Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Toulouse-Lautrec doodles show talent
12 May 2025A Latin to French dictionary that belonged to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was among the highlights a recent sale of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps at Doyle New York (28/27% buyer’s premium).
Spirited performances for books at German auction
12 May 2025ATG takes a look at some stand-out lots sold recently at an auction in Berlin
Rediscovered Nazarene work revealed to be Overbeck
12 May 2025A previously lost and unpublished work by Johann Friedrich Overbeck (1789- 1869) sold for €104,000 (£87,000) as part of the latest Tajan (26% buyer’s premium) Old Master Paintings and Drawings sale.
Key text by Locke takes $120,000
12 May 2025A recent Freeman’s Hindman (28/27% buyer’s premium) sale in Chicago included a first edition of John Locke’s foundational text on civil society and the nature of government 'Two Treatises of Government….'
Our selection of upcoming books and works on paper auction previews
12 May 2025Stand-out lots from Shakespeare to Sendak, Marie-Antoinette to Mary Queen of Scots, Gill to Waugh and Turing to Buffalo Bill
Sotheby’s halts sale of Piprahwa Gems after protest from Indian government
07 May 2025Following opposition from the Indian state, Sotheby's took the 11th hour decision to cancel a Hong Kong auction of a collection of relics linked to the historical Buddha.
Shipshape teapot: Wedgwood commemorative surfaces in the saleroom
05 May 2025This Wedgwood creamware tea or punch pot commemorating the launch of a gun ship at Deptford in 1784 was among 29 lots from the collection of The Worshipful Company of Shipwrights sold by specialist Charles Miller.
Already got Mantel’s Mirror and the Light? Now you can have her desk too
05 May 2025Among the attractions at this year’s Firsts: London’s Rare Book Fair on May 15-18 is the desk upon which Hilary Mantel wrote her celebrated Wolf Hall trilogy.
Print shows British delight at American woes
05 May 2025The etching 'A View in America in 1778' is a satire on the progress of the American Revolution.
Need ointment for your ‘emrods’? Why early remedy books help in the modern day
05 May 2025With crossover interest to several collecting disciplines, early manuscript recipe and remedy books continue to thrive at auction.
Printed catalogues retain their charm for book buyers
05 May 2025It’s probably no surprise that, even in the days of digital first, printed catalogues are still loved by rare book collectors.
‘Featherie’ golf balls: ideal to score a birdie?
05 May 2025An early leather-bound feather golf ball consigned for sale from a house move in Old Woking in Surrey comes for sale at John Nicholson’s in Haslemere on May 14.
Asian Art: Previews of lots from 16 upcoming auctions
05 May 2025There is no doubt that the Asian art auction market in London’s major salerooms is feeling the squeeze.
'Unique' sulphide portrait of George Washington emerges
05 May 2025Possibly a pair with Franklin, but saleroom unable to trace another example depicting Washington
Rare Qianlong period painting headlines upcoming Hong Kong auction series
30 April 2025Sotheby’s Hong Kong Asian Art Week is led by one of the great imperial Qianlong period paintings in private hands – The Blue Goats by the Italian Jesuit painter Giuseppe Castiglione and the Chinese court artist Jin Tingbiao.
Sotheby's conducts its ‘longest ever bidding battle' as 20ft Chinese scroll flies over estimate
29 April 2025Hong Kong auctioneer CC Wang conducted Sotheby’s ‘longest ever bidding battle’ when a calligraphy handscroll by a Yuan dynasty master took over 200 bids and 97 minutes to sell.
Dealer offers Hilary Mantel’s desk used to write Wolf Hall trilogy
28 April 2025Among the attractions at this year’s ‘Firsts: London’s Rare Book Fair’ on May 15-18 is the desk upon which Hilary Mantel wrote her celebrated ‘Wolf Hall’ trilogy.
Shanks joins LADAPA as new chief executive to replace Simms
28 April 2025LAPADA, The Association of Art & Antiques Dealers, has announced the appointment of Elizabeth Shanks as its new chief executive officer from June 2025.
Pick of the Week: Watching Georgian life in a goldfish bowl
28 April 2025Stands and side tables were a prominent feature in many large Georgian houses and were used for a variety of quite specific purposes. However, it is extremely rare to find a piece of furniture designed specifically to take a goldfish bowl.