Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Le goût Rothschild proves the salt of the Earth
06 November 2017Sotheby’s From Earth To Fire sale in Bond Street on November 1 was topped by a kunstkammer object with a Rothschild provenance.
Spains Hall sofa sold for £140,000 at Bonhams
06 November 2017Bonhams’ Important Design sale in Bond Street on October 25 included this George III mahogany hall settee in the manner of William and John Linnell. Estimated at £8000- 12,000, it sold at £140,000 (plus premium), writes Roland Arkell.
Duke’s reviews due diligence over Wallis fakes
06 November 2017Dorchester auctioneer Duke’s said it has changed its due diligence procedures after advertising fake works it claimed were by Cornish artist Alfred Wallis (1855-1942).
Auction house Duke’s fined for offering fake Alfred Wallis works
01 November 2017Dorchester auction firm Duke’s has been ordered to pay £18,275 after advertising fake works it claimed were by Cornish artist Alfred Wallis (1855-1942).
Trade wins clarification over California law
23 October 2017A coalition of auction houses and book dealers has succeeded in rewording a controversial new law governing the sale of autographed collectables in California.
Pick of the Week: Ottoman beads beat ‘Bakelite’ pitch but no Turkish bid delight
23 October 2017The presence of two Turkish gentlemen at the Objects of Desire sale at Sworders in Stansted Mountfitchet on October 18 had raised a few eyebrows – if only because they appeared singularly disinterested in the contents of this ‘handbags and gladrags’ sale.
Camille Claudel family collection comes to auction
23 October 2017Paris saleroom Artcurial will offer a group of 20 works from the family of Camille Claudel (1864-1943) for sale on November 27.
Auction houses probed in report by elephant ivory pressure group
23 October 2017A new report into the sale of ivory at UK auctions claims to have found “widespread flouting of the law by many auction houses”.
Asian Art in London: 20 years and growing
23 October 2017The Asian Art in London festival of exhibitions and auctions runs for the 20th time from November 2-11. Here, Kate Quill and Roland Arkell look back at how it all began and what this year's event involves.
Major Japanese arms and armour collection offered in Cheltenham auction
21 October 2017A substantial collection of Japanese arms and armour formed by a Dutch collector will be offered at auction in Cheltenham next week.
Chinese vase estimated at £1.5m-2m fails to sell at Glasgow auction
20 October 2017A ‘late 18th century Qing famille rose bottle vase’ offered for sale by Glasgow auctioneers Mulberry Bank with an estimate of £1.5m-2m failed to sell earlier today (October 20).
Hungarian silver cup brings strong contest at SJ Phillips sale
20 October 2017A 16th century Hungarian silver-gilt cup and cover proved the most eagerly-contested lot at Sotheby’s sale of items from the stock of SJ Phillips earlier this week.
NAVA launches ivory ‘amnesty’ scheme
16 October 2017Auctioneer association NAVA Propertymark is partnering with Border Force on a so-called amnesty scheme for items made from endangered species.
Fortune favours Maori art again
16 October 2017The currently vibrant market for Oceanic art was made plain to staff at John Nicholson’s (24% buyer’s premium) of Fernhurst in February this year when a Maori putorino or bugle flute, estimated at £50-100, sold to French dealer for £140,000. Surely, similar good fortune would not be repeated any time soon?
Medals for west London and South Africa
16 October 2017Originally due to be hosted by Rome, the 1906 eruption of Vesuvius meant that London was a late replacement to hold the fourth modern Olympiad in 1908.
Dreweatts set third Mallett stock sale date
16 October 2017Newly-independent Dreweatts will hold a third – and probably final – Mallett stock sale from Donnington Priory next month.
An open and shut case for rare Louis Vuitton box
16 October 2017The European decorative arts that preceded the tribal session at John Nicholson’s (24% buyer's premium) on October 10 had included a handful of notable bids, not least the £14,500 (estimate £300-500) tendered by an Italian buyer for a small early 20th century Louis Vuitton leather box measuring just 11in (27cm) across.
The career of an artistic Playboy
16 October 2017As part of a fifth anniversary auction at Farleigh Court Golf Club on November 1, Catherine Southon is offering the first part of an archive consigned by the family of the commercial artist and cartoonist Francis Wilford-Smith (1927-2009).
Riding the rising crest of the Oceanic wave
16 October 2017The designated tribal art department at Woolley & Wallis (22% buyer’s premium) in Salisbury is now in its third year – and increasingly picking up consignments and regular buyers from well beyond its immediate hinterlands.
Celebrated Singapore artists in Winchester
16 October 2017The Winchester saleroom Andrew Smith & Son (15% buyer’s premium) unearthed eight works by two of Singapore’s most celebrated 20th century artists for sale on September 13.