Metalware

This sector comprises artefacts made from both base and precious metals. Many antique items were originally used for domestic purposes but are now collected on account of their craftsmanship, decorative quality and social interest.

Items can range from include pewter jugs, tin pots, brass bells, copper weathervanes and cast iron benches.

While this area offers plenty of affordable material, rare historical survivors can command high prices.


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Lalique mirror saved from dustbin

17 December 2018

The bronze pieces produced by Rene Lalique are perhaps less well-known than the master’s jewellery and glass but seldom so under-rated that they are consigned to the dustbin, as was the case with this c.1910 hand mirror, below.

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Rediscovered: a gift to the Sun King from Siam returns to Versailles after auction

01 October 2018

The only known item of silverware to have survived from a lavish diplomatic gift presented to Louis XIV by the King of Siam has been acquired by the Palace of Versailles via a private treaty sale through auction firm Beaussant Lefèvre.

 silver ewer

Palace of Versailles buys Chinese silver ewer in private deal

24 September 2018

A rare 17th century Chinese silver ewer has been acquired by the Palace of Versailles in a private treaty sale conducted by the auction firm Beaussant Lefèvre. It is the only known surviving piece of silverware from a lavish diplomatic gift presented to Louis XIV by the King of Siam (Thailand) in 1686.

Blue John sold urns

North London saleroom celebrates after Blue John urns stand out at auction

07 September 2018

The sale of three Blue John and ormolu-mounted urns could mark a purple patch for a family-run north London auction house this month.

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Previews: £30,000 plus

04 June 2018

Our weekly selection from salerooms and dealerships.

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Thomire candlesticks offered at Duran Subastas sale

14 May 2018

This pair of ormolu candlesticks by Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843) will feature in the May 24 auction at Duran Subastas in Madrid.

Catton Hall chapel

Derbyshire family and police call on antiques trade to help locate stolen artefacts from private chapel

10 May 2018

A family are calling on the antiques trade to help them locate brass artefacts stolen from a private chapel in Walton upon Trent in Derbyshire.

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Art Nouveau centrepiece set to take prominence in Munich

07 May 2018

A late 19th century Art Nouveau centrepiece is one of the highlights at Quittenbaum’s Munich sale on May 15.

Post box

Postbox theft sparks fear of rising problem in the UK

08 August 2017

The theft of a 19th century postbox in Asthall Leigh in west Oxfordshire earlier this year has led local councillors to fear criminals are targeting specific postboxes to sell on for hundreds of pounds.

silver tankard

Somerset museum brings home 300-year old tankard after fundraising for auction bid

25 July 2017

The Bruton Museum in Somerset has bought a rare silver tankard at nearby saleroom Lawrences of Crewkerne.

I want it Hall: club’s annual fair

10 July 2017

Held in Staffordshire this Saturday (July 15) is the annual Old Hall Collectors’ Club Fair.

Bath

Police appeal for help to find bronze sculptures stolen from Bath antiques dealer

23 May 2017

Police are appealing to the trade to help find a number of bronze statues that were stolen from an antiques dealer in Bath.

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Early metalwork from the Golding Barrett Collection

05 April 2017

Among the most eagerly contested sections of the Bonhams sale was the 22 lots from the Golding Barrett Collection.

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Burges chalice surfaces in Oxfordshire

06 November 2015

Many who viewed a Barkentin and Krall chalice at JS Auctions in Bodicote, Oxfordshire will have hoped to win it close to its £300-500 estimate.

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Soldani bronze brings £320,000

29 April 2015

This Italian baroque bronze depicting ‘Ganymede and the Eagle’ by Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi (1656-1740) proved the highlight of Lyon & Turnbull’s recent sale in Edinburgh.

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Striking Russian gold in Dorset

25 March 2015

Two large 18th century gold medals depicting events from the reign of Catherine the Great sold for spectacular sums at Duke’s latest auction in Dorchester.

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Cromwell’s coffin plate on the auction block

03 December 2014

This copper-gilt coffin plate, bearing an inscription in Latin with the dates of Oliver Cromwell’s birth, death and inauguration as Lord Protector and the arms of the Protectorate to the reverse, was found when his body was exhumed from the Henry VII chapel at Westminster Abbey on January 26, 1661.

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Scotland votes 'yes' for Brecbannoch of Columba in replica

22 August 2014

With the Scottish referendum only weeks away, there could hardly be a better time to offer a replica of a reliquary which for centuries was a powerful symbol of Scotland’s national identity.

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Keeping your powder dry – a matter of life and death

08 August 2014

In the days when muzzle-loaders were the only choice for shooters, the one essential accessory was a flask for the powder. Many a battle or huntsman’s quarry has been lost through poorly kept powder.

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Knox’s 150th anniversary brings keen interest

04 July 2014

A strong selection of Tudric (pewter) and Cymric (silver) creations by Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co was the focus of keen bidding at Bonhams’ decorative arts from 1860 sale in New Bond Street.

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