe belonging to dealer J Collins & Son was stolen at the IACF Ardingly fair in West Sussex from a stand in the Norfolk Pavilion.
Fictional antiques dealer Lovejoy to return to screens in new TV adaptation
03 July 2019TV show Lovejoy has been acquired for adaptation three decades after it was first broadcast.
Antiques dealer appeals for help from trade to locate stolen Japanese bronze from Portobello Road
03 July 2019Antiques belonging to dealer John Langin of RA Barnes Antiques were stolen on two occasions from outside his stall at Portobello Road market last month.
Hires at Bellmans and Alderfer Auction - the latest Movers and Shakers in the art and antiques market
03 July 2019A selection of appointments across the sector including a book specialist at Bellmans
Medieval chess figure believed to be a ‘missing’ piece from the Lewis chessmen set sells at £600,000 at Sotheby’s
02 July 2019A chess figure bought in 1964 in Edinburgh for £5 by an antiques dealer and stored in a drawer for decades has sold at a hammer price of £600,000 at Sotheby’s in London.
‘Toulouse Caravaggio’ acquired in private deal prior to €100m auction
01 July 2019The painting dubbed the ‘Toulouse Caravaggio’ that was snubbed by the Louvre in Paris could now go on show in a museum after a private sale.
Men charged over 2017 Feltham book theft
01 July 2019Two men will appear in court in connection with the 2017 theft of rare books from a west London warehouse.
Ministers block export of 18th century watercolour by “genius” landscape artist
29 June 2019An 18th century watercolour by the artist who John Constable described as a genius has been barred from export in the hope a UK buyer can be found.
International organised crime group arrested in €2m rare books heist
27 June 2019Members of a crime gang believed to be behind the 2017 theft of 260 rare books in west London have been arrested in a joint operation with authorities across Romania, the UK and Italy.
Buyer sought for auction house Wright Marshall
27 June 2019The parent company of Wright Marshall Fine Art Auctioneers is in administration and a search for a new owner is under way.
New joiners at Woolley & Wallis and the Appraisers Association of America - the latest Movers and Shakers
27 June 2019A selection of appointments across the art and antiques market including in Woolley & Wallis’ pictures department.
‘Toulouse Caravaggio’ sold in private sale ahead of planned auction
26 June 2019The painting dubbed the ‘Toulouse Caravaggio’ has been sold in a private sale two days ahead of its planned auction.
Appeal to trade to help find bronze statue stolen from Bedfordshire church
26 June 2019A bronze statue of St Michael the Archangel that had previously been taken 19 years ago has been stolen again from its place at the top of a war memorial in the churchyard of St John the Baptist Church in Eversholt, Bedfordshire.
Rediscovered Velázquez portrait of one of the 17th century’s most powerful women comes to auction at Sotheby’s
25 June 2019A portrait by Spanish master Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) last recorded in 1724 is to be offered with a £2m-£3m estimate.
Art and antiques from the collection of Landmark Trust founders Sir John and Lady Smith come to auction in Gloucestershire
25 June 2019A collection of art and antiques from the late Sir John and Lady Smith carries an estimate of £50,000-100,000 ahead of its auction at Chorley’s in Prinknash Abbey, Gloucestershire.
Going, going, private… Sotheby’s could compete on level terms with Christie’s – once it quits stock exchange
24 June 2019Art market insiders are expecting a dramatic change in the dynamic at the top end of the sector if a remarkable $3.7bn bid to buy Sotheby’s completes this year.
Activist investor Loeb kicked off the push for change at Sotheby's
24 June 2019The offer price from Patrick Drahi represents a premium of 61% to Sotheby’s closing price on June 14 and a 56.3% premium to the company’s 30-day average share price.
Patrick Drahi: telecom magnate and a man of the world
24 June 2019The 55-year-old media and telecoms entrepreneur and enthusiastic art collector Patrick Drahi has made an offer to buy Sotheby's via his BidFair USA company in a $3.7bn deal.
Stanley Gibbons Group says Mallett claim now resolved
24 June 2019Stamp and coin dealership Stanley Gibbons Group is due to receive £850,000 to resolve “all outstanding claims involving certain former directors of Mallett”, it announced on June 14.
Five lots to watch at auction this week including an Italian Art Nouveau cabinet, a Minton tortoise teapot and a signed Harry Potter book
24 June 2019With estimates from £50-12,000, here are five previews from upcoming sales this week.