Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Pick of the week: Sledge from Shackleton's Antarctic expedition takes £115,000 at Bonhams
11 February 2019A sledge from the first expedition to the Antarctic led by Ernest Shackleton sold for £115,000 in Bonhams’ Travel and Exploration sale on February 6.
Mysterious master of foliage covered in New York
11 February 2019A New York institution has consigned an intriguing Netherlandish devotional painting to Freeman’s sale in Philadelphia on February 27. The small oil on cradled oak panel is one of only a dozen pictures by a workshop known only by the moniker Master of the Embroidered Foliage.
10 jewellery highlights at auction for winter 2019
11 February 2019A selection of 10 stand-out jewellery lots offered at auction in February-April 2019.
Rare timepieces from wartime in Penzance and West Sussex
11 February 2019A rare Longines centre seconds military wristwatch – a type developed in 1944 for the rigours of airborne work by the Research & Development team of the War Department – sold for a multi-estimate £11,200 at Barbara Kirk (15% buyer’s premium) in Penzance on November 27 last year.
Memento ring of the last Jacobite to be executed for treason sells in Chichester
11 February 2019A local family that could trace a clear line back to the 1750 was the consignor of this gold, white enamel and citrine mourning ring to Henry Adams in Chichester.
The ‘new’ market appeal of the tiara
11 February 2019Deemed a little ostentatious in some circles, tiaras have enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years, particularly in Russia and the Baltic states where jeans and a diamond fascinator are de rigueur at informal high-society events.
The rivière’s endless flow at auction
11 February 2019The rivière – one of the most popular and enduring styles of necklace to come out of the Georgian period – features an endless line of matched or subtly graduated gems set within inconspicuous collets.
The many ‘fearless’ faces of Edith Weber: highlights from the jewellery sale at Skinner in Boston
11 February 2019The opening 96 lots of the sale at Skinner (23% buyer’s premium) in Boston on December 4 were from the stock of the former New York dealership Edith Weber Antique Jewelry.
Bonhams director of jewellery predicts continued growth in emerald prices
11 February 2019Jean Ghika, global director of jewellery at Bonhams, closed out 2018 on a positive note.
Burmese sapphire brooch brings its rich seam to Cumbria
11 February 2019Sapphires have been mined in Burma (now Myanmar) for over a millennium, the stones admired for their colour saturation and dark hues.
Remarkable pieces of Australian gold rush era jewellery appear at UK sales
11 February 2019Gold rush era jewellery from Down Under is a rare visitor to UK salerooms but, remarkably, several pieces have appeared for sale in recent months.
Masterworks by titans of French Art Deco jewellery design bring demand at Christie’s in Paris
11 February 2019Pictured here are two exceptional pieces of Art Deco jewellery sold by Christie’s Paris (25% buyer’s premium) for multi-estimate sums on December 4.
From Roman to retro: 12 jewellery highlights from Grays Antiques Market
11 February 2019Although the centre never closed during the Crossrail project, as that work winds down Grays Antiques Market now has a fresh chance to showcase the many exceptional dealers based in the Edwardian building on Davies Street in London. As one might expect near Bond Street, period jewellery, from Roman rings to 1970s retro, is the main stock in trade.
Rare Old Master draws admirers ahead of Philadelphia auction
08 February 2019A New York institution has consigned an intriguing Netherlandish devotional painting to Freeman’s sale in Philadelphia on February 27.
What lots caught bidders’ eyes in the last week? Five auction highlights including a Persian landscape and a mother-of-pearl casket
08 February 2019ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week also include a German Neo-Expressionist painting and a set of Victorian photogenic drawings.
Eros sculpture is highpoint of The Fine Art Society sale at Sotheby’s
07 February 2019Casts of two key works from the New Sculpture movement topped Sotheby’s sale titled The Fine Art Society: 142 years on New Bond Street.
Pick of the week: The floral shell shock
04 February 2019Lovely bunch of blooms? A closer look reveals Irish Quaker’s conchological talent...
English delftware tankard raises toast to the Pelham Olive collection at Bonhams
04 February 2019Among the best performers at the Olive collection of early British ceramics, metalwork, furniture and treen sold at Bonhams on January 31 was this large English delftware tankard.
Government strengthens law to protect treasure finds
01 February 2019The government is proposing to strengthen the Treasure Act to include important finds that do not fit the current legal definition.
What lots caught bidders’ eyes in the last week? Five auction highlights including a replica 'Alfred Jewel' and a Chelsea squirrel
01 February 2019ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week include a Chelsea white-glazed model of a red squirrel and a 17th century portrait miniature.