Displaying items by tag: valuable

It was the most valuable piece of artwork ever identified in the 36-year history of the Antiques Roadshow.

But the triumph of discovering a rare 17th-century Van Dyck painting was deflated last night after the work failed to sell at auction.

Fiona Bruce, the show's presenter, first spotted the oil painting in December last year and had a hunch it could be a genuine piece by the Flemish artist. After restoration work the painting, called "Head Study of a Man in a Ruff," was verified by a leading authority on Van Dyck.

Christie’s London will offer a Rococo coffee-pot by Paul de Lamerie (1688-1751), the most celebrated British silversmith of the 18^th century, as part of its Exceptional Sale on July 4, 2013. The George II silver coffee-pot, which was commissioned in 1738 by a wealthy London-based merchant, is expected to become the most valuable piece of English silver ever to be sold at auction. The masterpiece was recently the highlight of a British silver exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Lamerie, who began his career in 1703 as an apprentice to the London goldsmith, Pierre Platel (1659-1739), opened his own workshop in 1713 and was soon appointed goldsmith to George I. His work evolved from simple Queen Anne styles to classical French designs, but his ornate Rococo works of the 1730s are his most admired pieces. Lamerie’s illustrious clientele included Sir Robert Walpole, King John V of Portugal, and Queen Elizabeth II, who he made a wedding gift for.

The coffee-pot heading to auction in July is expected to garner approximately $4.5 million.