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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Top stories this week including a ‘garden statue’ that turned out to be a six-figure Roman marble

01 June 2025

The most viewed stories on this website over the last week included news of a Roman bust of the emperor Septimius Severus emerging in West Sussex

Singleton Painting Tipu Sultan Sons

Record price for Singleton as painting of the surrender of Seringapatam makes £1.7m

30 May 2025

A painting by Henry Singleton (1766-1839) depicting the surrender of Tipu Sultan’s two sons to Major General David Baird (1757-1829) made five times its estimate at Bonhams.

Portrait of a young artist by Catherine Lusurier

Portrait of an artist: New benchmark for Catherine Lusurier at Christie’s

29 May 2025

When it came to works drawing good competition at the latest series of Old Master auction in New York at the end of May, three works in particular caught the eye at Christie’s.

Napoleon hat

Important Napoleon collection to be offered at Sotheby’s

28 May 2025

Sotheby’s is to offer over 100 important Napoleon items from the Pierre-Jean Chalençon collection in Paris on June 25.

Achill Horses by Mainie Jellett

Whyte’s sets second highest price for a painting by an Irish woman

28 May 2025

An important cubist painting by Mainie Jellett (1897-1944) set a major auction record for the Irish artist at Whyte’s this week.

The Flagellation of Christ by Ribera

Newly discovered Ribera painting makes top estimate in Swedish auction

27 May 2025

A painting by Spanish artist Jusepe de Ribera (1591-1652) which emerged from a shed in rural Sweden drew competition at an auction in Stockholm.

Rudi Gernreich 1964 monokini

Kerry Taylor Auctions hosts first US sale with Peggy Moffitt collection

27 May 2025

Kerry Taylor Auctions hosted its first US auction on May 21, offering the collection of Peggy Moffitt – the American model who died last year.

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Nuts about novelty silver: Crichton claret jug nets £36,000

26 May 2025

This bright-eyed and bushy-tailed claret jug designed in 1882 by Alexander Crichton sold at a hammer price of £36,000 at Tennants of North Yorkshire.

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First part of spectacular Traveller Collection roars into the saleroom

26 May 2025

The first part of an auction series offering a remarkable array of coins buried in Europe for over 50 years to prevent them from being looted during Nazi invasion kicked off with a focus on British and colonial milled coins from Charles II to George V.

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Photos show Maria Callas on and off stage

26 May 2025

Stelios Galatopoulos (1932-2022) was a respected Greek music critic (Cypriot-born) who was based in London.

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Louis Wain pottery is among five sales to watch

26 May 2025

With estimates from £800, here are five previews of items coming up at auction this week

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Gerrit Jensen is the suggestion as marquetry strong box maker

26 May 2025

Like many English joiners of his time, not a great deal is known about the private life of Gerrit Jensen.

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Casas creates a Catalan classic poster

26 May 2025

Like Toulouse Lautrec, Ramon Casas y Carbo (1866-1932) was not only an avant-garde artist but a master poster maker and graphic designer.

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Table drums up auction interest again

26 May 2025

A well-documented George III eight-drawer drum library table attributed to Gillows hammered for $75,000 (£56,300) at Andrew Jones (25% buyer’s premium) in Los Angeles.

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Knife was wielded by an SAS founder who played billiards with ‘Paddy’ Mayne amid battle carnage

26 May 2025

Shown here is a 1st Pattern Fairbairn Sykes fighting knife by Wilkinson, London that belonged to Major Charles George Gibson ‘Pat’ Riley DCM (1915-99), one of the founding members of ‘L’ Detachment, SAS Brigade in 1941.

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Gould proud of his work on the most sumptuous and costly of British bird books

26 May 2025

Chiswick Auctions (26% buyer’s premium) held a sale titled The Art of Nature – a themed catalogue of art and antiques based on the natural world.

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JPR Williams’ Barbarians jersey was worn in famed game

26 May 2025

The Barbarians jersey worn by JPR Williams (1949-2024) in one of rugby union’s most famous matches sold at Rogers Jones (22% buyer’s premium) for £27,500 on April 10.

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Survivor’s letter sets Titanic record

26 May 2025

A postcard letter written by a survivor of the Titanic disaster sold for £230,000 (£300,000 with premium included) at Henry Aldridge & Son last month – a record for a letter related to the disaster.

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Special medals of special forces leader

26 May 2025

Woolley & Wallis is offering what it hails as a collection of military medals given to “one of Britain’s most distinguished soldiers of the 20th century”.

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Chinese ‘aubergine’ cup ascends well above estimate

26 May 2025

Guided at $60,000-80,000, a Yixing stoneware ‘aubergine’ cup was the breakout star of Freeman’s Hindman (26% buyer’s premium) Asian Works of Art sale in New York, held during the Spring 2025 Asia Week.

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