Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
The cutting edge of fashion
11 November 2019Out of favour for a generation, grand tour and ancient intaglios and cameos are enjoying a return to form.
Mappin’s entry to Modern Jewellery
11 November 2019A letter accompanying this gold, diamond and fire opal brooch, formed as a columbine, below, confirms it was part of the International Exhibition of Modern Jewellery held at The Goldsmiths Hall, London, in 1961.
A double helping of imperial jewels
11 November 2019Jewellery owned by Marie Valerie Hapsburg, the favourite daughter of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, will be auctioned by Dorotheum in Vienna on November 27.
Shedding daylight on Art Nouveau
11 November 2019The November 18 sale titled California Jewelry held by Doyle New York on the West Coast includes a group of French Art Nouveau pieces described as ‘Property from an Important Jewel Collector’. Several display the plique-à-jour (‘letting in daylight’) enamelling technique revived in the late 19th century.
Brooch the topic with Supreme Court approval
11 November 2019A welcome trend in the jewellery market has been the resurgence of the brooch. In October, when Baroness Brenda Hales gave her verdict on Boris Johnson’s ‘illegal’ prorogation of Parliament, what many social media users really wanted to know was ‘where did she get that spider brooch?’
A very Victorian scandal
11 November 2019This early-Victorian bracelet comprising eight portrait miniatures and four unusual eye miniatures set in gold is inscribed on the back with a series of identifying names, including that of Josias Nottidge, the children’s father, and his wife Emily. It tells the story of a Victorian scandal.
Brief histories of time
11 November 2019This unassuming Grana military issue c.1945 shown below forms part of the so-called Dirty Dozen wristwatches made by 12 Swiss manufacturers for the British army.
Look to design sales for jewellery delights
11 November 2019Some of the most striking 19th-20th century jewellery can often be found in design sales.
Chinese vase bought in charity shop for £1 sold for £380,000 at Sworders auction
08 November 2019Purchased for £1 from a Hertfordshire charity shop earlier this year, a Qianlong (1736-95) famille rose wall vase sold for £380,000 at Sworders in London today (plus 25% buyer's premium).
Royal Crown Derby vases, Treen model ship, Georgian longcase clock – six auction highlights that caught bidders’ eyes in the last week
08 November 2019ATG’s selection of hammer highlights this week includes a pair of Royal Crown Derby vases making over 20-times estimate and a Georgian longcase clock fetching over 15-times estimate.
Five lots to watch at auction this week including a treen model ship, Ottoman Greek silverware and an Art Deco Jazz coffee set
04 November 2019With estimates from £80-5000, here are five previews of upcoming sales this week.
Cedric Morris' pupil David Carr creates his own interest
04 November 2019Morris record takes the headlines but his pupil is also in demand at same sale.
They don’t like it up ’em…
04 November 2019More refined items are available in Chorley’s Cotswolds Country House sale in Prinknash Abbey on November 19-20 but few will attract more attention than this rare survivor from the early 1940s: a roll of loo paper featuring satirical cartoons of characters from Nazi Germany.
Drought supplies ample artistic inspiration for Mod Brit duo
04 November 2019The year after Cedric Morris painted his verdant Foxgloves in 1932, a severe drought cut through much of southern Britain. The parched soil and the hardship it brought were a source of artistic inspiration for those who painted the form and the character of the rural landscape.
Porthia Prints products appear in Lyon & Turnbull's London sale
04 November 2019The Lyon & Turnbull Modern Made sale in London on November 14 includes an archive of material relating to Porthia Prints, the company established by St Ives artist Denis Mitchell and his brother in the 1950s.
