Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Australian gold rush jewellery in strong demand
23 November 2020The distinctive Antipodean ‘botanical’ jewellery of the gold rush era is among the first to depict the native flora and fauna. It is of huge cultural significance to Australia and its mining heritage.
Victorian ring concealing a practical joke brings sensational bidding in Somerset
23 November 2020This curious object is the forerunner of a million Christmas cracker prizes. Made in gold and silver, c.1830, the ‘ring’ chased with flowers includes a tiny pin hole which allows a jet of water to be squirted into the face of an unsuspecting admirer via a syringe-like plunger that can be concealed in the palm.
Auction previews: issue 2469
23 November 2020A selection of 16 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK and Ireland.
Prince Philip letter stars in our pick of five auction highlights sold this week
20 November 2020ATG’s weekly selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes includes a letter from Prince Philip where the Duke of Edinburgh gives his views about New Zealand.
Brutus strikes again – a £2.7m classical coin record
16 November 2020Roma Numismatics set a new record for a classical coin when a Brutus Eid Mar-type gold aureus, struck shortly after the murder of Julius Caesar, took £2.7m in London.
Pick of the week: Window into 18th century gentry life
16 November 2020An item of local interest to bidders at Bamfords in Derby was this 18th century account book for Radbourne Hall, the seat of the Chandos-Pole family.
Best English milled gold coins strike it big in Monte Carlo sale
16 November 2020The record for a British coin sold at auction has been broken twice at a sale in Monte Carlo.
Culloden commemorative box with Jacobite sympathies emerges in London sale
16 November 2020Lots of souvenirs were produced referencing the Battle of Culloden on April 16, 1746 – the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745 and the last pitched battle fought on British soil.
An Italian cameo brooch and a group of Regency garden chairs are among six lots to watch at auction this week
16 November 2020With estimates from £80-100,000 here are six previews of upcoming items this week.
Opportunity knocks for decorative arts sales
16 November 2020Salerooms seize the chance as traditional dedicated auctions fade away in London
Paper view: 30 previews of books, prints, posters, ephemera and documents available at dealers and auctions
16 November 2020The term ‘works on paper’ encompasses a diverse range of media from artist’s prints to posters, ephemera and documents. Pictured here, along with an array of books, is a section of items available to buy from dealers or bid for at auction.
Auction previews: issue 2468
16 November 2020A selection of 17 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK and Ireland.
Miniature depicting key figure in colonial Australia draws demand at Lawrences of Bletchingley
16 November 2020This 4 x 3in (10 x 8cm) oil on ivory miniature, offered by Lawrences (20% buyer’s premium) of Bletchingley, is attributed to the English miniature painter William Mineard Bennett (1778-1858).
British Dominion: rare petrol pump globe makes £23,000 at Richard Edmonds
16 November 2020Every collector of glass petrol pump globes – or lenses as they are known in the US – hopes to own examples by the classic big brands: BP, Shell, Esso and the like.
Chinese art special – Our pick of six auction highlights sold this month
13 November 2020ATG’s latest selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes features six pieces of Chinese art including a Kangxi-period porcelain wine-bottle cooler that sold above estimate in Dorchester.
Papers reveal doomed anti-slavery colony
09 November 2020In 1793, well in advance of the Slave Trade Act (1807) and the Slavery Abolition Act (1833), 275 British men, women and children attempted to settle an uninhabited island off the coast of Sierra Leone.
Pick of the week: Fab pair from ‘Glasgow Four’ duo
09 November 2020Two pieces by ‘Glasgow Four’ artists Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) and Frances Macdonald McNair (1873-1921) topped Lyon & Turnbull’s Decorative Arts: Design since 1860 auction on November 2-3.
A looking glass believed to have been owned by Marie Antoinette is among the four lots to watch at auction this week
09 November 2020With estimates from £1000-70,000, here are four previews of upcoming items this week.
‘Hans Sloane’ Chelsea dish is a vine find
09 November 2020This Chelsea dish moulded as a vine leaf and painted with polychrome fruit is a textbook production from the Red Anchor period c.1755-58.
Auction previews: issue 2467
09 November 2020A selection of 16 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK and Ireland. While care has been taken in compiling these previews, we strongly advise that you also check with the saleroom concerned in case of cancellations or postponements because of the latest Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions.