Latest News, Views & Insights

LATEST NEWS, MODERN BRITISH ART

"A Catastrophe I Didn’t Want to Avoid"

Exploring the life of Marie Françoise Gilot

Nearing her one hundredth birthday on 26^th November this year, Marie Françoise Gilot has lived a remarkable life from her decade-long love affair with Picasso in her early twenties, to becoming the talented painter and writer celebrated today.

23 September 2021

LATEST NEWS, PAINTINGS & SCULPTURE, MODERN BRITISH ART

Pictures Donated to Dog Welfare Charity Come to Auction

Sworders are to sell two artworks benefitting The Dogs Trust as part of the Modern and Contemporary sale on October 5

23 September 2021

20TH CENTURY ART & DESIGN, LATEST NEWS

Venini's Patchwork of Light

The Pezzato vase, one of the most iconic designs that Fulvio Bianconi created for Venini, comes to sale in our Design auction on 19-20 October

22 September 2021

LATEST NEWS, PAINTINGS & SCULPTURE, MODERN BRITISH ART

Discovering The Works of Elsie Marian Henderson (1880-1967)

Sworders Head of Pictures, Jane Oakley, describes the thrill of uncovering the work of an exceptional talent, Elsie Marian Henderson, Baroness de Coudenhove (1880-1967), whom before now, she knew so little about.

22 September 2021

20TH CENTURY ART & DESIGN, LATEST NEWS

Yorkshire Pride In Two British Classics

Two classic cars - a 1958 Jaguar XK150 drop-head coupe and a 1970 Mk 2 Morris Mini Cooper S - are to be auctioned in our October 19-20 Design sale.

22 September 2021

MODERN & CONTEMPORARY PRINTS, LATEST NEWS, MODERN BRITISH ART

Can You Help Curwen Reach Its Fundraising Target?

The Curwen Print Study Centre is an educational charity established in the late 1990s to ensure traditional handcrafted printmaking skills are protected for future generations.  £120,000 has been raised so far in its bid to move to new premises in early 2022. You can now make your mark and purchase an artwork to further aid the campaign.

21 September 2021

LATEST NEWS, BOOKS & MAPS

Mutiny On The Bounty

Items Once Owned By Lieutenant William Bligh

After becoming interested in the story of The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel HMS Bounty, John O’Conner began collecting artefacts on the subject, eventually owning some of Bligh’s most personal possessions. The collection will be sold as part of our Books and Maps timed auction in September

14 September 2021

20TH CENTURY ART & DESIGN, LATEST NEWS

The Lawrence Gatehouse Collection

Lawrie Gatehouse (1943 - 2020) was an avid collector of Art Deco and posters, drawn to the printed medium through his primary love of the golden age of steam and travel.  The main pieces of the collection now comes to sale in our auction of Design on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 October, other works from his collection will be sold in our Homes and Interiors sale on 21 September.

10 September 2021

LATEST NEWS, PAINTINGS & SCULPTURE, FINE INTERIORS

It's The Little Things in Life...

Our upcoming Fine Interiors auction offers a magnificent single owner collection of miniatures that pay testament to the passion of their collector whose interests ranged from the 16^th century to the early 19^th century, from portraits of Kings to glamorous women...

6 September 2021

LATEST NEWS, BOOKS & MAPS

School Textbooks Signed by Florence Nightingale Come to Auction

Six books inscribed by Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), the founder of modern nursing, are to be auctioned in a timed sale of Books and Maps next month. They are being sold by descendants of WJP Burton, the principal of a school sited in the Nightingale family home in Derbyshire, with expectations of £3000-5000.

31 August 2021

LATEST NEWS, FINE INTERIORS

Escape to Provence

The allure of Provence has long been an inspiration for artists and writers looking to enjoy its relaxed atmosphere and slower pace of life. Fortunately, our upcoming Fine Interiors auction is well-supplied with beautiful pieces that encapsulate this style and can inject a little Provencal magic into the home, wherever that may be.

24 August 2021

LATEST NEWS, FINE INTERIORS

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

Four settees from a suite of seat-furniture made for Raynham Hall, Norfolk, in the 1790s are to be offered for sale in our Fine Interiors auction on the 14-15 September.

24 August 2021

LATEST NEWS, FINE INTERIORS

Hot Property

A single-owner collection of fire badges, comprising examples from the mid-18th to the early 20th centuries, comes to sale at Sworders this September. 

24 August 2021

HOMES & INTERIORS, LATEST NEWS, MODERN BRITISH ART

Welcoming James Flower to Sworders

We are delighted to introduce the latest talent to join our team - James Flower - who comes on board to oversee valuations and consignments from our Hertford Office.

17 August 2021

HOMES & INTERIORS, LATEST NEWS

The Contents of Badynghams, Great Waltham

Our Homes and Interiors auction on Tuesday 24 August will include the contents of an historic Grade II listed property, Badynghams, set in the Essex village of Great Waltham, three miles north of Chelmsford and 50 miles from London.

12 August 2021

LATEST NEWS, FINE INTERIORS

Dr Livingstone, I presume

A section of wood taken from the mango tree where Henry Morton Stanley met Scottish explorer and missionary Dr David Livingstone in the town of Ujiji on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in 1871 comes to sale in our Fine Interiors auction on September 14-15.

10 August 2021

LATEST NEWS, PAINTINGS & SCULPTURE, MODERN BRITISH ART

The Art of Bloomsbury

While prices for many 20^th century artists – particularly those from the post-war era – have increased dramatically in the last 10-20 years, there has been a steady market for works by the Bloomsbury Group of artists, writers, and designers.

8 August 2021

LATEST NEWS, PAINTINGS & SCULPTURE, MODERN BRITISH ART

Holt Festival Art Prize Winners 2021

The winners of the Holt Festival Art Prizes, of which Sworders proudly sponsored two categories, were announced on Sunday 1 August.

4 August 2021

MODERN & CONTEMPORARY PRINTS, LATEST NEWS, PAINTINGS & SCULPTURE, MODERN BRITISH ART

Painting Life In Inter-War Berlin | Ernest Neuschul

Currently on offer in our Modern & Contemporary Timed auction, Ernest Neuschul’s Nude is a striking example of the artist’s figurative oeuvre.

28 July 2021

MODERN & CONTEMPORARY PRINTS, LATEST NEWS, PAINTINGS & SCULPTURE, MODERN BRITISH ART

Dining With An Artist | Pt. 2

Jane Oakley | Head of Paintings & Sculpture

We challenged our Picture Department to imagine what it would be like to spend an evening over dinner in the company of an artist of their choice. Next up, Head of Department - Jane Oakley

27 July 2021

LATEST NEWS, FINE INTERIORS

Charity Shop Find is Rare Theatre Souvenir of Artic Explorers  

A fairly unassuming playbill bought in an Epping charity shop for £5 sold for £4,750 in our auction of Fine Interiors on Wednesday 30 June after it was discovered to be a rare theatrical advertisement printed on the H.M.S Resolute during its Arctic expedition in the 1850s.

HOMES & INTERIORS

A Magic Surprise at Sworders 

A collapsible silk top hat - perfect for a Victorian night at the opera, or a 20th century magic trick - comes for sale on July 20.

MODERN & CONTEMPORARY PRINTS, LATEST NEWS, PAINTINGS & SCULPTURE, MODERN BRITISH ART

Dining With An Artist

Amy Scanlon | Head of Modern & Contemporary Art

We challenged our Picture Department to imagine what it would be like to spend an evening over dinner in the company of an artist of their choice. First up, Head of Modern and Contemporary Art - Amy Scanlon

MODERN BRITISH ART

Artworks from The Estate of Douglas 'Dougie' Gray

In our timed sale of Modern and Contemporary Art (Friday 16 July – Sunday 1 August) we offer a collection of artworks from the estate of the late Douglas ‘Dougie’ Gray (1929 - 2020)

JEWELLERY & WATCHES

A Private Jewellery Collection with a Royal Seal of Approval

In our auction of Fine Jewellery and Watches on Tuesday 27 July, we offer an impressive single owner private collection of high-end jewellery by Royal Warrant holders, Hamilton & Inches, 87 George Street, Edinburgh.

FINE WINE & PORT

Another Corker!

Fine Wine & Spirits Post Sale Review

Yet again, very little escaped the attention of discerning Fine Wine & Spirits buyers with our June sale boasting a 97% sold rate. Great prices were achieved across all sections of the sale and topped with a single owner collection of Chateau Latour selling for a combined total of £14,915.

JEWELLERY & WATCHES

The Unknown Jewellery Designer That Should Have Been Known

Jewellery buyers are offered the opportunity to purchase previously unseen unique pieces designed and made by Iris Oakes c.1970, in our auction of Fine Jewellery and Watches on Tuesday 27 July. Though undiscovered in the Jewellery world, Iris was a multi-talented craftswoman, with a wealth of accomplishments under her belt.

20TH CENTURY ART & DESIGN, MODERN & CONTEMPORARY PRINTS

Lill Tschudi’s Rhythms of Modern Life

Coming up in our auction of Design on the 13 & 14 July, we offer an energetic linocut from an exceptional Swiss artist associated with The Grosvenor School of Modern Art

JEWELLERY & WATCHES, SILVER

Navajo Jewellery | A Legacy of Silver and Stone

When a local private vendor approached us with a collection of Navajo Jewellery for inclusion in our forthcoming auction of Fine Jewellery and Watches, we felt compelled to delve deeper into the history of the craft…

LATEST NEWS

Sworders Delivery Update

When Sworders Delivery Service launched in February of this year, we were blown away with the uptake, but as with most service launches, it did not come without its challenges.