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There seems to be a lot of rummaging going on amongst the aristocracy of Britain. The latest aristocrat to head for the attic is (more…)
Fabulous works of art, art objects, porcelain and antique furniture belonging to the Spencer family will be going under the hammer on July 6th, 7th and 8th in London.
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The skull of a 65 million year old dinosaur was on sale this weekend.
On becoming a collector of antiques and antiquities, a whole new world of the unexpected will open itself up before you. The Victorians were certainly renowned for collecting the bizarre and displaying them in any number of antique cabinets and occasional tables that were littered around sitting rooms and drawing rooms of the period.
However, even the Victorians would be hard pressed to display the head of (more…)
Although there may seem to be a general cooling by the big spenders in the art market in China because of falling world stock prices, according to Andy Xie an independent economist from Shanghai, an article by Le-Min Lim writing for Bloomberg recently reported on a Hong Kong auction of the very finest Chinese imperial art and antiques that is set to be some of the finest ever seen in the city.
The worry that art and antique prices would remain high in a recession, according to Xie, is unrealistic where he says that: ‘they move in the same direction’ as property and stock prices. However Christie’s, who host the auction, will try to tempt wealthy Chinese to the auction to buy some of the precious items on offer.
An auction regular, Mr Wu, says this is set to be one of the best auctions of fine art and antiques in Hong Kong. Chinese gilt bronze figures and paintings, plus an Andy Warhol painting of Mao Zedong, are expected to fetch high prices. The painting alone is (more…)
Despite the credit crunch and a downturn in the antique furniture market, there is still plenty of business being done. Everyone likes to think that they are getting a bargain, and buying antiques is no exception.
In a depressed market, where 50% off the price of antiques compares very favourably with a 20-30% downturn in the housing market, investors should certainly be buying plenty of antique furniture. A good reduction in the price means that everyone benefits. At auction, fewer bidders means less competition, with less people taking part and more competitive prices as a result. However, when attending the (more…)
Unfortunately it is often the elderly and vulnerable that become the focus of burglars. William Leigh, of Chorley, was sentenced to five years in prison in April at Preston Crown Court for a series of burglaries where he targeted the elderly in Lancashire.
Leigh took his opportunities when people were out of their homes on holiday or in hospital. He would check out alarm systems so as to successfully bypass them and would steal heirlooms and antiques which he would then pass on at local auction houses in the locality.
Although not hugely valuable, Leigh was quite discerning in what he took. At a property in Horwich he stole a grandfather clock, a barometer, some candlesticks and other bits and pieces valued at £2,330. At another home in (more…)
According to a recent article from The Times Online, antiques sales have dropped by 21% in 2009 as a direct result of the credit crisis. It has also been a difficult year for antique furniture, with prices dropping by as much as 7%. However, the industry is starting to fight back.
London, regarded as the trading centre for the top end antiques market, is set to see the launch of some international antiques fairs this year. An antiques industry commentator, Ivan Macquisten of Antiques Trade Gazette, said:
‘There is scope for more (fairs) to come in. Whether they will all do well is another matter.’
It was the sale of an Eileen Gray art deco chair in Paris, from the estate of Yves Saint Laurent, that bucked the trend back in February last year where a bidder paid a record £19m for the antique chair. However, this was a high point in (more…)
Eighteenth century period ‘Chippendale style’ furniture is highly prized in America and pieces have fetched phenomenal prices at auction. Even as early as the 1930s, a tea table made by John Goddard of Newport, Rhode Island (1723/4-85), was sold for $29,000, a huge sum in its day when generally period American pieces rarely superseded $4,000. More recently in 1986, a Cadwalader suite easy chair sold for $2,750,000 which was eventually superseded in 1989 by a Newport secretary-desk which reached the staggering figure of $12,100,000. Prices have settled since, although good pieces generally still fetch many thousands of pounds.
Although American Chippendale fetches very high prices at auction, the condition has to be perfect. Also because they are so valued, there are many fakes around. Although some may consider a new leg to be restoration rather than a fake, on an American piece it can reduce the hammer price from an estimated $150,000 to only $20,000. Thus many dealers are asked to guarantee condition on sale.
For the discerning purchaser it is all about rarity, condition and a good provenance. A period surface and a good grain show age and quality, and a rare design pushes the price up. While having a good provenance is ideal however, a good piece of (more…)
Judith Miller, antiques aficionado, writing in the Daily Telegraph recently waxed lyrical about the collection sale. To her, a lifetime of collecting and collectibles of one individual, or generations of a particular family, make the perfect auction. Whatever the reason for the sale, whether death, taxes or just to raise some money, a collection sale held in the house where antique furniture, art and artefacts were once housed, known as ‘house sales’ in the trade, she recalls as being some of the most atmospheric.
Often, she says, it is the cult of celebrity that can draw people in, and quotes iconic examples such as Yves Saint Laurent and Rudolph Nureyev where both had high profile lives and were known for their exquisite taste. The Yves Saint Laurent collection sale fetched £330 million. However, for her the most famous collection sale was (more…)
Anything to do with Princess Diana is always newsworthy, and as such the sale of paintings and antiques from her childhood home of Althorp in Northamptonshire is bound to create some interest. The proceeds of the sale are to go towards the upkeep of Althorp, which in recent years, since the Princess’s death, has almost become a shrine to her memory. £10million will go on roof repairs to the house, plus money for some other necessary renovations.
The items to be sold include a picture by Rubens, worth approximately £12million, and another by Il Guercino worth nearly £8million, plus family antique furniture and other items which are to be sold over three auctions, beginning on the Old Masters sale on the 6th July. The sales are expected to fetch around £20million in total.
Auctioneers at Christies are working their way through this historic house’s rooms, cellars and stables in order to uncover items for the approaching sales. They are confident that the resultant auctions will provide collectors with a fabulous (more…)
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