Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Dresser claret jug proved too pricey to produce in great number
06 January 2025The hugely versatile Christopher Dresser sold 37 different designs to the Sheffield firm of Dixon and Sons from 1879-82.
‘The quintessential connoisseur’s collection’ comes to auction
03 January 2025Lyon & Turnbull will sell the art collection of the banker and financier Bernard Kelly (1930-2022) in London on January 15.
Not quite a mouse stirring before Christmas… but certainly a rodent
30 December 2024‘Twas just 10 nights before Christmas when this ancient Egyptian faience figure of a rodent sold at Apollo Art Auctions in London.
Where bread meets oak: remarkable 17th century armchair emerges at Salisbury sale
30 December 2024This oak panelled back armchair can be firmly dated to the Commonwealth period.
Top quality lifts throne chairs to six figures at Singaporean auction
30 December 2024An exceptional pair of late Qing blackwood throne chairs sold for Sin$185,000 (£108,000) at Hotlotz (30% buyer’s premium) in Singapore.
Nelson memorabilia sails again thanks to second dedicated auction at Bonhams
30 December 2024Punchy prices result as demand for relics linked to the British naval hero remains evidently high
Napoleon may have been foiled in his wishes for exile but at least he enjoyed wine and fresh food
30 December 2024A pair of pistols that were presented by Napoleon just six weeks after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo hammered at £30,000 in Thomas Del Mar’s sale of Fine Antique Arms, Armour & Militaria held at Olympia Auctions (25% buyer’s premium).
Find a tale of the famous Roxana at auction
30 December 2024First edition of Defoe’s final novel fought over by online bidders up to a hammer price of £16,000
Sotheby’s makes dramatic u-turn over buyers’ and sellers’ fees
20 December 2024Auction house Sotheby’s is to roll back the commission structure it introduced just seven months ago.
Christie’s results down 6% but stronger sales recorded in second half of year
18 December 2024A better second half of the year and strong private sales helped Christie’s make the best of a difficult 2024.
Egyptian faience rodent formerly in Qatari collection sells for £37,000
17 December 2024'Twas just ten nights before Christmas when this ancient Egyptian faience figure of a rodent sold at Apollo Art Auctions in London.
‘John Hobbs-Buggins fake tables’ are resold after auction house alerted
16 December 2024A pair of neoclassical mahogany and ormolu demilune pier tables, believed to be John Hobbs-Buggins fakes, have sold for a tiny fraction of their original retail price.
Pick of the week: Mouseman chair made by a war hero
16 December 2024Not only is this a fine and unusual example of pre-war Mouseman furniture but it comes with a remarkable provenance.
Roman gold coin that has long fascinated enthusiasts
16 December 2024Swiss coin auction house Numismatic Genevensis has sold a rare Roman gold coin featuring the portrait of Marcus Junius Brutus for SFr1.5m (£1.34m).
Suffragettes’ colour scheme revealed for the first time
16 December 2024This printed crepe paper ‘programme’ marks one of the key Suffragette rallies of the Edwardian era.
Summers’ day has come as furniture collectors take notice
16 December 2024The autumn staging of Lyon & Turnbull’s (26/25/20% buyer’s premium) Modern Made sale at the Mall Galleries in London included one of the best-known designs by Gerald Summers (1899-1967): his armchair c.1933-34.
Dragon vase dedicated to ‘Chang’ the possibly mythical potter shows real appeal
16 December 2024Royal Doulton design was produced on response to popular demand for eastern-style ceramics
Georgian silversmith Hester Bateman keeps a following
16 December 2024A small collection of Hester Bateman silver appeared Stateside at Lewis & Grant (25% buyer’s premium) in Newport, Kentucky.
Tang dynasty rhino deemed a rarity
16 December 2024This 20in (51cm) pottery figure of a rhinoceros is dated to the Tang (618-907AD) period.
Soviet propaganda figure makes radio waves in New York
16 December 2024Sculptor Naum Kongiser (1904-84) created the propaganda figure Radio for the Village for the State Porcelain Manufactory in 1927.