Front Page and News

The latest Specialist Collectors’ Sale at Cuttlestones in Wolverhampton included a little bit of 20th century ceramics history.

One of the last Georges de la Tour (1593-1652) paintings in private hands was sold by Cologne auction house Lempertz on December 8.

The government plans to change the official definition of treasure to cover all important archaeological finds – not just those that are more than 300 years old and made of a precious metal.

Organisers of indoor art and antiques fairs continue to make alternative plans for the first half of next year.

A celadon vase to a celebrated ‘double-dragon’ form has sold for €1.2m (£1.1m) – a record for Chinese art in Ireland. The 20½in (52cm) vase with a Yongzheng (1722-35) six-character mark was estimated at just €800-1200 at Sheppard’s in Durrow, Co Laois.

A Unesco campaign aimed at increasing public awareness of looted art is threatening to backfire after it emerged the ‘stories’ told in its adverts were fabricated.

Christie’s is moving its Asian art sales from London to Paris and Hong Kong from next year.

Like many grand country estates, the 17th century Grade I-listed Palladian house Aynhoe Park, seat of the Cartwright family until 1959, endured a 20th century decline.

The art and antiques sector breathed a sigh of relief with the news that shops and centres, auction houses, markets and some fairs can reopen in England from December 2.

Estimated at £6000-8000, an Anglo-Saxon bronze gaming piece – a metal-detecting find for the consignor – sold for £95,000 (plus premium) at the latest auction at TimeLine in Harwich, Essex.

London studio pottery specialist Maak achieved a record £200,000 (plus 20% buyer’s premium) for this vessel by Magdalene Odundo (b.1950).

A total of £9.23m was raised from the latest dedicated sales of Modern British art at Sotheby’s and Bonhams in London.

Memorabilia relating to two members of a pioneering elite group of female pilots in the Second World War is coming up at two salerooms this month.

A missing Martinware bird has been recovered more than 15 years after it was stolen from Southall Library in Ealing, west London.

David Sear, author of Roman Coins and their Values, called it “among the most exciting numismatic discoveries of the 21st century, if not of all time”.

Sworders is offering an oil sketch of the Suffolk countryside by John Constable (1776-1837) which was previously dismissed as a copy by a leading London auction house.

Event organiser IACF has scheduled new dates for the next Newark Antiques and Collectors’ Market. It will now take place on Thursday-Friday, December 10-11 (moved back one week from December 3-4).