London

Consigned by the debt-ridden Delaware Museum of Art, Isabella and the Pot of Basil by William Holman Hunt (1827-1910) was the top lot of Christie’s sale of Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite and British Impressionist art in London last week.

The name Æthelberht and the title REX on an Anglo-Saxon penny just sold in London may provide a vital clue to a royal murder.

Westminster City Council will set out their detailed vision for protecting the art trade in Mayfair by the beginning of next year.

The earliest dated picture by the 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (1632-75), one of only two works by the artist left in private hands, will be a highlight of Christie’s Old Masters auction in London next month.

Culture Minister Ed Vaizey is to headline the first Art Business Conference, a new event scheduled for September 4 in London that will tackle key issues for trade professionals.

“They think it’s all over... it is now!”

A painting of a well-known location in Manchester by L.S. Lowry (1887-1976) led the latest sale of Modern & Post-War British Art at Sotheby’s.

The name’s Bond... Samantha Bond in fact, the actress famous from the James Bond films and countless other dramas such as ‘Downton Abbey’, who is special guest at a festival of music and antiques in London next weekend.

LAPADA has announced a new sponsor and charity partner for the LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair in Berkeley Square, London, from September 24-28.

While Sir John Soane’s labyrinthine central London treasure trove of a house is very well known, less familiar is his country home to the west of the city.

Despite the unhelpful backdrop of Ukraine politics and the threat of economic sanctions, the Russian art market continued on its mercurial journey in the first week of June. The characteristic patchy selling rates for the ‘Londongrad’ sales were accompanied by moments of remarkable competition.

Was this the ring of the Tiger of Mysore, taken from his body when he was killed in battle?

A rare example of 18th century Jamaican silver was a highlight of the latest decorative works of art sale held by Matthew Barton of Blythe Road, Olympia.

This Imperial Qianlong white jade ‘hinge-fitting’ achieved the highest price of the round of Asian sales held this month in London and the regions, selling for £410,000 at Bonhams New Bond Street.

A major new summer event aimed at attracting members of the public through the doors of Mayfair and St James’s galleries will launch on July 5 and 6.

A rare late-18th century George Adams Junior combined planetarium and tellurian that sold at Bonhams includes a reference to the ‘Georgian Planet’ engraved on the top plate. Today that planet is better known as Uranus, which was first observed by William Herschel on March 13, 1781, although he initially recorded it as a comet.

Harris Lindsay, the works of art specialists on Jermyn Street, are to welcome two dealerships, Cohen & Cohen and Michael Lipitch, through their doors on what could prove a permanent basis in June.

Thomas del Mar’s second sale of items from the John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection on May 7 included a number of related items, such as this 3ft 7in (1.1m) high panted limestone carving of St Eligius or Eloi, patron saint of horses and farriers.

It was sovereign territory at Baldwin’s once more earlier this month when they took £430,000 for an Edward VIII gold proof example dated 1937 and £320,000 for an Elizabeth II example dated 1953.

Appearing at the latest of the twice-yearly marine sales at Bonhams Knightsbridge was a painting by Charles Napier Hemy (1841-1917) which had local connections helping bring demand.