Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Buyer hunts down a record Dunhill lighter
11 May 2024Chiswick Auctions has nudged forward its own record for an Alfred Dunhill Aquarium table lighter.
A Magritte sketch is among five lots to watch
06 May 2024With estimates from £380, here are five previews of upcoming items.
Asian Art previews
06 May 2024While the market-defining sales of Asian works of art are now held in New York and Hong Kong, the UK still holds its own.
On the hunt for a record-breaking Dunhill Aquarium lighter
02 May 2024Chiswick Auctions has nudged forward its own record for an Alfred Dunhill Aquarium table lighter.
Shahmoon family Giambologna bronzes sell at over 400 times estimate
01 May 2024Casts of two well-known Mannerist bronzes raced to 400 times their estimate at an online sale conducted by a New York auction house last month.
Group of prime period De Morgan tiles take close to six-figure sum at auction
29 April 2024The Art & Design post 1880 sale at Duke’s in Dorchester on April 25 included 44 lots of William De Morgan tiles consigned by descendants of Arthur James Balfour (1848-1930), Earl of Balfour and prime minister from 1902-05. He is understood to have bought them directly from De Morgan in Fulham.
Lover’s eye miniature is among five lots to watch
29 April 2024With estimates from £200, here are five previews of items coming up at auction this week.
Beautiful binding boosts Nisbet's Holy Land book
29 April 2024First published by James Nisbet in 1858, 'Lays of the Holy Land from ancient and modern Poets' comprises verse from a range of authors together with black and white Illustrations from Victorian artists including Myles Birket Foster, John Everett Millais and Thomas Seddon.
Uncle Sam joins the world as influential timeline gets an update
29 April 2024'A New Chart of History' by the British chemist and natural philosopher Joseph Priestley is considered one of the most influential timelines published in the 18th century.
New Zealand welcomes the Great White Fleet
29 April 2024An auction of traditional European decorative arts at Sotheby’s New York (20/10% buyer’s premium) on April 16 included this New Zealand Arts & Crafts presentation casket.
Scientist’s microscopes go under a bidding inspection
29 April 2024A collection of microscopes and other antique scientific instruments from the estate of Ohio scientist John A Davidson Jr (1939-2023) came for sale at Gray’s Auctioneers (20% buyer’s premium) on April 17.
Scarce medieval stained glass now sought after
29 April 2024The March 14 sale at Willow Auction House (25% buyer’s premium) in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, included a New York private collection of leaded and stained-glass panels.
Death sentence for king's mistress proves popular
29 April 2024Warrant for Madame du Barry, mistress of Louis XV, sells well eight years after last auction appearance
Nelson left Emma an expensive legacy
29 April 2024The so-called Horatia service – named after the daughter of Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton – is among the best documented commissions from the Chamberlain’s factory.
Satyrs and nymphs back at Billingshurst
29 April 2024The first auctions of the year at Summers Place Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) in Billingshurst – a live event on March 26 and a sealed bids sale on March 27 – included this pair of rare Portland stone groups of a nymph and satyr by Charles Sargeant Jagger (1885-1934).
Mercedes-Benz tools make $8000 on their own
29 April 2024As an original Mercedes-Benz 300SL now costs something north of $1m, it is perhaps no surprise to learn that original accessories associated with the Flügeltürer are eagerly sought.
Collector gripped by Classical Greek pottery appeal
29 April 2024Among the highlights of Sworders’ (25% buyer’s premium) Fine Interiors sale was a collection of antiquities formed by the late Sir Clinton Charles Donald Cory (1937-2022), 5th Baronet of Coryton.
Tureen dished out the delicacy of turtle soup
29 April 2024Turtle soup, which first became a delicacy on European tables with the emergence of the West Indies trade in the 18th century, was hugely popular among the elite of American society at the turn of the 20th century.
