Letters to the Editor

An item of great interest for me was the small pocket knife that was recently sold together with its own story from the Titanic disaster* [see Previews, ATG No 2739].

Railtons [auction house] received this heavy and rather grubby Victorian marble bust just as our end of March catalogue was going to press.

I was so glad to see the front page photo in ATG No 2738 [‘Bidders Pipe Up For Treen’].

Stalwart of the saleroom Stuart Triggol is retiring. He featured in ATG No 2717 to mark his 50 years in the trade.

Regarding your article in ATG No 2736 and all the recent publicity about the identity of Banksy, Reuters has spent time and money and come up with a name that I do not believe is the right one!

Alex Capon’s article on Christie’s new auction rostrum is most intriguing, though I confess the accompanying photograph fills this reader with a certain melancholy (ATG No 2735).

Re: ‘Mystery octopus vase holds me in suspense’ (ATG No 2735).

I’m really sorry to hark back to the ridiculous Ivory Act, 2022.

I’ve been collecting octopus objects for many years and have some interesting and unusual items, though sadly most of my netsukes, although of the finest craftsmanship, are ivory and no longer buyable or tradeable.

Martin Levy’s plea for the Ivory Act to be ‘phased out’ (Letters, ATG No 2729) deserves full support from all quarters – dealers, auctioneers and collectors.

I was interested to read the article by Joan Porter on Madonna’s visit to Margate – at the invite of Tracey Emin who does so much for the town (Fairs, Markets, Shops & Centres, ATG No 2731).

Artist’s Resale Right [ARR] is illogical, causes unnecessary unemployment and should be abolished immediately.

So I’ve found something coming up at auction that I might be interested in, next question: will they post it to me if I win the bidding?

Further to your excellent report on the Ivory Act (‘Dealers outraged at report claiming benefits of the Ivory Act nearly four years on’, News, ATG No 2728), may I perhaps go further?

For more than 40 years I have owned a bundle of 18th and 19th century Scottish family letters.

It is wonderful that Karen Taylor has held an exhibition about trees [covered in ATG No 2714, Karen Taylor Fine Art held an online exhibition last month, Trees, featuring 16 images with prices ranging from £375-7500].

With regard to HMRC’s recent update on Anti Money Laundering for art dealers (ATG No 2721), I read with astonishment the following.

In the News section of ATG No 2721, I read that the spectacular and newly discovered red chalk drawing of a foot by Michelangelo – a study for Libyan Sibyl on the Sistine Chapel ceiling no less – is estimated to fetch up to $2m when it is sold by Christie’s New York in February next year.

I was concerned to read the report in the latest ATG regarding the return of the Pre-Christian jug to Cyprus (News Digest, ATG No 2721).

Can anyone help identify this lady on a large Vienna-type vase, dated on base, from her employees, Christmas 1894?