Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Eagle tables soar to £65,000 result
09 April 2018Despite visible condition issues, a pair of carved giltwood console tables, catalogued as c.1740 and later, sailed past modest expectations to bring £65,000 (plus 24% premium) at Dreweatts 1759 of Donnington Priory.
Gandolfi rediscovery sets house record in Leominster
02 April 2018An oil on copper painting depicting Saint Joseph by the Bolognese artist Gaetano Gandolfi (1734-1802) was the highlight of Brightwells’ spring fine art sale in Leominster on March 21-22.
Pick of the Week: Here comes the sundial at Summers Place
02 April 2018Henry Wynne (fl.1654-1709), master of the Clockmaker’s Company, produced the finest and largest double-horizontal sundials of the Restoration period.
Feel the force of Darth Vader demand
02 April 2018When the first wave of Kenner Star Wars action figures began arriving on the market in 1978, the Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker figures came with ‘double telescoping’ light sabres.
Early and rare Darth Vader figure among stand out lots in US auction of Kenner Star Wars toys
28 March 2018The sale of a well-known collection of Star Wars production figures has set new price levels at a Pennsylvania auction.
Summer Palace bronze up at auction in Canterbury
26 March 2018An exceptionally rare Western Zhou bronze, taken when the Summer Palace was sacked by British troops in 1860, has been discovered in a house in a Kent seaside town.
Classic Chinese works shine across New York Asia Week series
26 March 2018More than $120m of Asian art was sold at auction during last week’s New York Asia Week.
Clarice Cliff’s Age of Jazz back on centre stage
26 March 2018An American private collector bid £15,000 for a rare Clarice Cliff figure group at Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury.
Rare models of bare-knuckle boxers sourced by Staffordshire specialists
26 March 2018Last week’s review of a recently published ebook on a Dallas collection of early English pottery included an image of a pair of figures of the famous bare-knuckle pugilists Thomas Cribb and Thomas Molineux.
Historic blue diamond to be auctioned at Sotheby’s Geneva
22 March 2018A historic diamond will appear on the market for the first time in history this spring, having remained in the same family for over three centuries.
Rare Chinese bronze ‘tiger’ vessel looted by British troops from Beijing’s Summer Palace found in Kent time capsule
22 March 2018An exceptionally rare Western Zhou bronze, taken when the Summer Palace was sacked by British troops in 1860, has been found in a house in a Kent seaside town.
Artefact from American Civil War sea battle comes to UK auction
19 March 2018The next arms and militaria auction at Woolley and Wallis will include a relic of a seminal American Civil War sea battle. This stout oak walking cane with a finely engraved gold top bears the inscription: A Piece of the Merrimack Destroyed May 11 1862 /James B Eads from Edward Bates. Quercus Ferro Cedit.
Pick of the Week: Closing the shutter at a record €2m
19 March 2018A new record for a camera sold at auction was set by WestLicht in Vienna when one of only a handful of surviving Leica 0-series cameras – this one carrying the serial number 122 – sold at €2m (£1.76m) plus 20% buyer’s premium, to a private buyer from Asia.
Anyone for real tennis – early 19th century rackets take £13,000 at Sworders
19 March 2018An unexpected highlight of a recent sale at Sworders in Stansted Mountfitchet was this set of four early real tennis rackets. They came from a client in the North of England and had been owned by the family for many years.
Book review: Downloading the details of the world-class Schkolne collection of early English pottery
19 March 2018“I hesitated to share my collection in this way lest it be perceived as boastful, but I want to leave a record for the future. I hope Obsession… encourages other collectors to share their expertise in a similar manner.”
Coysh blue and white collection sparks Winchester transfer talk
19 March 2018The name of the late Bill Coysh is instantly recognisable to enthusiasts of transfer printed pottery.
Roseberys uncovers John Constable sketch
12 March 2018London auctioneer Roseberys is to offer a previously unpublished sketch by John Constable on March 21.
Pick of the Week: Buyer’s 20-year search for walking stick stand is over
12 March 2018Paul Comolera (1818-97) was one of a series of prominent sculptors who travelled to work in Stoke-on-Trent at a time of political upheaval in France.
Chiswick Auctions to offer artworks from 19th century Vienna international exhibition
12 March 2018By coincidence, later this month Chiswick Auctions will be offering two works that were exhibited at the 1873 Vienna international exhibition.
Hans Coper ‘arrow head’ bid to sensational £305,000 target
05 March 2018A sensational result emerged for the artist-potter Hans Coper (1920-81) at the 20th Century & Contemporary sale at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood in Exeter.