Latest News Articles by Alex Capon
Webb depicts majesty of Greenwich Palace in smaller form
01 May 2023Born into a family of artists, James Webb (c.1825-95) became a prolific painter primarily of landscapes, seascapes and river scenes depicting locations around England and Wales as well as the Netherlands, France, Italy and southern Spain.
Turner and Wilkie turn up at auction
01 May 2023Drawing four phone bidders plus online, a rediscovered early watercolour of Chepstow Castle by JMW Turner (1775-1851) led Cheffins’ latest fine art sale.
Famous tiger burns bright – despite being a copy
01 May 2023A later but good copy of George Stubbs’ (1724-1806) famous painting Portrait of The Royal Tiger earned its stripes when it emerged at auction.
Sotheby’s offers Hammershøi interior scene with highest ever estimate for the artist
18 April 2023A major painting by Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916) will be offered at Sotheby’s evening sale of Modern art in New York on May 16. Pitched at $3m-5m, it has the highest estimate ever placed on a work by the Danish artist.
Latest Lowry drawing shows rise in demand over three decades
17 April 2023Simple Salford street scene dating from year after he left art school is now at £70,000 hammer price level
Another winner from Denton Hall consignment
17 April 2023A high price for a Victorian work sold outside London came at Tennants’ (22% buyer’s premium) latest British, European and Sporting Pictures sale.
Staithes Group works show signs of revival at the top end at least
10 April 2023Local supporters help to boost pictures produced in art colony based in a North Yorkshire fishing village
Brueghel found behind door in French home takes six-figure sum at auction
06 April 2023A large painting by Pieter Brueghel the Younger (c.1564-1638) discovered in a home in France took a six-figure sum at a Paris sale.
Double values: Cedric Morris picture with another work on the back emerges in Cambridge
03 April 2023Even in relatively strong sectors of the art market like Modern British pictures the twin attractions of market freshness and attainable estimates remain key factors.
Abstract paintings offer clear indication of Feiler interest
03 April 2023Interest from both the UK and abroad emerged in Buckinghamshire when two abstract paintings by Paul Feiler (1918-2013) came up at a recent Claydon Auctioneers (19.5% buyer’s premium) sale.
Fabergé elephant table lighter stars in our pick of six auction highlights
31 March 2023ATG’s weekly selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes includes a sought after Fabergé silver elephant table lighter that more than doubled estimate in Yorkshire.
Auction house helps seal the deal for Austen letter
27 March 2023Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, Hampshire has acquired a rare early example of a handwritten letter by the novelist after its sale was negotiated by Cambridge auction house Cheffins.
Jane Austen letter goes to her former house in deal brokered by Cheffins
23 March 2023Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, Hampshire has acquired a rare early example of a handwritten letter by the novelist after its sale was negotiated by Cambridge auction house Cheffins.
Brueghel discovery found behind a door comes to auction in France
20 March 2023A version of one of Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s (c.1564- 1638) best-known compositions, 'The Tax Collector’s Office', will be offered at auction after being discovered behind a partially hidden door in a home in northern France.
How notable sitters can cancel out the difficulty of selling traditional portraits
20 March 2023The general theory goes that traditional portraits of white men are difficult to sell unless they are by a major artist or depict a notable sitter.
Atkinson sketches prepared groundwork for Afghan prints
20 March 2023Among the works on paper causing a stir in the regions during the early part of 2023 was a group of four 19th century topographical studies of Afghanistan
Stumped about match location in a sporting scene
13 March 2023Cricket scene could not be clearly identified but approximate date provided strong historical appeal
Gouaches given a seal of approval
13 March 2023A pair of unusual works on paper by the Anglo-American painter George Henry Boughton (1833-1905) struck a chord with bidders at a sale in Somerset.
Turner’s castle emerges in Cambridge saleroom
06 March 2023An early watercolour of Chepstow Castle by JMW Turner (1775-1851) that was previously recorded but its whereabouts unknown has emerged in Cambridge.
Algernon Newton suits the market mood
06 March 2023The naturalistic landscapes and moody urban scenes of Algernon Cecil Newton (1880-1968) have provided a boon to both London and regional salerooms for well over a decade now.