Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Gainsborough chair is sitting pretty at Locke & England auction
15 February 2021Although now known as Gainsborough chairs, generous walnut and upholstered armchairs were often referred to by contemporaries as ‘French’ chairs, as the most elaborate styles were based on French rococo.
Coins & medals: Virtual trade leads to 'renaissance' in lockdown
15 February 2021In the absence of face-to-face contact, 2020 was a difficult year for the numismatics market as a whole... but the auction business found a way to thrive.
Auction previews: issue 2480
15 February 2021A selection of 16 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK and Ireland.
Holy order at £25,000
15 February 2021Though incomplete and in a decorative 19th century binding, a very desirable early Bible impressed at Chiswick Auctions (25/12% buyer’s premium).
Monk and satyr both answer prayers of vendors
15 February 2021Two pieces of sculpture – both catalogued as 19th century copies – made much higher than expected prices in the UK regions last month.
‘Signature’ Stobwasser snuff box at £11,000
15 February 2021Georg Siegmund Stobwasser (1717-76) and his son Johann Heinrich (1740-1829) were among many craftsmen who moved to Brunswick during the Seven Years’ War.
Georgian silver teapot with Wedgwood connection stars in our weekly pick of five auction highlights
12 February 2021ATG’s weekly selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes includes a Georgian silver teapot with connections to the Wedgwood and Darwin families that sold four-times over estimate in Cumbria.
$7.8m gold coin auction record for fabled Brasher dubloon
08 February 2021A 1787 New York-style Brasher doubloon, perhaps the most celebrated issue in US numismatics, has set a new auction record for a gold coin.
A Babylonian terracotta fragment and a William IV Tunbridgeware table are among seven lots to watch at auction
08 February 2021With estimates from £60-1500 here are seven previews of upcoming items this week.
True blue: Hokusai uncovered
08 February 2021Although catalogued as ‘a 19th century Japanese woodblock print’, the signature to a scene of a boat with Mount Fuji beyond gave a clue to its creator.
Auction previews: issue 2479
08 February 2021A selection of 16 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK.
‘Textbook’ vernacular furniture
08 February 2021Two of the choice pieces of furniture in Bonhams’ Oak Interiors sale on January 20-21 were published examples.
No public view? No worries…
08 February 2021Despite lockdown restrictions Bonhams' traditional Oak Interior offerings performed very well
Fountain pens: How the East and West signed up to a lucrative deal
08 February 2021The 1920s deal between Ryosuke Namiki and Alfred Dunhill to make luxury pens for the Western market created some of the most collectable fountain pens.
Medal marks Cromwell triumph
08 February 2021This small oval gold medal was struck at the end of 1650 to mark the victory of the New Model Army at the Battle of Dunbar.
More Collingwood microgauze emerges
08 February 2021Sworders (25% buyer’s premium) sold this 1980s ‘microgauze’ wall hanging by the British artist-weaver Peter Collingwood (1922-2008).
Gainsborough chair stars in our weekly pick of five auction highlights
05 February 2021ATG’s weekly selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes includes a Gainsborough chair from c.1750 that went over five times over estimate.
Pick of the week: Buyer figures out the tureen differences
01 February 2021Tureens in the form of geese, cockerel, carp, ox head, boar’s head and other animals were an integral part of the grand display in an 18th century European dining room.
Auction fireworks for Jules Leleu Art Deco furniture
01 February 2021Sworders’ latest Design sale held live online included a collection of work by Jules Leleu (1883-1961).
Record for Cromwellian coin is set by 50 shilling piece
01 February 2021The fourth and final part of the North Yorkshire Moors collection of coins and medals included some exceptional examples from the Interregnum.