JAPAN ART EXPO: Japanese Swords, Art & Culture – June 2023Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Unseen Truths Through a Friend’s EyesArt With A Bite: CoBrA Sale Returns To Bonhams AuctionExclusive Interview with Dave Vescio – Part 2: Death, Darkness, Light!
Maurice Leloir’s Four Historical Scenes Sell for €128,600 at BonhamsJacob Jordaens’s Portrait of His Wife Sells for €154,200 at BonhamsRenaissance Portrait Attributed to Conrad Faber Sells for €295,000 at BonhamsJodi the Nanotyrannus Sells for US$47.3 Million at Sotheby’sQianlong Emperor’s Jewel-Encrusted Gold Ewer Sells for US$7.11 Million at Christie’sHockney’s €282,200 Print Leads Warhol and Banksy in €1.06 Million Bonhams SaleMV Agusta Sells for $1.3 Million, Setting an Italian Motorcycle Auction RecordEnigma Machine Sells for £203,600 at Bonhams: Inside the 1941 Cipher DeviceUzo Egonu’s Will Knowledge Safeguard Freedom I Sets Auction Record at £198,900Yusuf Grillo’s One Man Band Sets Artist Auction Record at £461,300Ben Enwonwu’s Anyanwu Sells for £602,100, Setting a Sculpture Record at BonhamsRare Gandhi Portrait Achieves £152,800, Tripling Its EstimateBanksy’s British Cool Mickey Snake Triumphs at Bonhams, Selling for £330,600Whistler’s First Portrait Commission Sells for Five Times Estimate, Fetching $495,000Bridget Riley Stuns Art World as Myrrh Soars to $2.36M at Bonhams

European History

Simonetta Vespucci Restores the Identity of Botticelli’s Lost Altarpiece

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Detail of the San Leo Altarpiece

After more than four years of meticulous restoration, a long-overlooked Renaissance altarpiece has reemerged in stunning detail—now believed by experts to be the work of none other than Sandro Botticelli. Hidden beneath centuries of retouching and misattribution, the Madonna Enthroned with Child among Saints from San Leo is captivating art historians with its unmistakable style and mysterious past. One scholar even suggests the flanking saints may once have been portraits of Pico della Mirandola and Poliziano. The full story uncovers how this masterpiece journeyed through time, hands, and ideologies—only to be seen anew today.

Rare 15th Century Astrolabe Fetches Over $600,000 Doubling Pre-Sale Expectations

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15th-century astrolabe with an engraved circular scale, openwork center and suspension ring against black fabric.

In a surprising turn of events at Bonhams’ Important Instruments of Science and Technology Sale in London on April 24th, a remarkably rare 15th-century astrolabe soared past its pre-sale estimate, fetching an impressive £508,400 ($635,000). Jon Baddeley, a specialist at Bonhams, expressed his astonishment at the outcome, stating, “This is one of the strongest results we’ve seen at auction at Bonhams Knightsbridge in the past decade.” Describing the astrolabe as an “early smartphone of sorts,” Baddeley emphasized its multifaceted utility, noting its significance in timekeeping, navigation, celestial observation, and even decision-making.

Why Soviet Firearms are a Great Investment – Part 1: The SKS

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SKS rifle on a white background with the words ‘THE SKS’.

Despite its relatively short term as the Soviet Union’s main battle rifle, this has not diminished the SKS rifle’s presence on the global market as an increasingly sought-after firearm that is both highly collectible and investible. There are in fact numerous reasons for this. The most readily apparent is the historical aspect. There is of course the SKS rifle’s iconic status as a classic WWII and Cold War era firearm of the Soviet Union. There is also its extensive use by other countries across numerous conflicts throughout history, including the Chinese Civil War and the Vietnam War. To this day, the SKS remains in active, secondary, and ceremonial use across the world.