Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Designs by the daring Dino Martens come to auction in Italy
13 May 2024Two quite different pieces of glass designed by Dino Martens (1894-1970) led the April 23 sale at Aste di Antiquariato Boetto (25% buyer’s premium) in Genoa.
Louis Comfort Tiffany gossip is talk of the town as painting emerges in New York auction
13 May 2024An oil on canvas of a German scene was probably on display at Louis Comfort Tiffany's Long Island home, sold in the 1940s.
Chinese vase stands tall at Spanish auction
13 May 2024A classic of the large blue and white forms of Yuan dynasty porcelain comes to auction in Spain
Delve into the darker side of Old Master paintings at auction
13 May 2024Current collecting taste means that Old Master paintings exploring the darker side of the human character can often find more admirers than more typical subject matter of Georgian gentleman or European landscapes. Works of the grotesque are particularly popular.
Single-owner Nelson obsession
13 May 2024A collection of Nelson commemoratives amassed over 30 years includes pieces once owned by the man himself
Trio of Egyptian sandstone reliefs stand out in a London sale selection
13 May 2024A highlight of Apollo Art Auctions’ (20% buyer’s premium) April 27-28 sale was a trio of Egyptian sandstone reliefs from the Amarna period, the 17-year reign of the radical pharaoh Amenhotep IV known as Akhenaten.
Klimt as a cheaper buy
13 May 2024Like all artists born in the 19th century, Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) underwent a traditional academic training, studying at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule (now the University of Applied Arts, Vienna) from 1876-83.
Miniature books: Small is indeed beautiful
13 May 2024Small books have long been objects of wonder. The history of tiny type can be traced back to the smallest cuneiform clay tablets of ancient Mesopotamia or the diminutive papyrus codices treasured by Christians in Roman Egypt.
Icon boosted by fantastic ornate frame
13 May 2024The sale at Hargesheimer (28% buyer’s premium) on April 18 included an outstanding Russian icon and oklad by Orest Kurlyukov.
For poetical and practical purpose
13 May 2024Ladies and gentlemen of the Georgian period carried not only prayer books and bibles, but also books of poems and the annual miniature almanacs containing practical information on everything from the phases of the moon to the currency exchange rates of Europe.
Clipper by ‘the Irish Alfred Wallis’ sails into Dublin to set a record
13 May 2024A picture by the artist dubbed ‘the Irish Alfred Wallis’ soared above estimate to bring a record at Dublin saleroom Adam’s (25% buyer’s premium).
Furniture given by Mouseman to his daughter emerges at auction
11 May 2024Elements of a collection of ‘Mouseman’ furniture made for the daughter of Robert Thompson (1876 -1955) himself have come for sale in Yorkshire this month.
Buyer hunts down a record Dunhill lighter
11 May 2024Chiswick Auctions has nudged forward its own record for an Alfred Dunhill Aquarium table lighter.
A vintage publication saved from The Great Fire
10 May 2024One of the earliest works on English viticulture comes for sale at Chiswick Auctions this month.
‘British School’ waterfall scene takes 60 times estimate after bidders identify artist
09 May 2024An early 19th century ‘British School’ watercolour painting of a waterfall raced away from a guide of $200-300 to bring $18,000 (£14,400) at an auction in Massachusetts this week.
A Magritte sketch is among five lots to watch
06 May 2024With estimates from £380, here are five previews of upcoming items.
Asian Art previews
06 May 2024While the market-defining sales of Asian works of art are now held in New York and Hong Kong, the UK still holds its own.
On the hunt for a record-breaking Dunhill Aquarium lighter
02 May 2024Chiswick Auctions has nudged forward its own record for an Alfred Dunhill Aquarium table lighter.
Shahmoon family Giambologna bronzes sell at over 400 times estimate
01 May 2024Casts of two well-known Mannerist bronzes raced to 400 times their estimate at an online sale conducted by a New York auction house last month.