Art and Antiques

My Favourite Painting: James O'Donnell

A painting which was inspired by the best-selling novel Ben Hur — and which went on to inspire the famous 1959 film — is the choice of James O'Donnell after his chance encounter one afternoon.

Quentin Blake: 'Even in the age of the iPad and the smart phone, books offer things that they cannot'

Sir Quentin Blake reveals the inspiration behind his new exhibition, ‘Anthology of Readers’, in which he affectionately caricatures the bookish among us.

My Favourite Painting: Robert Dalrymple

'Our West Highland terrier stood in for the cat; Anna put on a big hat, but, to my regret, I never got round to buying a spotty dressing gown.'

Curious Questions: Have you been taking books off shelves the wrong way for your entire life?

The question of how to take a book off a shelf without damaging it may not be one you've ever given much thought to — but you owe it to your collection to do it the right way.

In Focus: Photography's first-ever selfie, as taken by one of Yorkshire's greatest ever inventors

A Yorkshire scientist by the name of Washington Teasdale took a picture which is generally thought to be the first 'selfie' in the history of photography. Toby Keel takes a closer look.

My Favourite Painting: Courtney Love

Courtney Love chooses the Chi Rho page from The Book of Kells.

Beyond Pinterest: The best ways to ensure your lovely objects aren't exactly the same as everyone else's

Giles Kime asks whether the the ‘digital pop up’ the answer to the homogeneous home.

In Focus: The Magritte painting that plays with fiction, reality... and unpredictable weather

Lilias Wigan takes a look at Le Temps Menaçant, a work created by René Magritte while he stayed with Salvador Dalí.

My Favourite Painting: Fergus Henderson

'There should be one point of simple, enticing clarity – a pickled walnut, perhaps, which is what I most strongly associate with this image – that compels you to dive in. Come! Commune with the pickled walnut!'

In Focus: How a painting discovered in a rural French kitchen came to sell for £20 million

The discovery — and subsequent auction — of a painting by Cimabue hit the headlines recently, but who is this little-known Italian painter? And why was this painting deemed quite so important? Country Life's art expert Huon Mallalieu explains.

My Favourite Painting: The Marquess of Cholmondeley

'It’s an image of great tenderness; Gainsborough painting for himself and his adored wife, not for a rich patron.'

Botticelli 'copy' in a Welsh museum turns out to be the real thing worth tens of millions

For years, a work thought to be in the style of Sandro Botticelli languished in a museum storeroom. But since the removal of the ham-fisted efforts of a previous dealer or restorer has shown that the painting is the real thing.

My Favourite Painting: Nigel Havers

In Focus: A self-portrait by Gaugin which fuses the real and the imaginary in a picture of narcissism and divine comparison

Lilias Wigan analyses Gaugin's 'Christ in the Garden of Olives', commenting on the painter's propensity to focus on himself, understanding the world purely as it could be viewed through his own eyes.

My Favourite Painting: Daniel Crane

In Focus: The giant, ephemeral artwork that came and went in a single day at Houghton Hall

Richard Woods' massive Estate installation graced the grounds of the Marquess of Cholmondeley's home for less than a day.

In Focus: The beauty of William Hogarth's 'Progress' Series, from his engraving skill to his story-telling gymnastics

Philippa Stockley revels in the humour, perspicacity and story-telling that radiate from Hogarth’s ‘Progress’ series.

London's 2019 Winter Arts & Antiques Fair promises treasures untold

Featuring more than 20,000 pieces by some of London's top dealers, including works by masters such as Lalique, Matisse, Meissen, Cartier and Boucheron, the Winter Art & Antiques Fair is a key event in November calendar.

Police baffled as thieves steal artwork from city street in centre of Bath

A large installation by textile artist Alison Harper, which aims to raise awareness of air pollution and urge people to switch to greener transport, was taken from a Bath Street in a mystery theft that some think may have been politically motivated

My Favourite Painting: Nicola Kalinsky