Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Christie’s says Asian buyers now dominant
19 July 2021Asian buyers have become the dominant force at the top end of the auction market, according to Christie’s.
Sly bidder bags Lalique’s rare fox
19 July 2021One of the rarest of all of the 31 car mascots made by Lalique between 1925-31 came up for auction at Kinghams in the Cotswolds.
Pick of the week: Demand for Georgian print is racing certainty
19 July 2021A rare Georgian print on a sporting theme was offered by Northumberland auction house.
Super Mario 64 makes an equally super $1.35m
19 July 2021Remarkable sums were paid for vintage video games at Heritage Auctions – including a record-breaking $1.35m (£1m) bid for Super Mario 64.
An Arts & Crafts lustre wall charger and a Roger Fry picture are among the five lots to watch this week
19 July 2021With estimates from £100-8000 here are five previews of upcoming items this week.
Australian pioneer artist John Glover's sketchbook emerges at Ewbank’s
19 July 2021The British artist John Glover (1767- 1849) would doubtless have faded into relative obscurity had he not chosen, in 1831, to make a new life in colonial Australia. He ended up being dubbed ‘the father of Australian landscape painting’.
Early reproductions of French furniture now matching the price of original pieces
19 July 2021The price gulf that once existed between good 18th century French furniture and very good late 19th century revivalism is no longer visible at auction. A quality reproduction can often outsell its period exemplar.
Classic Art Deco selection of car mascots includes six-figure result for a notable Lalique rarity
19 July 2021With their cross-over collecting appeal to the automobile market, Lalique 'bouchons de radiator' – car mascots or hood ornaments – assume their own price levels.
Portrait by artist Sarah Biffin, born without hands, arms or feet, is among the latest pick of five auction highlights
16 July 2021Our weekly selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes includes a portrait by artist Sarah Biffin which sold for more than ten times its estimate.
Paris auction sets record for a tribal art collection result
12 July 2021The sale of Michel Périnet’s collection of tribal art at Christie’s in Paris on June 23 real ised a remarkable €66m/£57m (including buyer’s premium) and every one of the 61 lots were sold.
Rare silver inkstand makes its mark among latest London auctions
12 July 2021The overall performance of the latest London sales of Old Master pictures and ‘important’ works of art was fairly mixed but the auction houses did at least welcome the return of some big-ticket items.
Irish silver gilt chalice pre-dates Reformation
12 July 2021This 6½in (16cm) Irish silver gilt chalice dating from c.1480 is a rare survival from before the Reformation.
Marble candelabra and a Celtic coin are among five lots to watch at auction
12 July 2021With estimates from £1500-40,000 here are five previews of upcoming items this week.
CERAMICS AND GLASS: Remarkable survivors in the same family since the 18th century
12 July 2021A set of remarkable wine glasses that had remained in the same family since the 18th century was one of the highlights among quality items in two sales.
Baltic Service coffee can with the Nelson touch
12 July 2021A single coffee can from the Baltic Service was among the highlights of Hansons’ (25% buyer’s premium) sale on June 9, selling to a collector at £2000.
Pearlware horses make punchy prices
12 July 2021This splendid Leeds pearlware horse, c.1810, was one of two offered at Christie’s (25/20/14.5% buyer’s premium) on June 8 as part of a sale that combined property from seven titled vendors.
Exceptional Lowestoft boosts London sale
12 July 2021Some exceptional pieces of Lowestoft featured in Bonhams’ (27.5/25% buyer’s premium) sale on June 23 – many of them from a single vendor.
Teapots to the Kate Foster taste
12 July 2021These two teapots – among the top-selling lots at the Woolley & Wallis (25/12% buyer's premium) sale of English and European Ceramics and Glass on June 16 – came for sale from the family of Lady Kate Davson, known to many by her maiden name of Kate Foster (1938-2020).
Collectors wise to owl rarity
12 July 2021Back in 1990, following a famous and much-repeated Henry Sandon valuation on BBC Antiques Roadshow, a late 17th century slipware owl jug and cover was acquired by the Potteries Museum in Stoke-on-Trent for £22,000.