Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Great lookers eyed on the same day by Newbury auctioneer
05 November 2018“The chances of finding one that had been bought in a £90 box lot was probably one in a million; the chances of finding two more on the same day are incalculable.” Scientific instruments expert Hugo Marsh was talking about specialist camera lenses he was shown in September, first by a south-coast vendor, then by a West Country enthusiast, which sold at Special Auction Services (17.5% buyer’s premium) at Newbury on October 23.
Books from Ireland's Dromoland castle offered in Florida auction
05 November 2018The sale to held by Blackwell auctions in Florida on November 10 will include a selection of books from the library of Dromoland Castle, the Irish castle in County Clare where the historic ‘Armada table’ sold last month by Adam’s in Drogheda, Ireland, for €360,000 was housed for 300 years (ATG No 2364).
Hammer highlights: five lots that caught bidders’ eyes this week including a Giuliano bracelet
02 November 2018ATG’s selection of highlights sold at auction in the last week include a stunning Giuliano bracelet, a picture postcard showing Manchester United’s original ground and rare posters from a music festival in Bath.
Assyrian relief sets second-highest price for ancient art at Christie’s New York despite Iraq’s repatriation call
01 November 2018An Assyrian relief unearthed from the royal palace at Nimrud in modern-day Iraq has set the second highest ever price for a piece of ancient art at auction after selling at Christie’s New York.
Saleroom selection: 10 pieces of Asian art on offer in November 2018
01 November 2018November is the UK’s busiest month of Asian art sales with a glut of auctions taking place in both London and the regions.
Rediscovered Schumann piano masterpiece comes to auction at Bonhams
31 October 2018Bonhams is to offer an extensive handwritten draft of Robert Schumann’s 1837 piano masterpiece Fantasiestücke Opus 12 – written in the composer’s own hand.
Rediscovered Iznik charger leads London’s Islamic Week sales after record-breaking 20-minute bidding battle
29 October 2018A newly discovered Ottoman charger described as one of the most important pieces of Iznik pottery remaining in private hands was the toast of Islamic Week, selling at Sotheby’s for a spectacular £4.55m (£5.4m including buyer’s premium).
The timely record for punning Lutyens clock
29 October 2018Included in the Important Design sale at Phillips in London on October 18 was an unusual mantel clock designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869- 1944).
Pick of the Week: Sampler soars to £14,000 result
29 October 2018Among the most desirable of all needlework samplers are those associated with pupils of the orphanages, asylums and charity schools of the Georgian and Victorian eras.
Hammer highlights: five lots that caught bidders’ eyes including a rare example of automobilia
26 October 2018A Banksy print, a Suffragette medal and a rare piece of British automobilia are among ATG’s selection of highlights that sold at auctions this week.
Single-owner sale of jewellery - including more than 100 Georg Jensen items - comes to auction
26 October 2018A major collection of late 19th and early 20th century jewellery amassed by a Buckinghamshire collector over half a century, comes to auction next week.
Rediscovered Iznik charger takes £4.55m at Sotheby's auction
25 October 2018The Debbane charger, a newly-discovered 15th century Iznik dish, was the toast of Sotheby’s Islamic Week offering, selling for a spectacular £4.55m (£5.4m including buyer’s premium).
Rare 19th century miners’ lamp lights up auction in Rotherham
24 October 2018A rare miners’ lamp was the unexpected highlight of Paul Beighton’s October 14 sale in Thurcroft near Rotherham.
Rediscovered Iznik masterwork headlines Islamic Week auction series
22 October 2018A newly discovered Ottoman charger, described as one of the most important pieces of Iznik pottery in private hands, will be offered at Sotheby’s Arts of the Islamic World sale this week.
‘Rodin’s’ Baptist bust rediscovered at Connecticut auction
22 October 2018Black Rock Galleries in Greenwich, Connecticut received bids up to $388,000 (plus 18% buyer’s premium) for a bronze it believes is Buste de Saint Jean-Baptiste, a previously lost lifetime cast by Rodin.
Asia on the rostrum
22 October 2018Thirteen auction houses take part in this year’s Asian Art in London, the number swollen by overseas as well as UK regional salerooms. Roland Arkell previews forthcoming highlights.
Tompion strikes a £200,000 note in Staffordshire
22 October 2018A portable table clock by Thomas Tompion sold for a top-estimate £200,000 (plus 20% buyer’s premium) as part of a mixed-owner sale conducted by Hansons at Bishton Hall, Staffordshire.
Pick of the Week: Audubon gun at auction is blast from the past
22 October 2018Was this the gun that John James Audubon (1785-1851) used to create the world’s most expensive natural history book?
Five choice objects up for auction in Islamic Week
19 October 2018The biannual series of Islamic and Indian art auctions held in April and October offers a wide range of art and artefacts celebrating the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the Middle East and the subcontinent. This year’s ‘Islamic Week’, running from October 22-26, includes sales from five auction houses, highlights of which are pictured below.
Hammer highlights: five lots that caught bidders’ eyes including a Japanese sleeper and an Irish stag skull
19 October 2018Sleepers and stag skulls were among ATG’s selection of highlights that sold at auctions this week.