Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Pick of the Week: ‘Africa’s Mona Lisa’ rediscovered
05 March 2018Tutu, a previously lost portrait by Ben Enwonwu (1917-94) of the Ife royal princess Adetutu Ademiluyi set a new record for the artist at Bonhams’ Africa Now auction.
Comic that features the arrival of Batman could fetch $1m at auction in the US
05 March 2018A previously unknown copy of the Golden Age comic that heralds the arrival of Batman, is expected to top $1m at auction in the US next week.
Auctioneers and vendors weigh up best options as Big Apple takes the global view
05 March 2018With options to sell at regular intervals in North America, Europe, Hong Kong or China, the major auction houses and their vendors take a global view of the Asian art market.
Asia Week New York: the springboard for Asian stars
05 March 2018Mid March in Manhattan is when the art market turns its cultural and commercial face east. This is the first of two New York Asian auction series (the other is in September), but what distinguishes the spring event, dubbed Asia Week New York (AWNY), is the input of dealer exhibitions.
Salerooms beyond the ‘big three’ look to gain from Asian focus
05 March 2018As well as the ‘big three’, a clutch of other US salerooms will be holding specialist Asian art sales in mid March.
Pick of the Week: German ark’s animal magic
26 February 2018German-made painted wood Noah’s arks, appealing to folk art and toy collectors alike, don’t get much better than the mid- 19th century example sold at Bonhams Knightsbridge.
The story behind the Met’s epic £460,000 auction battle for ‘America’s first china teapot’
26 February 2018A hitherto unrecorded teapot attributed to a pioneering North American porcelain factory sold last week for a remarkable £460,000 (plus premium) at Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury.
New York’s Met Museum wins bidding for early American teapot at Salisbury auction – video
21 February 2018An early American porcelain teapot sold for £460,000 at a Woolley & Wallis auction in Salisbury this week is now on its way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The Joyce Paretti collection of perfume bottles – 12 auction highlights from £500 to £5000
21 February 2018Multi-estimate results greeted the Joyce Paretti collection of perfume bottles sold by John Nicholson’s of Fernhurst in two instalments.
Early American teapot sells at £460,000 as vendor makes huge return on £15 purchase
20 February 2018A previously unrecorded teapot attributed to a pioneering American porcelain factory sold at a Woolley & Wallis auction today for £460,000. The vendor of the teapot, a private collector from south-west of England, had bought it recently in the Midlands for just £15.
Coin-grading firm ties with Spink as Royal Mint provides valuation service
19 February 2018Coin-grading firm The Certified Collectibles Group (CCG) has expanded again in the UK and will open an office in London in April on the third floor of dealership Spink’s headquarters.
Rare MPM mark sends early Meissen teapot to £14,200 at Colchester sale
19 February 2018A small collection of 18th century European porcelain offered by Reeman Dansie in Colchester included this Meissen teapot and cover c.1725.
Pick of the Week: Scottish library find reveals Indian photos
19 February 2018A country house library in south-west Scotland was the source of an album of 19th century photographs of India that provided a Valentine’s Day surprise at Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh.
A mermaid at auction? Half mammal-half fish creation in demand at Sworders’ Out of the Ordinary sale
19 February 2018This late 19th century ‘natural history’ specimen purports to be the mummified body of a creature that was half mammal and half fish.
UK Auction Report part 1: Regional values stay firm
19 February 2018In the first of a two-part report spotlighting UK auction house performance and trends in 2017, ATG reviews the hammer totals and top lots at some of the regions’ leading salerooms.
Spectacular Leeds show kicks off Thomas Chippendale anniversary events – video tour
14 February 2018Furniture maker Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779) is 300 years old and across this year a series of events is taking place to mark the tercentenary. Here ATG takes a video tour around Leeds City Museum as the first exhibition was being set up to kick off the celebrations.
Date change as New York coin convention scraps antiquities
12 February 2018The New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) has taken the decision to drop antiquities from its offering amid concerns over looted art.
Chippendale under 300-year spotlight
12 February 2018The first of a series of events to mark the tercentenary of Thomas Chippendale’s birth has opened at Leeds City Museum.
London numismatic highlights of 2017 - from a 1839 Una and the Lion five pound coin to the Smart collection of banknotes
12 February 2018A coin that a set a record for a British five pound piece features among the hammer highlights for coins and banknotes sold across the year at auction.
Heads and tails of London’s coin market
12 February 2018Almost a quarter of a century since ATG’s first overview of the numismatic market, ATG reviews the comings and goings of 2017