Latest News Articles by Alex Capon
Ranken redcoat detail revealed after ATG runs preview story
25 March 2024A sense of rediscovery came at Young’s (25% buyer’s premium) in Surrey when a portrait of a figure in eye-catching red attire emerged from a local deceased estate.
First part of the year blessed by bumper sales of dealer collections
25 March 2024Withers and Dailey selections follow hot on the heels of Turpin lots with plenty of fine art highlights
Second highest auction price for LS Lowry set at Christie’s
21 March 2024Christie’s posted the second highest price at auction for LS Lowry (1887-1976) when ‘Sunday Afternoon’, one of his largest industrial landscapes, was knocked down at £5.2m.
Lavery’s sketch for Roger Casement trial among six-figure pictures at Dreweatts
21 March 2024Dreweatts’ latest Modern and Contemporary Art sale was one of the highest grossing auctions the Newbury saleroom has ever staged in this category with a record number of registered bidders and three pictures making over £100,000.
Rediscovered JMW Turner watercolour sells for £37,000 at Cheffins
20 March 2024An early watercolour by JMW Turner which had been hanging unidentified in the vendor’s dining room for over 30 years overshot a £20,000-30,000 estimate at Cheffins in Cambridge, selling at £37,000.
Weavers work their auction magic for 18th century picture
18 March 2024A rare picture painted in India by Arthur William Devis (1762-1822) depicting a group of Bengali weavers was the subject of dramatic competition at Gorringe’s (25% buyer’s premium) spring fine art and antiques sale.
Earl of Liverpool lots include portraits
18 March 2024A group of portraits from the collection of the 3rd Earl of Liverpool, Charles Cecil Cope Jenkinson (1784-1851), will be offered at Gloucestershire saleroom Chorley’s next month.
Museum buys Biffin self-portrait
18 March 2024A self-portrait by Sarah Biffin (c.1784-1850) has been acquired by the Museum of Somerset where it is now on display.
Stand-out works on paper underline appeal of rarities from notable names
18 March 2024If you wanted to sum up the current state of the watercolours and works on paper sector in a single sentence, you might say something like ‘flatter than ever for general works but exceptional lots routinely generating strong interest’.
Sarah Biffin self-portrait acquired by Museum of Somerset from dealer Philip Mould
16 March 2024A self-portrait by Sarah Biffin (c.1784-1850) bought by the Museum of Somerset has recently gone on display.
‘A testament to elegance’: Bach manuscript goes to Bodleian in lieu of inheritance tax
15 March 2024A rare autograph manuscript by composer Johann Sebastian Bach has been acquired by the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries.
‘Quintessential English’ collection of family portraits comes to auction in Gloucestershire
13 March 2024A group of portraits from the collection of the 3rd Earl of Liverpool, Charles Cecil Cope Jenkinson (1784-1851), will be offered at Gloucestershire saleroom Chorley’s auctioneers in April.
Atmospheric Foord Hughes painting of a rural scene gathers demand
11 March 2024The highest price at auction for 12 years for Arthur Foord Hughes (1856-1934) came at Nottingham saleroom Mellors & Kirk (24% buyer’s premium) at the start of the year.
‘Beechey’ portrait of an Indian sitter, the mysterious Moonshee, is ready for research
11 March 2024A mixture of leading artist, intriguing subject, ‘prominent’ background and perhaps a bit of speculation helped propel a portrait of an Indian figure to 36 times the top estimate.
Dealer 'Dick' Turpin's fine art exemplifies his eclectic taste
11 March 2024Although the late antiques dealer Maurice ‘Dick’ Turpin (1928-2005) may have been better known for his expertise in furniture and works of art, he also had an eye for a painting.
Call for new rules on ‘cold cast bronzes’
11 March 2024A surge in websites selling ‘cold-cast bronzes’ – sometimes passing them off as original metal alloy sculptures – has led to calls for tighter rules to distinguish them from genuine works.
Magritte leads Modern art auctions in London as overall totals fall
09 March 2024A surrealist painting by René Magritte (1898-1967) led the latest series of Modern and Contemporary art sales in London although overall the auctions at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips were rather flat compared to previous years.
JMW Turner watercolour takes £96,000 at Herefordshire auction
06 March 2024A watercolour by JMW Turner (1775-1851) depicting a famous English country estate has sold for £96,000 at Minster Auctions.
Fierce negotiator who had a sharp eye for artistic talent
04 March 2024Roseberys’ sale of Modern British & 20th Century art on March 12 will include works from the collection of Bernard Sheridan (1927-2007).
Modern British works from artistic sources boost Colchester sale
04 March 2024A group of four pictures on offer in an Essex auction came from a vendor whose grandmother was part of the Fitzrovian set - the Bohemian group of artists and intellectuals centred around Charlotte Street in London, just north of Soho, in the 1920s-50s.