Latest News Articles by Laura Chesters
Plea to recover huge collection of stolen tribal art
14 February 2024Around 50 works of tribal art have been stolen in Belgium.
Dealers and auctioneers react after Sotheby’s shock changes to both buyer’s and vendor’s fees
12 February 2024The surprise decision by Sotheby’s to cut its buyer’s premium and standardise its vendor fees sparked a wave of comments across the art and antiques trade.
Pick of the week: Coachbuilders archive rolls up to £25,000
12 February 2024With clients including the Maharajah of Kutch, Queen Victoria and multiple princes and dukes, Holmes & Co was one of the top coachbuilders of the 19th century.
Shackleton’s Polar Medal blocked from export
12 February 2024A temporary export block has been placed on Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Polar Medal in the hope a buyer in the UK can pay £1.7m.
God bless American buyers: Battersea decorative fair benefits from Stateside decorators visiting
12 February 2024A fortuitously timed trip from a large group of top US interior decorators boosted sales at Battersea’s winter Decorative Fair.
Love is in the air: St Valentine’s Day related items with dealers and at auction
12 February 2024With catalogues titled Love Lust & Lechery and a tour called Love Motifs & Symbols, there is something for everyone among this selection of items for sale ahead of St Valentine’s Day this week.
LARTA exhibitors report strong sales and new buyers
12 February 2024Nestled above The Decorative Fair, the London Antique Rug & Textile Art Fair (LARTA) had a successful run with new and returning exhibitors reporting strong sales to trade and private buyers.
Classic fairs expands after a debut success
12 February 2024A successful run at NEC Birmingham last year for Classic Antique Fairs has encouraged it to expand this year.
A Jaguar car and life-size Coronation carriage replica lead auction of Netflix’s The Crown props
08 February 2024Bonhams' sale of 473 props from Netflix’s The Crown raises a hammer total of more than £1m in a white glove sale.
Stolen ancient bronze recovered 40 years later and returned to China
07 February 2024A 2900-year-old Chinese bronze vessel that was stolen 40 years ago has been returned to China following a repatriation ceremony.
New hires, promotions and expansions across antiques dealers and auction houses
07 February 2024Movers and Shakers across the world of art and antiques.
Piano Auctions to sell in Holland after Brexit
05 February 2024The impact of Brexit on UK overseas trade has led one auction house to open a saleroom in the Netherlands.
Props from Netflix’s The Crown are among five lots to watch
05 February 2024With estimates from £3000, here are five previews of upcoming items.
UK buyer sought for Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Polar medal
02 February 2024A temporary export block has been placed on Sir Ernest Shackleton’s polar medal in the hope a buyer in the UK can pay £1.7m.
Bag of coins donated to charity shop contained rare 19th century Australian specimen
02 February 2024A bag of coins donated to Oxfam in Orpington, Kent, contained an Australian New South Wales coin dating to 1813 which is valued at up to £7000.
Mark Knopfler guitar auction makes more than £7m at Christie’s
01 February 2024A six-hour sale of 122 lots from the collection of singer-songwriter and Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler took £7.01m (or £8.84m including buyer’s premium).
Bayeux Museum buys Victorian replica of the famous tapestry from the collection of Rolling Stones drummer
31 January 2024The Bayeux Museum in France has bought a life-size Victorian replica of the Bayeux tapestry from the Charlie Watts sale.
Harrison Ford’s Star Wars scripts found in his former London flat come to auction
31 January 2024A group of scripts, notes and letters from Hollywood actor Harrison Ford, discovered in a Notting Hill flat he rented, are coming to auction.
Appeal for statues stolen from Salford church
31 January 2024A group of statues from a church in Salford have been stolen.
Louvre buys Vénus de Milo cast at auction
30 January 2024The Louvre Museum has used its pre-emption right to successfully secure a 19th century cast of the Vénus de Milo at Artcurial.