News

The owner of an 18th century double-manual harpsichord, the only one of its type known to exist, has been temporarily prevented from exporting the instrument by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

For over a century, a monumental 8ft (2.44m) high Meiji cloisonné vase provided the focal point to one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s oldest restaurants.

With estimates from £150 to £20,000, here are five previews from upcoming sales this week.

An image of Marilyn Monroe covered in diamond dust by pop art legend Peter Blake was one of the stand-out sales at the Mayfair Antiques & Fine Art Fair.

Art market trade bodies are commissioning a survey to assess the potential financial impact on buyers, sellers and collectors of antique ivory of a law that will usher in a near-total ban on the UK ivory trade.

Sotheby’s France was the top performer in the country last year, boosted by the sale of a Qianlong mark and period vase that became the most expensive lot sold in France in 2018.

“It is not surprising that my own collection consists mainly of oak furniture…” Find out who said it and why with our weekly roundup of quotes from the art and antiques market.