Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Crab grabs Martin Brothers record at Phillips’ auction
21 December 2018A new auction record for the idiosyncratic stonewares of the Martin brothers was established at Phillips’ Design sale in New York.
Chinese peach at auction shows longevity in the market
21 December 2018Estimated at £40-60, this unusual Chinese scholar’s object took £32,000 (plus buyer’s premium) at a recent auction at Rogers Jones in Cardiff.
What lots caught bidders’ eyes this week? Five auction highlights including a dated slipware jug from the time of Charles I and a Beswick huntsman figure
21 December 2018ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week include a portrait of a red bonnet-wearing lady, a Beswick huntsman figure and slipware jug from the time of Charles I.
Legal landmarks: high-profile cases and incoming legislation to watch out for in 2019
21 December 2018The arrival of the ivory ban in late 2019 is not the only piece of imminent legislation that the antiques trade should be aware of. The efforts of global art and antiques trade body CINOA are currently focused on two broad issues: anti-money-laundering legislation and laws surrounding the import of cultural goods.
Handbags at a new dawn as Hermès Himalaya Birkin bag makes £190,000
20 December 2018The Hermès Himalaya Birkin bag is often described as the most desirable handbag in the world. And so it proved earlier this month when an example set an auction record for a handbag sold in Europe.
Mod Brit art from Cumbrian collector to be auctioned at Sworders in Essex
17 December 2018A single-owner private collection, including significant works by artists from the Modern British canon, will be sold at Sworders in Stansted Mountfitchet on January 15.
Viennese fancies: £440,000 for gold-mounted Du Paquier tureen
17 December 2018A lavish Viennese gold-mounted porcelain tureen and stand – the epitome of Habsburg court luxury during the reign of the Holy Roman emperor Charles VI – topped Bonhams’ Fine European Ceramics sale in London on December 6.
Pick of the week: Precocious Pugin showcased by Windsor Castle work aged 15
17 December 2018A table designed by a teenaged Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-52) for Windsor Castle sold for £23,500 (plus 21% buyer’s premium) at Gorringe’s of Lewes on December 4.
What lots caught bidders’ eyes this week? Five auction highlights including a Spitfire instrument panel and a Barlow-painted Doulton Lambeth vase
14 December 2018ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week include a modernist slate fireplace and an intriguing blue glass tankard.
Star Wars costume designer’s personal sketchbook makes £100,000 at Bonhams
13 December 2018The archive of John Mollo, the concept artist behind the Star Wars franchise, came up at Bonhams this week. Leading the sale was a personal sketchbook showing some of the first hand-drawn costume designs for Darth Vader, Chewbacca and the stormtroopers.
From Ancient to Renaissance: Five top sculptures from London’s auction series including an early Roman statue of a poet
12 December 2018The London auction calendar in early December offered a busy schedule of antiquities, sculpture and works of art sales running side-by-side with the Old Master series. Overall the sales were relatively well-received with improved selling rates on previous years. Here we select five highlights from the series.
‘A quite extraordinary day’ as sleeping Asian bronzes bring multi-estimate sums in regions
10 December 2018Two under-catalogued Sino-Tibetan bronzes illuminated the regional saleroom scene with multi-estimate sums in the final days of November.
What lots caught bidders’ eyes this week? Five auction highlights including a Renaissance revival ewer and a vodka-drinking Russian
07 December 2018ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week include a piece by the ‘crystal king of England’, a Japanese style sword, a vodka-drinking Russian figure and a Renaissance revival ewer.
Pick of the Week: Rare 1920s Robert Thompson dining suite with early features shines at Doncaster sale
03 December 2018Capping a vintage year for prime-period Mouseman furniture, a dining suite attracted huge interest when offered for sale in Yorkshire recently.
Super silver-gilt Storr candelabra leads Bonhams’ Important Design auction
03 December 2018A pair of William IV candelabra from the Pembroke service led Bonhams’ Important Design: 500 Years of Fine Decorative Arts sale on November 21, selling at £190,000 (plus 25% buyer’s premium).
Meiji cloisonné provides boost to English salerooms
03 December 2018An unusual dish from the workshop of Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927) sold for £18,000 at Woolley & Wallis on November 14. But this was not the only example of top-tier Meiji cloisonné for sale last month.
De Waal Netsuke collection brings welcome addition to Blythe Road auction
03 December 2018A welcome addition to the November 21 Asian Works of Art sale at Matthew Barton (24% buyer’s premium) of 25 Blythe Road in west London were 79 netsuke from the collection belonging to Edmund de Waal, author of the bestselling memoir 'The Hare with Amber Eyes'. London Japanese art dealer Max Rutherston helped organise the sale and took this section of the auction.
Home turf before theatre of dreams
03 December 2018A rare photographic postcard sold via thesaleroom.com at a surprise £850 (estimate £30-50) at Toovey’s (24.5% buyer’s premium) in Washington, West Sussex on October 30.
Yuan peony jar leads Dublin sale of Asian art
03 December 2018The influx of Asian art buyers that accompanies the Asian Art in London initiative also encourages activity across the Irish Sea. Both Adam’s (20% buyer’s premium) in Dublin, for the first time, and Sheppards (20% buyer’s premium) in Durrow held designated sales on November 3 and November 11 respectively.
Sotheby's hoping to be big in Japan again with London sale
03 December 2018For the first time in a decade, Sotheby’s Asian Art in London offering included a designated sale of Japanese art on November 6.