Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Qianlong vase brings seasonal cheer at £520,000
23 December 2014Appearing at a recent sale held by Toovey’s of Washington, West Sussex, this Imperial Qianlong famille rose and calligraphic vase sold for a house-record £520,000.
‘Innocent until proven guilty over CITES’
22 December 2014The burden of proof in CITES court cases should now switch from the defence to the prosecution, says a lawyer who has just won an important victory on the matter.
Salisbury’s £47,000 record for Rie
18 December 2014The stock of the Austrian-born British studio potter Lucie Rie (1902-95) continues to rise in the saleroom.
Giants among dinkys as rare Type 1 vans sell to UK collector
10 December 2014Pre-war delivery vans advertising commercial brand names have long acquired trophy status in the Dinky toy market.
The seal of the Bruce returns at £125,000
09 December 2014It was, say Timeline Auctions, “probably the most important medieval seal to come to market” and certainly the most important object the firm had ever offered for sale, according to CEO Brett Hammond.
Symbols of good fortune at £350,000
04 December 2014Nantwich auctioneers Peter Wilson set a new house record at their latest sale with this large Qianlong (1736-95) mark-and-period doucai ‘lotus and bats’ jar and cover.
Cromwell’s coffin plate on the auction block
03 December 2014This copper-gilt coffin plate, bearing an inscription in Latin with the dates of Oliver Cromwell’s birth, death and inauguration as Lord Protector and the arms of the Protectorate to the reverse, was found when his body was exhumed from the Henry VII chapel at Westminster Abbey on January 26, 1661.
The £40,000 London Bridge corkscrew
28 November 2014The £40,000 corkscrew with an old London Bridge connection sold by auctioneers Reeman Dansie on November 26 is an extremely rare Victorian patent.
Fine feathers for faithful Lady Franklin
27 November 2014Lady Jane Franklin (1791-1875) gained worldwide admiration for her efforts to trace her husband’s disappearance on his fatal 1845 voyage seeking the North West Passage.
Twelve bidders compete for Peter Waals secretaire in Exeter
11 November 2014A walnut secretaire cabinet by Peter Waals (1870-1937) has sold for £34,000 at Bearne Hampton & Littlewood in Exeter.
Christopher Dresser coffee pot makes £80,000 in Edinburgh
05 November 2014A possibly unique electroplated coffee pot, designed by Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) and made by James Dixon & Sons in Sheffield, proved the highlight of Lyon & Turnbull’s sale auction ‘Decorative Arts: Design from 1860’ when it was knocked down for £80,000.
Asian sales begin at a canter
29 October 2014Mallams of Cheltenham saw this jade rolling horse, part of a private collection of Chinese handstone carvings, sell for £170,000 at their latest Asian art sale.
Fabergé shines in Nottinghamshire
21 October 2014This Fabergé enamelled silver and hardstone cigarette box sold for £46,500 at the latest sale held at Nicholas Mellors of Newark.
Auction house fined £3200 over ivory breach
20 October 2014Magistrates have fined a West London auction house £3200 for breaching the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) (CITES) Regulations 1997.
Triple A add to the feast of Asian art
13 October 2014The Association of Accredited Auctioneers (Triple A) are hosting a viewing event timed to coincide with Asian Art in London. This Qianlong ‘lotus and bats’ doucai jar and cover, estimated to bring £100,000-150,000 at Peter Wilson of Nantwich on November 27, is among the lots on view at Rountree Tryon Galleries of 7 Bury Street on November 2 from 12 noon-9pm.
L&T appoint new directors in succession plan
13 October 2014Scottish firm Lyon & Turnbull have sought to address the age-old problem of succession planning at a regional saleroom by making a number of significant internal appointments.
French sleeper awakes as drawing points to Greuze
10 October 2014The name Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805) was mentioned as the possible hand responsible for this unsigned 18th century French charcoal and chalk drawing that leapt from lowly expectations to sell for £320,000 (plus 22.5% buyer’s premium) at Toovey’s of Washington, West Sussex on October 8.
Rediscovered Ravilious sets new record at £265,000
03 October 2014When Ann Ullmann, the daughter of Eric Ravilious (1903-42), visited J.S. Auctions’ newly refurbished salerooms in Banbury in August, she declared herself delighted to see this previously unknown 16 x 20in (41 x 52cm) watercolour, above, by her father for the first time.
eBay to split from PayPal
03 October 2014Online auction site eBay plans to spin off its PayPal business into a separate publicly traded company next year.
Sotheby’s to offer Van Gogh flowers for $30m-$50m
03 October 2014Still Life, Vase with Daisies, painted by Vincent van Gogh at the home of his physician Paul Gachet just weeks before he died, carries an estimate of $30m-50m at Sotheby’s New York on November 4. It will be on view in London from October 12-18.