2016

The Sotheby’s Hong Kong Spring series of sales closed today chalking up a total of HK$502.8m/USD$64.5m/GB£242.3m.

Christie’s Paris are to sell two figures of mourners as part of their European Sculpture and Works of Art sale on June 15.

Made under the watchful eye of the third Qing emperor, a porcelain vase valued at just £12-15 in the 1950s is expected to bring over £20,000 when it is sold at auction on April 27-28.

Sotheby’s has announced the appointment of two new co-European chairmen as well as the establishment of a new strategy board which is set to drive growth.

London dealer Frank Partridge has opened a new shop in Knightsbridge specialising in 18th century French and English furniture and works of art.

The prosecution in the trial of the Cols Rouges – the erstwhile portering staff at Hôtel Drouot, the communal saleroom facility used by most Paris auctioneers – have called for prison sentences of up to five years and fines of €250,000 for those found guilty of theft and criminal conspiracy.

The man himself may have disappeared in 1974 but a series of cheques showing Lord Lucan’s spiralling gambling debts have now emerged and will be offered at auction later this month.

An important collection of early chess pieces will be offered as part of Sotheby’s Islamic sale in London on April 20.

John Wood the Elder’s (1704-54) set of drawing instruments were offered at Clevedon Auction Rooms earlier this month and were bought by the Bath Preservation Trust for £21,000.

An important drawing by Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) that changed hands in a major private sale has been temporarily stopped from leaving the UK.

The 20/21 British Art Fair will be relaunched next summer at the newly refurbished Mall Galleries in St James’s.

London-based Criterion Auctioneers are to launch quarterly auctions in Wiltshire, targeting high-value consignments from around the UK.

Following the death of print dealer Justin Skrebowski, 52,000 people have now signed a petition launched by his widow, Gulsen Alkan, to make knife sales safer.

The 29th staging of TEFAF Maastricht will go down as a good edition of the fair with dealers reporting decent sales overall and the changes made for this year’s event meeting general approval among the standholders.

Police have arrested a third man in connection with the death of antique silver dealer Robyn Mercer.

An Eric Ravilious (1903-42) watercolour has emerged at Sworders of Essex and will be among the star lots at their first dedicated Modern British Art sale next month.

Catalogued as white metal, with no hallmarks, a snuff box included in the silver section at Adam Partridge’s recent sale at Macclesfield caused a stir. The mark it did have was that of the great Huguenot maker, David Willaume.

Tributes have been paid to Robyn Mercer, the antique silver dealer who was found dead at her home in West Molesey, Surrey last week.

ATG reporter Frances Allitt took her first trip to TEFAF Maastricht and, as well as witnessing the colour, excitement and love for art and objects that pervade the fair, she also learned some valuable lessons from dealers and visitors.

A previously unrecorded copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio has emerged at Christie’s. Estimated at £800,000-1.2m, it will lead a specially-staged auction in May comprising just four lots – a copy of each of the first four Shakespeare folios.