Front Page and News


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The tale of Great Aunt Betty, key British designer of the 1920s-30s and a fiercely independent woman

03 March 2025

“To the inhabitants of Wyndham Road, an unremarkable cul-desac of bungalows in Andover in Hampshire, Mary Stewart Lockhart, the white-haired old lady in number 5, must have seemed equally unremarkable… None of them could have realised that between the World Wars she had been one of the leading furniture makers, designers and businesswomen in the country.”

Adriaen Coorte still life

Saunders collection set to make a record for an Old Master collection says Sotheby’s

28 February 2025

A major consignment of Old Masters is coming up at Sotheby’s New York in May which the saleroom said is poised to break the record for any single-owner sale in this category.

Alexander Nasmyth portrait

Former BBC Antiques Roadshow expert’s collection heads to auction

27 February 2025

A collection of works owned by the late BBC Antiques Roadshow expert and former director at Christie’s, Hugo Morley-Fletcher (1940-2022), has been consigned to Roseberys.

Abel Grimmer painting

Rediscovered Old Master painting heads to Salisbury auction

26 February 2025

A Flemish Old Master lost to scholars for almost a century has emerged from a private source at Woolley & Wallis.

Codd bottle

Victorian mineral water bottle makes a very refreshing £19,000 price at Warwick saleroom

26 February 2025

This rare English mineral water bottle sold for £19,000 (plus 20% buyer’s premium) at Griffin’s Auctioneers in Warwick on February 25.

Edward Elgar sketches

British Library acquires ‘missing’ pages of Elgar’s musical sketchbook through Christie’s

26 February 2025

A draft of a composition by Edward Elgar has been acquired by the British Library in a deal organised through Christie’s.

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Monumental Hans Coper vessel unearthed in London back garden

24 February 2025

A key work by the Anglo-German studio potter Hans Coper (1920-81) has been found in a garden in London.

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Paris dealer wins auction battle for Kwele mask

24 February 2025

The Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas at Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury on February 19 included this striking tribal mask from central Africa.

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Huge collection of early photos acquired by Historic England

24 February 2025

When photography aficionado Janette Rosing (1942-2021) died, Pierre Spake wrote of her in an obituary in ATG (No 2485): “Like all true collectors she pushed the limits of her budget, often exceeding it."

Henry Orlik painting

Artist Henry Orlik offers £50,000 reward for return of missing Surrealist works

24 February 2025

Henry Orlik (b.1947) is a celebrated Surrealist who's enjoying a fevered revival, but the cheering comeback is tarnished by a raft of missing work.

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Cartier Courtauld jewels on display at Eltham Palace after £19,000 auction buy

24 February 2025

Two Cartier brooches commissioned by Sir Stephen Courtauld for his wife have gone on display at Eltham Palace, eight months after they were sold at auction by Dreweatts in Newbury.

Victorian butcher’s shop

Quirky contents of now-defunct Flambards theme park to be sold at Lay’s

21 February 2025

It’s not often that you find a Concorde cockpit, a Victorian pharmacy and a butcher’s shop appearing at the same sale.

The Annunciation by Johann Friedrich Overbeck

Rediscovered early Nazarene painting comes to Paris auction

21 February 2025

Paris auction house Tajan is to sell a previously lost and unpublished work by Johann Friedrich Overbeck (1789-1869).

2681 NE DHL Matt Easton Sword (1)

DHL restricts deliveries of antique blades

17 February 2025

Logistics firm DHL is to change its policy on shipping knives and other bladed articles from March 1, applying a ban on carrying blades over 8in (20.3cm) long on its Express service.

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Buyer bids triple estimate sum to secure Batavian betel box

17 February 2025

This Dutch East Indies gold mounted tortoiseshell betel box hammered at £15,000 (plus 24% buyer’s premium) on the opening day of the sale held by Mellors & Kirk in Nottingham on February 11-12.

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Treasure finds in the UK are at an all-time high, latest figures reveal

17 February 2025

Treasure finds in the UK are at an all-year high, a report has found.

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German toys collection comes full of character

17 February 2025

A gentleman (Dukatenscheißer) with his trousers pulled down excreting a gilt metal coin from his bottom or a composition nodder of a grotesque women beating a child might not be for everyone.

Holkham Hall Sevres Dessert Service

Attic clear-out achieves lofty prices as Holkham Hall provenance powers bidding

14 February 2025

More than 400 lots were offered in Holkham Hall's attic sale held on the premises at the Earl of Leicester's north Norfolk residence

‘Merveilleuse’ gown

Provocative ‘Merveilleuse’ gown from the 1790s flies to 20 times estimate at Kerry Taylor Auctions

14 February 2025

Vintage costume specialist Kerry Taylor has sold the private collection of Napoleonic and Regency dress formed over the last two decades by Cristina Barreto and Martin Lancaster.

Cedric Morris painting

Fresh shoots: ‘Never-before-seen’ Cedric Morris painting to appear at Cheffins

11 February 2025

A market fresh picture by the artist-plantsman Sir Cedric Lockwood Morris (1889-1982) has emerged at auction in Cambridge.

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