Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Pick of the Week: armchair made from Godwin design sits comfortably in Cirencester auction
02 May 2017A rare ebonised framed armchair after the original design by Edward William Godwin (1833-86) sold for £44,000 (plus 18% premium) at Moore Allen & Innocent in Cirencester on April 21.
‘Early Velázquez’ notified by state brings Spanish record
02 May 2017A Spanish oil billed as an early work by Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) sold for €8m (£7m) at the Madrid auctioneers Abalarte on April 25.
Old Master prints – the market best-kept secret?
02 May 2017With prices lagging behind modern limited editions, Old Master prints may be the market’s best-kept secret...
A brief history of book dealing associations
02 May 2017ATG’s timeline chronicling the history of book dealing associations from 1906 to 2016…
Industry bodies and the common bonds that tie the antiquarian book trade together
02 May 2017From the earliest days a common bond has bound the antiquarian book trade together. And, more than ever, professional standards matter.
A brief history of Old Master prints
02 May 2017A millennia after the technology was first used in China, the earliest printed images in Europe were created in the 14th century. Simple woodcuts intended for private devotion, they served as cheap substitutes for book illuminations. Few survive today.
EBay threat over Australian sales tax
28 April 2017Online giant eBay is threatening to block Australian customers from buying from overseas firms if the government enacts laws to collect a tax from online sales.
Rediscovered early work by Diego Velázquez takes €8m at Spanish auction
26 April 2017Billed as potentially an early work by Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), a 17th century Spanish oil sold for €8m at the Madrid auctioneers Abalarte yesterday.
German government appeals Guelph treasure ruling
24 April 2017The German state has appealed against a landmark US court judgment that allowed three US citizens to proceed with a case seeking the restitution of an important collection of medieval devotional art.
Pick of the Week: Bovey pottery figure of Joseph Stalin in British bidding battle
24 April 2017The Bovey Pottery Company, closed in 1957, would have passed into collecting history without incident had it not been for the ‘Our Gang’ collection of figures.
Indian miniature painting of emperor to hold court at Mallams' auction
20 April 2017A late 18th century Rajput miniature with an excellent provenance is to be offered at auction next week at Mallams in Cheltenham.
Californian auctioneers unite to amend controversial new ‘collectables’ bill
18 April 2017A coalition of California auction houses fighting to reword a new law governing the sale of autographed collectables has cleared its first legal hurdle.
Tribal art gathering pace in regions
18 April 2017Auctioneers and vendors are quickly discovering that Europe’s country houses, furnished with the routine period objects that no longer generate great excitement, can occasionally yield valuable souvenirs of a colonial past.
Pick of the Week: The Regent’s piano returns home
18 April 2017A grand piano commissioned by George IV in 1821 is to return to Brighton Pavilion after it sold for £62,000 at Piano Auctions (20% buyer’s premium) in London on April 6.
The popular and enduring riviere Georgian style
18 April 2017The rivière – one of the most popular and enduring styles of necklace to come out of the Georgian period – features an endless line of matched or subtly graduated gems set within inconspicuous collets. However, as Marielle Whiting at Woolley & Wallis of Salisbury points out, seldom are they equals.
Tiffany jewels at auction in New York
18 April 2017Much like René Lalique, Louis Comfort Tiffany’s successful career as a glassmaker overshadowed his genius as a goldsmith. Both men created jewellery that have come to define Art Nouveau in France and North America.
Cummings craftwork at Tiffany
18 April 2017This Tiffany gold necklace and earclip suite composed of textured rose petal links by Angela Cummings (c.1944) sold for £10,200 at Bonhams Knightsbridge (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) on March 15.
Giuliano revival at auction in London and Darlington
18 April 2017A textbook Renaissance style jewel by Carlo Giuliano (1831-95) led a strong jewellery offering at Thomas Watson (24% buyer’s premium) in Darlington on March 21.
Jewellery shines in Oxford and Essex auctions
18 April 2017An Edwardian emerald, pearl and diamond pendant by Carrington & Co, London sold for £24,500 (estimate £6000-10,000) to an online bidder at Stacey’s (20% buyer’s premium) in Rayleigh on March 20. The central heart-shaped old-cut stone weighs 3.5cts and was given a colour grade of K/L and a VS clarity.