Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Pick of the Week: Artist studio yields a special chess set
15 May 2017“When I first visited, the hairs on the back of my neck shot up. I knew immediately this was a unique capsule – a bohemian delight where a generation of artists had been inspired, had lived, loved and socialised.”
New owner of Dreweatts plans to run auction business day-to-day
15 May 2017The new boss of Dreweatts says he sees “huge potential” for the saleroom as it reverts to owner-management focused on its headquarters in Newbury.
No regrets as Stanley Gibbons breaks up Interiors unit
15 May 2017Back in 2013 and with great fanfare, stamp dealership Stanley Gibbons revealed to the stock market that it had bought a group of art, antiques and collectables specialists.
Stanley Gibbons to ‘pursue remedies’ after Neville conviction
15 May 2017Following the sentencing of former Mallett director Henry Neville for his part in an embezzlement case in April, Stanley Gibbons says it is “pursuing remedies for recouping the losses suffered as a result of these matters”.
Dealer survey: customer focus tops ivory and Brexit as issues
08 May 2017Boosting client confidence and keeping them better informed via new technology head the list of priorities for dealers, according to the LAPADA Members Survey 2017.
Export bar for Commedia dell’arte Meissen figure
08 May 2017A very rare Meissen Böttger stoneware figure has been barred from export from the UK by the government.
Turkey appeals against stargazer sale
08 May 2017Last week’s spectacular $14.5m sale of an ancient ‘stargazer’ idol has been placed in doubt after the Turkish government challenged Christie’s right to sell it.
Antiquarian book trade loses two of its titans after deaths of Frank Herrmann and Roy Davids
08 May 2017The antiquarian book trade has lost two well-known faces with the deaths of Frank Herrmann and Roy Davids.
Pick of the Week: silver centrepiece races to Rijksmuseum
08 May 2017This 176oz Victorian presentation silver centrepiece offered for sale at Woolley & Wallis of Salisbury on April 25 has a strong Dutch connection.
Boston museum settles Nazi dispute
08 May 2017The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has settled a long-running dispute with the estate of a Jewish collector whose house contents was sold by the Graupe Auction House in Berlin in 1937.
Royal family left red-faced as ivory gong sounds wrong note
02 May 2017An ‘unworked’ ivory gong has been removed from exhibition at Sandringham House on the grounds that it was being used for commercial purposes.
Books body rebrands training scheme after employment law shift
02 May 2017The Antiquarian Bookdealers’ Association is to rebrand its young booksellers’ apprenticeship scheme as a training programme following a change in employment law.
Travelling from London to honour Trafalgar hero
02 May 2017A £100 Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund sword, one of 23 awarded to captains who fought at Trafalgar, sold for $235,000 (£173,000), plus 15% buyer’s premium, to one of six phone bidders competing at James D Julia in Fairfield, Maine, on April 11.
Pick of the Week: armchair made from Godwin design sits comfortably in Cirencester auction
02 May 2017A rare ebonised framed armchair after the original design by Edward William Godwin (1833-86) sold for £44,000 (plus 18% premium) at Moore Allen & Innocent in Cirencester on April 21.
‘Early Velázquez’ notified by state brings Spanish record
02 May 2017A Spanish oil billed as an early work by Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) sold for €8m (£7m) at the Madrid auctioneers Abalarte on April 25.
Old Master prints – the market best-kept secret?
02 May 2017With prices lagging behind modern limited editions, Old Master prints may be the market’s best-kept secret...
A brief history of book dealing associations
02 May 2017ATG’s timeline chronicling the history of book dealing associations from 1906 to 2016…
Industry bodies and the common bonds that tie the antiquarian book trade together
02 May 2017From the earliest days a common bond has bound the antiquarian book trade together. And, more than ever, professional standards matter.
A brief history of Old Master prints
02 May 2017A millennia after the technology was first used in China, the earliest printed images in Europe were created in the 14th century. Simple woodcuts intended for private devotion, they served as cheap substitutes for book illuminations. Few survive today.
EBay threat over Australian sales tax
28 April 2017Online giant eBay is threatening to block Australian customers from buying from overseas firms if the government enacts laws to collect a tax from online sales.