Auctions

News and previews of art and antiques sold at auctions throughout the UK and overseas, from multi-million-pound blockbusters to affordable collectables.


13-07-02-2098NE01A longcase clock.jpg

Lough’s musical masterpiece chimes in Cumbria

02 July 2013

This remarkable 1773 longcase clock by Hugh Lough of Penrith proved the top-selling lot at Mitchells of Cockermouth when it sold at £19,000.

13-07-01-2098NE06A alabaster sculpture.jpg

17th century sculpture returned to church after withdrawal from sale

01 July 2013

This c.1614 polychrome alabaster sculpture lost from a London church during the Blitz has been returned to its original location.

13-07-01-2098NE02A Fred Williams Bonhams.jpg

Grundy collection sets Australian record for single-owner sale

01 July 2013

Fred Williams’ ‘You Yangs Landscape 1’ of 1963 made the highest price of the 89-lot sale of Australian art from the Reg Grundy and Joy Chambers-Grundy collection when it sold for Aus$1.9m (£1.2m).

13-06-25-2097NE01A Louis Vuitton.jpg

Louis Vuitton trunks sell at £24,000

25 June 2013

The two-day House & Garden Sale at Mallams in Abingdon, Oxfordshire saw this near pair of early 20th century Louis Vuitton ‘malle armoire secretaires’ sell for £24,000.

13-06-25-2097NE05A Napoleon Bonhams.jpg

Cast of Napoleon’s death mask takes £140,000

25 June 2013

He may have conquered much of Europe, but time waits for no man, as Napoleon found out on May 5, 1821.

13-06-24-2097NE03A Martin Brothers.jpg

Rare bird sets Martin Brothers record

24 June 2013

This stoneware bird jar dated 1891 established a new auction record for Martin Brothers when it made £67,000 at the latest Arts and Crafts sale held by Woolley & Wallis.

13-06-20-2097NE02A Monet Sothebys.jpg

Sotheby’s lead Imps & Mods week with £17.5m Monet

20 June 2013

A painting of a Venetian palace by Claude Monet (1840-1926) led the latest round of Impressionist and Modern art auctions in London.

13-06-19-2096AR03A Woolley Wallis chinese art.jpg

Plaques signalling abstinence at the Qing court

19 June 2013

Abstinence was a ceremonial requirement prior to worshipping the ancestors, the heavens or other deities in the Qing court.

13-06-18-2096NE01A Venice Léon Bakst.jpg

£440,000 Russian record set in South London

18 June 2013

Setting a major house record at South London auctioneers Rosebery’s, this oil painting by Léon Bakst (1866-1924) drew eight interested parties at the West Norwood saleroom last week.

13-06-17-2096NE05A Mercedes-Benz fangio.jpg

Fangio racer leads Goodwood sale

17 June 2013

What must be one of the most iconic racing cars ever to come up for sale will be offered by Bonhams at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 12.

13-06-17-2096NE02A Fragonard Bonhams.jpg

Major Fragonard portrait at Bonhams

17 June 2013

Bonhams have announced that they have secured potentially the most valuable lot among the works being sold from the Dr. Gustav Rau collection.

13-06-14-2096PV03A Cyril Power.jpg

Cyril Power leads Bloomsbury prints sale

14 June 2013

A rare linocut by Cyril Power (1874-1951) leads the sale of Modern & Contemporary prints at Bloomsbury Auctions in London on June 27.

13-06-14-2096AR01A chinese export bowl.jpg

Prosperity to the County of Cheshire: massive export bowl sells at £43,000

14 June 2013

Previously on loan to the Grosvenor Museum, Chester, this unusually large Jiaqing (1796-1820) period export porcelain punch bowl decorated with the Cholmondeley of Vale Royal coat of arms sold for £43,000 at nearby Saltney saleroom Byrne’s this week.

13--06-13-2096NE07A mellors kirk.jpg

Rare painting of occult magician takes £7500 in Nottingham

13 June 2013

A large depiction of a magician commanded significant attention at Mellors & Kirk’s sale in Nottingham earlier today.

13-06-10-2095NE02A Christopher Dresser kettle.jpg

A kettle to make scholars think again

10 June 2013

Is this Elkington kettle the earliest provable Christopher Dresser design for electroplated silver?

The £20m Persian carpet

10 June 2013

A sickle-leaf carpet from the William A. Clark collection has set a new auction record for a Persian carpet after selling for $30m (£20.5m) at Sotheby’s New York.

Auction credit card fraudsters jailed

10 June 2013

Three men who were responsible for a sophisticated credit card fraud which targeted auction houses across the country have now been sentenced.

13-06-07-2095NE03A Nikolai  Roerich Bonhams.jpg

£7m Madonna helps Russian art to reach a five-year high

07 June 2013

The latest series of Russian art auctions in London set a combined hammer total of £42.7m to make it the most lucrative since the market peaked in June 2008.

13-06-06-2095NE01A Bigwood auction.jpg

Victorian whalebone cane takes £27,000

06 June 2013

Warwickshire saleroom Bigwood of Teddington, Stratford-on-Avon sold this mid 19th century whalebone cane for an extraordinary £27,000 at their latest sale.

News

Categories