Emma Crichton-Miller is a freelance journalist and an Apollo columnist

Lustre for life – the Huguenot refugees whose silver still shines

Fleeing persecution in France, thousands of Protestant silversmiths set up shop around Europe – and London attracted many of the most skilful

15 Mar 2024

For collectors, Chinese silk never goes out of style

The wearing of imperial silks was an extremely hierarchical affair. No wonder Chinese textiles appeal to the most discerning modern buyers

21 Feb 2024

The Belgian Surrealists who are starting to gain on Magritte

When it comes to Belgian Surrealism, Magritte still leads the pack – but collectors’ tastes are begin to broaden

23 Jan 2024

French art deco is still in the ascendant in New York

After a mid-century dip in enthusiasm, the demand for exceptional pieces of design seems irrepressible

16 Jan 2024

On a scroll – Chinese classical painting is finding new favour

From the November 2023 issue of Apollo. Preview and subscribe here. The twin brush arts of calligraphy and painting first developed…

19 Oct 2023

The modern-day collectors who want to build their own cabinets of curiosities

Wonders that were once prized by Renaissance princes still inspire plenty of awe

18 Oct 2023

In Edinburgh, the National Gallery now gives Scottish art the space it deserves

The opening of a whole new suite of galleries means that Scottish artists now have the same status as the museum’s Old Masters

Collectors are falling for the British Neo-Romantics

The market for paintings by the likes of John Craxton and John Minton – and Paul Nash in pastoral mode – is having an idyllic time

22 Sep 2023

Classical African sculpture keeps moving with the times

Provenance is more crucial than ever but the market for masterpieces is now broader than ever

giltwood and marble table

The golden age of English furniture

After a period in the doldrums, pieces by the best 18th-century makers are back in demand

30 May 2023

Mining meaning in Middlesbrough

Locals and celebrities have banded together to offer a compelling range of perspectives on the industrial history of the Yorkshire town

23 May 2023

Pop go the prices for Roy Lichtenstein’s works on paper

Drawings, prints and collages were important to the artist’s process – and the market now values them accordingly

27 Apr 2023
detail of a rug

Fine carpets from Asia are definitely back in fashion

After a spell in the doldrums, prices for magnificent carpets from across the continent are starting to soar again

28 Mar 2023

The market for Italian maiolica

These vivid, tin-glazed ceramics were considered fit for the pope to eat off – and can fetch princely prices today

27 Feb 2023

The sophisticated Japanese paintings that have never gone out of style

Works by the true masters of the Rinpa style are rare – which makes prices rather high

27 Jan 2023
Vase (c. 1896–97), Alfred William Finch

The art nouveau potters who broke the mould

The fin-de-siècle movement fired up the imaginations of avant-garde ceramicists across Europe

The Mocking of Christ (c. 1280), Cimabue (Actéon, €24.2m)

Uncommon grounds – the market for paintings on gold

When it comes to gold-ground paintings from Italy, condition is everything and the older the work, the better

28 Nov 2022
Folding horseshoe chair, late Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), China. Sotheby’s Hong Kong, HK$124.6m ($15.8m)

Why is the market for classical Chinese furniture so hot?

Collectors are snapping up elegant huanghuali chairs and beds of the Ming and Qing dynasties at record prices

24 Oct 2022
Relief avec deux collines (1972), Magdalena Abakanowicz. Sotheby’s London, £52,500

Threads of potential – the market for textiles by women artists

From the United States to the Soviet Union, women artists of the post-war era found creative freedom in fibre art – and their works are beginning to loom large in the market

26 Sep 2022
Marble sculpture by Mino da Fiesole

How early Tuscan Renaissance works made an unexpected return to the market

These once-overlooked pieces are making a comeback – and with few on the market, they’re more collectable than ever

30 Aug 2022
Masque Îles Mortlock mask

A question of ethics – the market for African and Oceanic art

As museums make promises to return looted works of art, provenance is now of paramount importance in the market

20 Jun 2022

Beyond Rubens – drawings by the lesser-known Flemish masters

Rubens may dominate the field, but there are other names worth seeking out – and plenty of surprises to be found

23 May 2022

A shiny future for Hispanic silver

Silversmithing has had a turbulent history on the Iberian Peninsula. The market is quiet, but showing new signs of life, says Emma Crichton-Miller

28 Apr 2022
(detail; 1936), Paul Nash.

Why the art market is finally taking note of British Surrealism

It isn’t easy to define a made-in-Britain equivalent to the Paris Surrealists, but collectors are increasingly drawn to the uncanny side of British modernism