Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell

Doulton Lambeth vase

What lots caught bidders’ eyes this week? Five auction highlights including a Spitfire instrument panel and a Barlow-painted Doulton Lambeth vase

14 December 2018

ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week include a modernist slate fireplace and an intriguing blue glass tankard.

John Mollo’s personal sketchbook for Star Wars

Star Wars costume designer’s personal sketchbook makes £100,000 at Bonhams

13 December 2018

The archive of John Mollo, the concept artist behind the Star Wars franchise, came up at Bonhams this week. Leading the sale was a personal sketchbook showing some of the first hand-drawn costume designs for Darth Vader, Chewbacca and the stormtroopers.

funerary statue of a Roman poet

From Ancient to Renaissance: Five top sculptures from London’s auction series including an early Roman statue of a poet

12 December 2018

The London auction calendar in early December offered a busy schedule of antiquities, sculpture and works of art sales running side-by-side with the Old Master series. Overall the sales were relatively well-received with improved selling rates on previous years. Here we select five highlights from the series.

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‘A quite extraordinary day’ as sleeping Asian bronzes bring multi-estimate sums in regions

10 December 2018

Two under-catalogued Sino-Tibetan bronzes illuminated the regional saleroom scene with multi-estimate sums in the final days of November.

Ewer

What lots caught bidders’ eyes this week? Five auction highlights including a Renaissance revival ewer and a vodka-drinking Russian

07 December 2018

ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week include a piece by the ‘crystal king of England’, a Japanese style sword, a vodka-drinking Russian figure and a Renaissance revival ewer.

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Pick of the Week: Rare 1920s Robert Thompson dining suite with early features shines at Doncaster sale

03 December 2018

Capping a vintage year for prime-period Mouseman furniture, a dining suite attracted huge interest when offered for sale in Yorkshire recently.

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Super silver-gilt Storr candelabra leads Bonhams’ Important Design auction

03 December 2018

A pair of William IV candelabra from the Pembroke service led Bonhams’ Important Design: 500 Years of Fine Decorative Arts sale on November 21, selling at £190,000 (plus 25% buyer’s premium).

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Sotheby's hoping to be big in Japan again with London sale

03 December 2018

For the first time in a decade, Sotheby’s Asian Art in London offering included a designated sale of Japanese art on November 6.

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Meiji cloisonné provides boost to English salerooms

03 December 2018

An unusual dish from the workshop of Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927) sold for £18,000 at Woolley & Wallis on November 14. But this was not the only example of top-tier Meiji cloisonné for sale last month.

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UK sales of Asian art – a coming together of cultures

03 December 2018

Despite the disparity in numbers, the market for Chinese and Japanese works of art are increasingly aligned.

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De Waal Netsuke collection brings welcome addition to Blythe Road auction

03 December 2018

A welcome addition to the November 21 Asian Works of Art sale at Matthew Barton (24% buyer’s premium) of 25 Blythe Road in west London were 79 netsuke from the collection belonging to Edmund de Waal, author of the bestselling memoir 'The Hare with Amber Eyes'. London Japanese art dealer Max Rutherston helped organise the sale and took this section of the auction.

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Yuan peony jar leads Dublin sale of Asian art

03 December 2018

The influx of Asian art buyers that accompanies the Asian Art in London initiative also encourages activity across the Irish Sea. Both Adam’s (20% buyer’s premium) in Dublin, for the first time, and Sheppards (20% buyer’s premium) in Durrow held designated sales on November 3 and November 11 respectively.

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Ming period brick from the Great Wall of China sells at Somerset auction

03 December 2018

Included in the sale at Lawrences (22% buyer’s premium) of Crewkerne on October 11 was a brick from the Great Wall of China. It probably dated from the Ming period when Great Wall sections were widely built with fired clay bricks, adhered with lime mortar and sticky rice.

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Rockefeller pattern Chinese export porcelain ware brings demand at Dreweatts

03 December 2018

Among the most coveted of all the standard Chinese export porcelain designs is the so-called ‘Rockefeller’ pattern or Palace ware.

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Home turf before theatre of dreams

03 December 2018

A rare photographic postcard sold via thesaleroom.com at a surprise £850 (estimate £30-50) at Toovey’s (24.5% buyer’s premium) in Washington, West Sussex on October 30.

Netsuke

What lots caught bidders’ eyes this week? Five auction highlights including Edmund de Waal’s netsukes and a Lalique bronze hand mirror

30 November 2018

ATG’s selection of hammer highlights that sold at auction in the last week including a netsuke collection, a Lalique mirror and rare Georgian silver.

Gardiner Houlgate auctioneer Luke Hobbs

Shout, shout, clear it all out! Tears for Fears sell tour gear to make room

29 November 2018

Specialist musical instrument auction house Gardiner Houlgate is to sell a cache of touring equipment from '80s band Tears for Fears.

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Silver sells as a Malteser pleaser

26 November 2018

Despite its size and various eras of occupation, Malta sustained a vibrant silver and gold-working tradition across several centuries.

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Commonwealth crackers pair up

26 November 2018

This pair of Commonwealth silver plates, London 1645, bear the contemporaneous arms of the Puritan Bulstrode Whitelocke (1605-75).

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Pick of the Week: Late Renaissance novelty that turns water into wine

19 November 2018

Of all the types of playful drinking cups or trinkspiel made by Dutch and German goldsmiths during the 16th and 17th centuries, the example offered by Sotheby’s in Paris last week was surely the most elaborate.