Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Chinese brush pot makes £23,000 at Bishop & Miller
30 November 2020The Bishop & Miller's (25% buyer’s premium) recent sale of Asian Art in Stowmarket was topped by two pieces of Chinese red overlay white glass: a brush pot with three ribbed bands and a scrolling foliate body and a vase with a scrolling leaf design.
ʻThe epitome of old European taste’: British diplomat's collection of Chinese ceramics sells at Semley Auctions
30 November 2020Semley Auctions (22% buyer’s premium) in Dorset secured one of the choice consignments this season: the Martin Robert Morland (1933-2020) collection of Chinese ceramics.
Chicken cup and ʻShi Tao’ landscape scroll turn heads at Lyon & Turnbull
30 November 2020Lyon & Turnbull’s (25% buyer’s premium) Fine Asian Works of Art in London on November 5 featured as its top-estimated lot, a 3in (8cm) diameter doucai ‘chicken cup’.
Qianlong masterworks or honorific doppelgangers?
30 November 2020The unusual Chinese porcelain model (pictured below) forms the shape of a lingzhi stem vividly enamelled with a blend of green, blue and pink glazes. It measures 9in (23cm) high and carries a Qianlong (1736-95) mark.
Asian art hammer highlights: The great call of China
30 November 2020Despite the restrictions on travel and viewing, the market for Chinese works of art has appeared remarkably robust in the year of coronavirus. ATG reports on the highpoints of the recent round of London and UK regional sales
Late Qing table screen makes £11,000 at Ewbank’s
30 November 2020This 12in (30cm) high late Qing famille rose porcelain and hardwood table screen came for sale at Ewbank’s (25% buyer’s premium) in Send, Surrey, on November 12.
‘Kyng James’ hawking ring found by a metal detectorist stars in our latest pick of five auction highlights
27 November 2020ATG’s weekly selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes includes an early 17th century silver hawking ring found by a metal detectorist in West Sussex that sold for over three-times estimate.
Gold stater of king Caratacus sets auction record for a British Iron Age coin
23 November 2020David Sear, author of Roman Coins and their Values, called it “among the most exciting numismatic discoveries of the 21st century, if not of all time”.
Pick of the week: Florence sparkles in Castrucci’s stunning stone carving
23 November 2020In 1592, the Florentine stone carver Cosimo Castrucci (fl.1576-1602) was called to the imperial court in Prague by Rudolph II.
A jester teddy and a sketch of Lord Nelson are among the nine lots to watch at auction
23 November 2020With estimates from £40-12,000 here are nine previews of upcoming items this week.
Lalique shines as period pieces impress
23 November 2020A Lalique glass, enamel and diamond bracelet, brooch and earring suite was sold at Lyon & Turnbull (25% buyer’s premium) for the first time since it was bought by the Edwardian heiress Florence Evelyn St George (1870-1936).
Table lamp made of synthetic material lights up auction
23 November 2020Ottoman bead carvers in Istanbul – makers of the garlands of beads known as tesbih and komboloi – were swift to appreciate the potential of Bakelite in c.1910.
Great example of Grand Tour glyphic art sells for over 40-times estimate at Sworders
23 November 2020Exceptional examples of the glyphic arts – the apotheosis of jewellery collecting during the Grand Tour era – are rising high in the saleroom once more.
‘Artist jeweller’ Donald very much back in vogue
23 November 2020Two private collections of the work of John Donald (b.1928) enjoyed a clean sweep at auctions in recent weeks.
Van Cleef & Arpels – courtesy of Joan Collins
23 November 2020The economic crisis of the Great Depression inspired a vogue for many versatile jewels, particularly clip brooches that could be worn on lapels, hat trims and the latest hairstyles.
Gifts from Queen Victoria: Jewellery presented to god-daughters and family friends in the spotlight at Cheffins
23 November 2020Gifts from Queen Victoria to two of her god-daughters garnered international attention at Cheffins (22.5% buyer’s premium) in Cambridge.
Jewellery and silver: our pick of 29 objects offered at auctions in time for Christmas
23 November 2020Forget the high street or ‘not-on-the-high street’ – for those looking for an original gift, a carefully chosen antique will never disappoint. Many upcoming UK auctions of silver and jewellery are assembled with the season of gift-giving in mind. Here ATG provides a selection of ‘more affordable’ and portable items, all for sale this month
Australian gold rush jewellery in strong demand
23 November 2020The distinctive Antipodean ‘botanical’ jewellery of the gold rush era is among the first to depict the native flora and fauna. It is of huge cultural significance to Australia and its mining heritage.
Victorian ring concealing a practical joke brings sensational bidding in Somerset
23 November 2020This curious object is the forerunner of a million Christmas cracker prizes. Made in gold and silver, c.1830, the ‘ring’ chased with flowers includes a tiny pin hole which allows a jet of water to be squirted into the face of an unsuspecting admirer via a syringe-like plunger that can be concealed in the palm.
Auction previews: issue 2469
23 November 2020A selection of 16 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK and Ireland.