Auctions

This monumental English longcase clock sold in a Massachusetts auction is a remarkable exercise in antiquarianism.

Trudpert Schneider (1804-99), a Freiburg carpenter whose first brush with photography was to repair a broken box camera, is today deemed one of Germany’s most important daguerreotypists. The photographic firm he founded in 1847 continued under the management of his sons Heinrich and Wilhelm until 1921.

A luxurious watch with a British royal connection went under the hammer last month at Cortrie (20% buyer’s premium) in Hamburg.

This copy of Christopher Saxton’s 1578 map of Penbrok, or Pembrokeshire as it came later to be known, was offered in a Welsh Sale held by Rogers Jones (22% buyer’s premium) of Cardiff.

ATG’s selection of auction lots bought by internet bidders on thesaleroom.com from the period April 9-15, 2020. This includes both the highest prices over estimate and the top prices paid online.

Samuel Palmer (1805-81) prints are not unusual on the market but one of two that were offered as a single lot at Chorley’s (22.5% buyer’s premium) in Cheltenham carried an interesting inscription by the artist’s son, AH Palmer.

A selection of Items relating to the famous escapologist Harry Houdini feature prominently among the potential highlights in the latest Potter & Potter Magic Auction to be live streamed from its gallery in Chicago on May 2.

In May 1875 the British Arctic Expedition under the command of George Nares (1831-1915) set off on a mission to reach the North Pole via the unchartered ‘open polar sea’.

'Portrait of a Young Girl with a Cigarette' was a high-flyer in a sale at Wendl (21% buyer’s premium) in Rudolstadt held before open auctions were prohibited by the German authorities.

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from April 22-May 1, 2020. All sales are now held online due to the coronavirus alert.

One of the strongest performers in a large, mixed-discipline online-only sale held by Cottone ( 18% buyer’s premium) in Geneseo, New York, was this classical marble statue of a young boy on a carved stone plinth which had the bonus of a late-19th century provenance.

Richard Edmonds (20% buyer’s premium) in Chippenham, Wiltshire, has sold some very rare British petrol pump globes in the past year – including a globe for the little-known brand Dominion (£13,000 in November).

Contents of Palladian home in County Durham provide showpiece auction in Newbury

The bohemian lives of the Bloomsbury Group of artists have long been a source of fascination for the British public.

Three modestly valued works selling at regional sales including a Brangwyn and Urushibara woodcut

Compiled by Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey of Thirkleby Park in North Yorkshire, an illustrated manuscript on archery dating from the opening years of the last century has sold for £2600. It was part of a sale held in Leyburn by Tennants (20% buyer’s premium).

The auction calendar has been much changed by Covid-19 restrictions. However, as indicated by these lots offered for sale in April, some UK auction houses continue to transact behind closed doors holding ‘live online’ sales with bids taken via bidding platforms such as thesaleroom.com or over the phone.

Among the most successful printing projects marking the Napoleonic Wars were the series of aquatints by Thomas Sutherland (1785-1838) after watercolours by the young William Heath (c.1795-1840) titled The Martial Achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799 to 1815.