Law, crime and regulation

A previously lost tapestry, commissioned by Henry VIII for Hampton Court during the turmoil of the English Reformation, is a step closer to returning to the UK for public display.

New laws introduced under the Treasure Act take effect from July 30, in a bid for more antiquities finds to be bought by museums.

A group of drawings which helped develop the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew have been temporarily blocked from export in the hope a UK buyer can step in.

It’s no surprise that prices of Art Deco bronze and ivory figures have fallen sharply since US and UK laws on the sale of elephant ivory were tightened.

Thank you so much for taking notice of the plight of stallholders in London markets and fairs (ATG Nos 2599 & 2600).

A new auction record for netsuke – over three times the previous high – has been set in France.

Confidence in Simon Dickinson’s expertise is key to court decision

A spate of jewellery-related crimes was reported in the last month, sparking further concerns for those in the trade.

I have recently been visited in London by an American-based auctioneer who is looking for sporting paintings for his upcoming sales in Kentucky in the New Year.

In the July 1 edition (ATG No 2599) there is the sad case of the theft of £100,000 of jewellery and a letter from a dealer on a number of other thefts.

A Camden Passage jewellery dealer suffered a devastating loss of his entire stock after a theft from his stand at the London market.

Cotswold art gallery Trinity House Paintings is in administration.

Every year there are large and small robberies committed against members of the antiques trade. These vary from ‘opportunist’ thieving – a brooch, a bag, a candlestick – to much more extreme and planned attacks.