Antiques & Collecting
Features on Britain's antiques market, what people are buying and why, and how to collect items of historical significance, from the experts at Country Life.
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The world’s most iconic handbag could be on your arm40 years after its conception, the original Hermès ‘Birkin’ bag, owned by the OG It Girl Jane Birkin, is going up for auction with Sotheby’s on July 10.
By Lotte Brundle Published
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A five minute guide to the new V&A East Storehouse’s treasuresSamurai swords and 350,000 books are just some of the curios in the new Victoria & Albert storehouse in Stratford, London, which is now open to the public.
By Carla Passino Published
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Young at art: Meet the new generation of Young British ArtistsAs British contemporary art beats all odds to remain a cauldron of inventiveness and passion, Carla Passino discovers which artists aged 40 or under are on the radar of forward-looking museum directors and curators
By Carla Passino Published
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What the Dickens! Celebrate 100 years of the Charles Dickens Museum alongside the great novelist's familyTo mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Charles Dickens Museum, a number of the author’s descendants will give talks and readings.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Wigs, Weddings, Powder and Palaces: Live out your Bridgerton fantasies at the Old Royal Naval College in LondonThe Greenwich attraction, which is where Colin and Penelope's wedding in the Netflix series was filmed, is celebrating 100 years of being used as a film and TV set with a period drama-themed tour.
By Lotte Brundle Published
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You're all invited to Cecil Beaton's Garden Party'The space given over to 'Cecil Beaton’s Garden Party' at the Garden Museum is smaller than Beaton’s own drawing room, but its intimacy is its trump card.'
By Charlotte Mullins Published
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A woolly mammoth skeleton is among the curiosities for sale to save fire-ravaged Parnham ParkThe auction of the owner James Perkins' collection, hosted by Dreweatts, tomorrow (May 13), will be used to fund renovation works at Parnham Park in Dorset.
By Lotte Brundle Published
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Kermit the frog, a silver-horned goat and Charles III’s 69ft-long coronation record star in a groundbreaking exhibition‘Happy & Glorious’, at the The National Archives in Kew, captures the spirit of the King’s coronation with works by eight contemporary artists alongside the official roll of the day — and that of Edward II’s crowning in 1308.
By Carla Passino Published
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A new rose named after The Princess of Wales highlights our near-universal obsession with the flowerNo flower is more entwined with myth, religion, politics and the human form than the humble rose.
By Amy de la Haye Last updated
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Sell your valuables with ease with The Antique Buying CollectiveSponsored by The Antique Buying Collective
The Antique Buying Collective treats gold and silver as heirlooms, not scrap. From Victorian brooches to Georgian silverware, each piece is appraised for its history, craftsmanship .and charm, then thoughtfully rehomed through a trusted network. It’s a respectful approach, giving fine antiques the second life they so richly deserve
By Country Life Published
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'Tate Modern has exploded the canon of art history, and transformed the public’s relationship with contemporary art'Artwork by Louise Bourgeois and Salvador Dali, among others, will be on display for the Tate Modern gallery's 25th Birthday Weekender event.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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Athena: We need to get serious about saving our museumsThe government announced that museums ‘can now apply for £20 million of funding to invest in their future’ last week. But will this be enough?
By Country Life Published
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Folio, Folio, wherefore art thou Folio? Shakespeare set to be auctioned by Sotheby'sFour Folios will be auctioned in London on May 23, with an estimate of £3.5–£4.5 million for 'the most significant publication in the history of English literature'.
By Lotte Brundle Published
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These are J. M. W Turner's 11 best paintings, as chosen by Britain's top curators, art historians and creative mindsCold moonlight, golden sunset and shimmering waters are only three reasons to love Turner. On the 250th anniversary of his birth, curators, art historians and other creative minds reveal which of his paintings they’d hang on their walls and why.
By Carla Passino Published
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Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style: A whistle-stop history, from the Roman Baths to Hampstead HeathEmma Hughes dives into swimming's hidden depths at the Design Museum's exhibit in London.
By Emma Hughes Published
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From Vinted to Velázquez: The younger generations' appetite for antiques and Old MastersThe younger generations’ appetite for everything vintage bodes well for the future, says Huon Mallalieu, at a time when an extraordinary Old Masters collection is about to go under the hammer.
By Huon Mallalieu Published
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The five minute guide to 'The Great Gatsby', a century on from its publication'The Great Gatsby' sold poorly the year it was published, but, in the following century, it went on to become a cornerstone of world literature.
By Carla Passino Published
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Why LOEWE decided to reimagine the teapot, 25 great designs overLoewe has commissioned 25 world-leading artists to design a teapot, in time for Salone del Mobile.
By Amie Elizabeth White Published
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The brilliant Bugattis: Sculpture, silverware, furniture and the fastest cars in the worldA new exhibition at this year's Treasure House Fair will shine a light on the many talents of the Bugatti dynasty.
By James Fisher Published
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Holding pattern: The enduring influence of William Morris on film, fashion and designA new exhibition at Walthamstow’s William Morris Gallery traces the legacy of the Arts & Crafts designer on everything from boots to cinema and even a Japanese waving cat.
By Carla Passino Published
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A 24-carat coin just sold for £20,000 — and the gold came from the same Welsh mine as the Royal Family's wedding ringsThe Welsh gold mine synonymous with select members of the Royal Family are auctioning off three 24-carat gold coins.
By Rosie Paterson Last updated


