UK

The United Kingdom accounts for more than one fifth of the global art market sales and is the second biggest art market after the US.

Through auctioneers, dealers, fairs and markets - and a burgeoning online sector - buyers, collectors and sellers of art and antiques can easily access a vibrant network of intermediaries and events around the country. The UK's museums also house a wealth of impressive collections

Harry Potter 1St Edition Paperback Front

Soft cover Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone bought for £3.50 in 1997 now hammers at £6600 in auction

11 September 2024

The bad news if you have a first edition of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone' in soft covers is that they are not as rare as the hardback version which numbered 500 copies.

carved giltwood horse

Rare fairground memorabilia gallops ahead at London auction

11 September 2024

On entering an Edwardian fairground, the sheer size and scale of the ornately carved ‘bioscope’ show front would stop an observer in their tracks.

The Flying Scotsman by Terence Cuneo

Major collection of Terence Cuneo and Ruskin Spear pictures consigned to Sworders

10 September 2024

What promises to be a market-defining sale for two well-known Modern British artists will be held in Essex this autumn.

2660NE Frederic Leighton, Bay Of Cadiz Moonlight, C. 1866

Leighton auction purchase lights up exhibition at museum dedicated to the artist

10 September 2024

Frederic Leighton’s 'Bay of Cádiz, Moonlight' will go on public display for the first time in 120 years at the artist’s former home after being bought at auction this summer.

Douglas

Collection of founder member of the Scottish Military Collectors Historical Society comes to auction

09 September 2024

This week Anderson & Garland is offering for sale the private collection of militaria and weapons belonging to Douglas Napier Anderson (b.1927).

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Big three auction houses to host Asian Art in London dealer shows

09 September 2024

For the first time London’s three major auction houses will host commercial dealer and gallery exhibitions as part of Asian Art in London (AAL).

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Spoons are thought to be Glasgow goldsmith’s only survivors

09 September 2024

A set of six rare Scottish provincial silver trefid spoons dating from c.1686 were not only among the earliest Glasgow-made spoons recorded, but also appeared to be the only extant work by the goldsmith George Luke.

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Gutenberg Bible leaf priced at six figures

09 September 2024

Bayliss Rare Books is offering a fine leaf from the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with moveable type. The leaf in question is the end of Chapter 45 through to the beginning of Chapter 48 of Isaiah (45:6-48:6).

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Brooke boost: new auction benchmarks

09 September 2024

Prices are on the rise for Yorkshire-born painter Anne Brooke (1916-2002).

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18th century view of London by Irish female artist flies to over 30 times estimate

09 September 2024

The only known painting of London by an 18th century Irish female artist came for sale in Salisbury earlier this month.

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Quality counts in Cornwall

09 September 2024

An example of how a high-end fair can work very well in areas where such events are completely unknown is the biannual Enys House Antiques Fair at Penryn in west Cornwall.

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Roman bust thought to be an emperor stands out at auction

09 September 2024

Encouraging results of two-day sale in Colchester suggests the traditional quiet period provides good selling opportunities

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Bidders sense the feel of Vincennes in a fine floral display

09 September 2024

An attractive lot catalogued as “a fine and rare pair of 18th century European porcelain flower pots probably Meissen or Sèvres … with porcelain flowers. 7in (17 cm) high” appeared at Hampshire saleroom Hannam’s (23% buyer’s premium) on August 20.

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Duo launch Sheffield staging

09 September 2024

Ian and Grahame Wilson of long-running Newcomen Fairs are expanding their events which are held in the Elsecar Heritage Centre, a range of restored Victorian buildings near Barnsley where they also own the 120-dealer Elsecar Antiques Centre.

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Handy way to carry a rubber duck in style

09 September 2024

A single-owner collection of 37 pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage formed part of Sworders’ (25% buyer’s premium) Design sale.

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Art fair puts Barns-Graham in freeze focus for a showcase

09 September 2024

Modern British trailblazer’s works inspired by a Swiss glacier form centrepiece of event exhibition

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Gude tidings from East Anglia as Norwegian landscape work delights

09 September 2024

Tyrolean view by the renowned 19th century Norwegian landscape painter emerges in Essex saleroom

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Nansen broke the ice for a first UK appearance

09 September 2024

A remarkable late Victorian lecture programme on early polar exploration by the Norwegian scientist Dr Fridtjof Nansen has been sold at Chaucer Auctions (18% buyer’s premium) in Folkestone.

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Organiser of specialist glass fair on the lookout for venues to add to West Midlands location

09 September 2024

A mindful quote about glass from the great American writer Tennessee Williams comes in his one-act drama The Glass Menagerie which premiered on stage in Chicago in 1944: “When you look at a piece of delicately spun glass you think of two things: how beautiful it is and how easily it can be broken.”

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Monty Python’s buying circus - English literary landmarks collected by the late Terry Jones

09 September 2024

Dozen books including literary trailblazers come to auction from collection of actor and historian Terry Jones

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