Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Linen press of impressive proportions
26 June 2026Out of vogue for a decade or more, most Regency mahogany linen presses sell for a few hundred pounds at auction.
Executed king immortalised in silkwork miniature
26 June 2026A rare English silkwork portrait miniature of Charles I sold well above its £3000-5000 estimate for £24,000 at a Bonhams (28/27% buyer’s premium) sale that ran online from June 2-16.
Eclectic charm in Holland Park
26 June 2026The contents of the London home furnished by a renowned Christie’s auctioneer and a distinguished interior decorator emerged at Dreweatts (27/26% buyer’s premium) earlier this month.
Cabinet on stand is linked to Gerrit Jensen
26 June 2026Working in St Martin’s Lane, London, from 1680 until his death in c.1705, the Flemish-born cabinetmaker Gerrit Jensen is often associated with marquetry furniture from the William and Mary period.
Fierce cockatrice glares over viewers
26 June 2026This George II Palladian giltwood looking glass sold for £17,000 (estimate £2000-3000) at Lawrences (25% buyer’s premium) in Crewkerne on June 17.
Lay’s to offer Alfred Wallis painting owned by potter Bernard Leach
24 June 2026Painted with a scene of two St Ives double-ended mackerel luggers heeling to an offshore breeze, this Alfred Wallis (1855-1942) picture has what Mimi Connell-Lay calls “an absolute dream of a provenance”.
‘Medusa’ emerald pendant turns heads at Dorset auction
23 June 2026Duke’s latest Fine Jewellery, Watches and Silver auction in Dorchester was topped at £170,000 by this George III hexagonal pendant centred by a carved Columbian emerald within a border of graduated cushion cut diamonds.
Ditisheim watch rated first class in ‘time trials’
19 June 2026The annual trials of watches that took place first in Greenwich and later at the Royal Observatory in Kew and the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington were an opportunity for the Admiralty to choose suitable timekeepers and for manufacturers to obtain an independent assessment of their merchandise.
Interview with Stephan Ludwig: A Forum for change
19 June 2026London books, prints and wine specialist Forum Auctions was founded in July 2016 with the ambition of combining the best of the digital and the analogue worlds. A decade later, with all but one of the original team still on board, the company is preparing for two special anniversary sales. Founder and executive chairman Stephan Ludwig shares his views with ATG.
Early view: our pick of auction lots on offer this summer
19 June 2026This summer, a diverse range of noteworthy lots will go under the hammer at auction houses across the UK. Here we turn a spotlight to some of these – from a first vampire novel and Titanic launch tickets to a Duke of Wellington portrait and a Ravilious watercolour
Tabletop formed of Roman mosaics stars at Stockholm sale
18 June 2026Found objects from the ancient world were often used in 18th century interiors and furniture. Roman mosaics were frequently repurposed.
Traveller token and coin collection sets the platinum standard
12 June 2026What is considered the first coin made in platinum was among the highlights of the second tranche of British coins from the so-called Traveller collection.
Early diamond cluster gold ring found by metal detectorist emerges at London auction
12 June 2026An Elizabethan or early Stuart diamond cluster gold ring found in Wormington, Gloucestershire will be among 14 metal detected jewels offered for sale at Noonans on June 23.
Bidders of White Star Line collectables prepared to pay for First Class service
12 June 2026Items associated with the White Star Line, the British shipping company that built its global brand on unmatched passenger comfort, continue to thrive at auction.
Reflections on a hop market: new record for British pub mirror
12 June 2026A mirror for an East End brewery set a new record at £33,000 as the breweriana collecting market matures
‘Off we go for the pole’ wrote doomed Antarctic explorer
12 June 2026A four-page letter written by Edward ‘Bill’ Wilson to a friend during the early days of the doomed British Antarctic Expedition sold for £19,000 at Fieldings (26% buyer’s premium) in Stourbridge.
Commanded to commit adultery
12 June 2026Bidders spot copy of 1631 Barker bible that contains jaw-dropping mistakes missed in proof-reading
Middle ages pages finder: very early bookmark sells at £7000
12 June 2026Guided at £800-1200, a 10in (26cm) medieval ‘rotating’ or ‘register’ bookmark sold at £7000 at Semley Auctioneers (22% buyer’s premium) in Shaftesbury, Dorset on May 16.
Two Wilton Marbles, same price
05 June 2026Serendipity had it that two of the so-called Wilton Marbles, formerly in the celebrated collection of the Earls of Pembroke at Wilton House in Salisbury, appeared for sale within a week.