Latest News Articles by Jonathan Franks
Bidders suspect an Italian hand at work
29 April 2019As a rule, Lempertz (24/20% buyer’s premium) in Cologne always opens its spring season with a sale of moderately priced Old Master and 19th century paintings.
Bust stands proud in saleroom
25 March 2019Early 20th century Italian sculpture attracts six-figure result in German auction house.
PREVIEW: Cologne - Auction Team Breker
25 March 2019Contrary to popular opinion, the name of the Rock-Ola company of Chicago, which became famous for the production of distinctive jukeboxes, has no connection to rock ’n’ roll. It is in fact a fortuitous coincidence that the firm’s founder was actually called David Cullen Rockola.
Big money emerges for Hamburg coin
25 March 2019A very rare gold coin took top honours at the auction held by Künker (23% buyer’s premium) in Berlin on January 31.
PREVIEW: Freiburg – Peege
25 March 2019Through his numerous inventions, the Parisian craftsman Julien Leroy (1686-1759) is credited with revitalising the art of clock and watch making in the French capital and throughout the country.
Padlocks secure high prices
25 March 2019Two iron padlocks caught the eye of numerous bidders at the February 28 sale at Wendl (18% buyer’s premium) in Rudolstadt.
PREVIEW: Vienna – Dorotheum
25 March 2019Almost 140 carpets and weaves which illustrate the differing designs of the individual tribes that make up the people of Turkmenistan are to be offered by Dorotheum in Vienna on April 9.
Sigmund Freud portrait to be analysed by Vienna auction bidders
11 February 2019Among the prominent sitters for the Austrian artist Wilhelm Viktor Krausz (1878-1959) was Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis.
Mirror on offer in Stuttgart is looking good in ornate gilt frame
11 February 2019Among the many decorative works of art in Nagel’s sale in Stuttgart on February 27-28 is this 3ft 8in (1.12m) high mirror in an ornately carved gilt frame.
Ron Arad Rover seats roar into Munich saleroom
11 February 2019In the early 1980s the London-based designer Ron Arad experimented with new forms of industrial design, incorporating materials that would otherwise have been discarded.
Thonet furniture takes mixed response at Cologne auction
11 February 2019Comprehensive collection amassed over 30 years attracts very choosy buyers at auction.
Baron Cohen porcelain draws interest in Berlin
07 January 2019Since 1994, the New York businessman Richard Baron Cohen has been a welcome guest at international auctions, fairs and dealers.
Eight bidders show flower power
07 January 2019Eight determined bidders were on hand when Karl & Faber (25% buyer’s premium) sold a floral still-life by Nicolaes van Veerendael (1640-91) at auction in Munich.
Expressionist work by Kirchner tops list at Berlin auction
07 January 2019Topping the results list at a recent sale at Grisebach (30/25/20% buyer’s premium) in Berlin was a work by the German Expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner that was created on island in the Baltic.
Price of Robert Capa’s 'Falling Soldier' photograph rises high
07 January 2019One of the most iconic photographic images of war came under the hammer at a recent Westlicht (20% buyer’s premium) auction in Vienna.
Thonet furniture from international expert's collection emerges in Cologne auction
07 January 2019Since the early 1990s Wolfgang Thillmann, a German and philosophy teacher, has devoted himself to collecting Thonet bentwood furniture and become an internationally acknowledged expert in the process.
Export clock at Frankfurt auction ticks Chinese taste
21 December 2018Chinese bidders were the driving force at this autumn’s German and Austrian auctions of Asian art.
Art Deco stand-out sculpture at Munich sale delivers at top level
21 December 2018For 30 years the London lawyer David Cooper and his wife Marie devoted themselves to building a collection of Art Deco sculpture.
Auction highlights from Germany, Austria and Switzerland including ornate watch selling in Hamburg
19 November 2018The London watchmaker John Ilbery, active from 1780-1839, is credited with the invention of the ‘montre chinoise’, highly ornate goldenamel watches made for the Chinese market.
Two fairs in Munich lead a spotlight on the art and antiques scene in Germany
08 October 2018Autumn in the Bavarian capital Munich is traditionally fair time. Shortly after the Oktoberfest closes, exhibitors at two art and antique fairs are hoping for masses of equally enthusiastic visitors.