Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Safe way to stare at the mesmerising Medusa
26 June 2026Duke’s Fine Jewellery, Watches and Silver auction in Dorchester on June 17-19 was topped at £170,000 by this George III hexagonal pendant centred by a carved Colombian emerald within a border of graduated cushion cut diamonds.
Heraldic supporters and salvers shine as Treasure House Fair starts
26 June 2026The Treasure House Fair returned for its fourth edition at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Spectacular George II side table takes £90,000 hammer
26 June 2026A remarkable George II giltwood and marble side table sold for £90,000 at Sworders on June 23.
Parker chairs on sale ahead of London move
26 June 2026Selected elements of the Frederick Parker Collection of Chairs have been sold at auction ahead of the educational resource’s imminent move to new site in the London Docklands area.
How Lewis Carroll caused a tin calamity
26 June 2026The so-called Biscuit Tin Episode in the life of author Charles Dodgson left behind a great collectable: the W&R Jacob & Co lithographed tin, one of which was offered by Hartley’s on June 17.
Chairs from the storied Frederick Parker collection sold at Sworders auction
26 June 2026Selected elements of the Frederick Parker Collection of Chairs have been sold at auction ahead of the educational resource’s imminent move to new site in the London Docklands area.
Architect’s collection draws in furniture fans
26 June 2026Items from the collection of architect Christopher Smallwood (1937-2024) were offered for sale at Dreweatts on May 13.
The Farber collection: remarkable breadth and quality
26 June 2026Raised in Miami Beach, Stephen Farber’s distinguished medical career took him to New York, St Louis, Ann Arbor, Charlottesville, and Toledo. And along the way, he bought books.
Linen press of impressive proportions
26 June 2026Out of vogue for a decade or more, most Regency mahogany linen presses sell for a few hundred pounds at auction.
Executed king immortalised in silkwork miniature
26 June 2026A rare English silkwork portrait miniature of Charles I sold well above its £3000-5000 estimate for £24,000 at a Bonhams (28/27% buyer’s premium) sale that ran online from June 2-16.
Eclectic charm in Holland Park
26 June 2026The contents of the London home furnished by a renowned Christie’s auctioneer and a distinguished interior decorator emerged at Dreweatts (27/26% buyer’s premium) earlier this month.
Cabinet on stand is linked to Gerrit Jensen
26 June 2026Working in St Martin’s Lane, London, from 1680 until his death in c.1705, the Flemish-born cabinetmaker Gerrit Jensen is often associated with marquetry furniture from the William and Mary period.
Fierce cockatrice glares over viewers
26 June 2026This George II Palladian giltwood looking glass sold for £17,000 (estimate £2000-3000) at Lawrences (25% buyer’s premium) in Crewkerne on June 17.
Lay’s to offer Alfred Wallis painting owned by potter Bernard Leach
24 June 2026Painted with a scene of two St Ives double-ended mackerel luggers heeling to an offshore breeze, this Alfred Wallis (1855-1942) picture has what Mimi Connell-Lay calls “an absolute dream of a provenance”.
‘Medusa’ emerald pendant turns heads at Dorset auction
23 June 2026Duke’s latest Fine Jewellery, Watches and Silver auction in Dorchester was topped at £170,000 by this George III hexagonal pendant centred by a carved Columbian emerald within a border of graduated cushion cut diamonds.
Ditisheim watch rated first class in ‘time trials’
19 June 2026The annual trials of watches that took place first in Greenwich and later at the Royal Observatory in Kew and the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington were an opportunity for the Admiralty to choose suitable timekeepers and for manufacturers to obtain an independent assessment of their merchandise.
Interview with Stephan Ludwig: A Forum for change
19 June 2026London books, prints and wine specialist Forum Auctions was founded in July 2016 with the ambition of combining the best of the digital and the analogue worlds. A decade later, with all but one of the original team still on board, the company is preparing for two special anniversary sales. Founder and executive chairman Stephan Ludwig shares his views with ATG.
Early view: our pick of auction lots on offer this summer
19 June 2026This summer, a diverse range of noteworthy lots will go under the hammer at auction houses across the UK. Here we turn a spotlight to some of these – from a first vampire novel and Titanic launch tickets to a Duke of Wellington portrait and a Ravilious watercolour
Tabletop formed of Roman mosaics stars at Stockholm sale
18 June 2026Found objects from the ancient world were often used in 18th century interiors and furniture. Roman mosaics were frequently repurposed.