Auctions

News and previews of art and antiques sold at auctions throughout the UK and overseas, from multi-million-pound blockbusters to affordable collectables.


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Orrefors glass returns to Swedish origin after US sale

09 June 2025

Two pieces of pre-war Orrefors glass were consigned from a Bloomfield Hills, Michigan estate for sale at DuMouchelles (24% buyer’s premium) in Detroit.

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Classic works at auction by ‘the first significant British painter of nudes and still-lifes’

09 June 2025

Two paintings of trademark male nudes by British artist William Etty (1789-1849) emerged in a US saleroom as part of the collection of a university lecturer.

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High expectations means bidders thin on the ground for Saunders Old Master collection

09 June 2025

The Saunders collection seems to have been the consignment that Sotheby’s could not afford to lose.

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Lavery sketch identified as study for The Amazon

09 June 2025

A 1911 oil sketch by Sir John Lavery (1856-1941) depicting his daughter Eileen astride a white horse generated plenty of competition at AH Wilkens (22% buyer’s premium) in Toronto.

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John Bonham drumhead saved from bonfire (but not Alice Cooper guillotine)

09 June 2025

The only known bass drumhead featuring John Bonham’s personal symbol – the interlocking rings that became his mark after Led Zeppelin’s fourth album – hammered at $70,000 (£53,000) at Heritage (25% buyer’s premium) in Dallas.

Books and works on paper auction calendar, June 11-28, 2025

09 June 2025

Our regular listing of UK and Irish books and works on paper sales

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Sharp shakes up Bob Dylan as Mr Tambourine Man including a poster proof version

09 June 2025

A suitably psychedelic 1967 poster of Bob Dylan, designed by Martin Sharp, fetched £900 at the James & Sons (25% buyer’s premium inc VAT) auction in Fakenham on January 15.

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Games play their part in Essex sale

09 June 2025

Nine-strong collection of Georgian and Victorian games counts as a highlight of mixed auction

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A selection of splendid cigarette cases

09 June 2025

Pictured below are three fine silver and enamel cigarette cases dating from the turn of the 20th century sold at auction in recent weeks.

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Posters show how bands graduated from uni gigs to much bigger stages

09 June 2025

Now famous for a career of filling stadiums as one of the biggest and most successful bands in the world, Pink Floyd played more humble venues back in the day.

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Previews: issue 2697

09 June 2025

Our selection of lots from 14 upcoming auctions.

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Silver: York items set to shine in the Michael Baggott collection

09 June 2025

The popular dealer amassed an impressive array of items assayed in the city

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Forever blowing bubbles: 19th century picture floats into US auction

09 June 2025

Painted in 1857, 'Young Boy Blowing Bubbles' by John Thomas Peele (1822-97) pre-dates by a generation Sir John Everett Millais’ 1886 oil Bubbles (A Child’s World) made famous in advertisements for Pear’s soap.

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Birmingham silver ‘toys’ played with practical objects

09 June 2025

From the late 18th century, Birmingham was the centre for the making of ‘toys’ – small decorative objects including boxes, nutmeg graters, buckles, caddy spoons, vinaigrettes and rattles, fashioned from silver.

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Furious bidding for equestrian painting at US auction

09 June 2025

After what Sloans & Kenyon (23% buyer’s premium) president Stephanie Kenyon deemed “furious bidding that lasted at least five minutes”, a textbook equestrian painting by Benjamin Marshall (1767-1865) trotted to a fine result.

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Silver gorilla evolves to double estimate sum

09 June 2025

The many models of anthropomorphic primates that proliferated British decorative arts in the 1860s typically reference Charles Darwin’s provocative and often lampooned 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection', first published in 1859.

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Andreu work sells at long last

09 June 2025

A recent sale at Shapiro Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) included a picture that would have been familiar to admirers of Spanish Surrealism.

Diamond drop earrings

Bid Barometer: issue 2697

09 June 2025

ATG’s pick of auction lots bought by internet bidders on thesaleroom.com, featuring both the highest prices over-estimate and the top prices paid online.

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The ‘Holy Grail’ record sleeve with nothing inside

09 June 2025

“A Holy Grail moment for collectors worldwide” was the promise from Merseyside auction house Omega (29/35% buyer’s premium inc VAT) when a scarce picture sleeve came for sale.

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Light shed on the Arctic

09 June 2025

This 2ft 6in (75cm) high five-light candelabrum hallmarked for Sheffield 1844 and the firm Creswick & Co (Thomas, James and Nathaniel Creswick) is both an impressive example of early Victorian table silver and a memento of the heroic era of polar exploration.

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