Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Two more Kashmir sapphires emerge at Dublin auction
27 August 2025Just four months after the sale of a 6.22ct old-cut Kashmir sapphire for an Irish record of €550,000 (£461,250), Adam’s in Dublin is offering two more of the fabled gemstones.
Cloak clasp taken as memento after Napoleon’s death creates a big buzz
25 August 2025A gilt metal cloak clasp taken from the apartment of Napoleon Bonaparte after his death on St Helena in 1821 has sold at auction for £10,000.
Royal mail that doesn’t need a stamp
25 August 2025While modern communications would appear to have diminished the role of the King’s or Queen’s Messengers in the 21st century, the job and title remains.
West Sussex saleroom issues its first call to arms auction
25 August 2025Bellmans is holding its first Arms & Armour auction in Billingshurst on September 10.
Copy of earliest book on laws relating to women emerges at Newcastle saleroom
25 August 2025‘The Lawes Resolutions of Women’s Rights: or the Lawes Provision for Women’, attributed to the English lawyer Thomas Edgar and printed in 1632 by John More, is recognised as the earliest book in the English language to compile laws relating to women.
George II mirror measures up nicely to take £20,000 at auction
25 August 2025This George II giltwood mirror in the Chippendale rococo taste c.1755 sold well over hopes for £20,000 at Moore Allen & Innocent (21% buyer’s premium).
Attic amphora displays the god Dionysus
25 August 2025From a deceased estate in Christchurch, this Attic black-figured terracotta neck amphora sold at £23,000 (estimate £3000-5000) at Duke’s (25% buyer’s premium) of Dorchester.
Fitting result for Royal Worcester design genius George Owen
25 August 2025A rare work by Royal Worcester’s near-legendary craftsman George Owen (1845-1912) led a sale at Philip Serrell (20% buyer’s premium) in Malvern, Worcestershire, this summer.
Auction catalogues also collectable when it comes to the famous Lowther Castle sale
25 August 2025Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale (1857-1944) inherited enormous wealth derived from his father’s coalmines.
Egyptian sculptural fragments are big hitters in a wide-ranging worldwide selection of lots
25 August 2025Biannual sale at Gloucestershire firm once again provides eclectic range of lots from across the globe
Creature comforts: desirable Doulton stoneware with the George Tinworth touch
25 August 2025During his career at Doulton Lambeth, George Tinworth was celebrated for his series of New Testament scenes modelled in terracotta.
Surprise: gold, jewelled and enamelled ring reveals hidden detail
18 August 2025The latest Collector’s Cabinet auction at Freeman’s Hindman in Chicago included this remarkable gold, jewelled and enamelled ‘surprise’ ring.
Intense Bloomsbury relationship – but a serene still-life
18 August 2025East Sussex saleroom Gorringe’s is selling a significant Bloomsbury Group painting as part of its inaugural Art & Design Post 1880 auction taking place on September 16.
Scarce Wemyss bulldog surfaces in the Cotswolds
18 August 2025Wemyss Ware bulldogs decorated with cabbage roses were first made by Robert Heron’s Kirkcaldy factory in the early years of the 20th century.
Metal detectorist's find tells the story of Sihtric I
18 August 2025A previously unknown Anglo-Saxon era silver penny, recently found by a metal detectorist in Lincolnshire, is expected to sell for £20,000-30,000 at auction.
Saltglaze stoneware extravaganza in a South Yorkshire sale
18 August 2025Collection formed by South African surgeon who worked in London supplies exceptional examples
Furniture to the taste of 18th century aristocrats
18 August 2025A George III bonheur du jour offered for sale at Roseberys (26/25/20% buyer’s premium) in south London provided a fascinating window onto the collecting tastes of the British aristocracy in the 18th century.
A later, 1930s, Polar Medal, for a relief ship... but still a £4600 hammer price
18 August 2025Estimated at £800-1200, a British Antarctic Polar expedition bronze medal and miniature took £4600 at Bentley’s (20% buyer’s premium) in Cranbrook, Kent.
