Art and Antiques

What's for sale on 'the most mouth-watering shopping list in Britain'?

A browse through the summary of works of art and objects of cultural importance with a deferred export license reveals plenty of treasures. What should we keep?

The Pre-Raphaelite painter who swapped 'willowy, nubile women' for stained glass — and created some of the best examples in Britain

The painter Edward Burne-Jones turned from paint to glass for much of his career. James Hughes, director of the Victorian Society, chooses a glass masterpiece by Burne-Jones as his favourite 'painting'.

George Stubbs (1724–1806): Hero of the turf

George Stubbs, born 300 years ago, found Nature superior to art and approached his pictures with the eye of an anatomy scholar, yet no contemporary could rival him in capturing the elegance and character of racehorses, dogs and even zebras, as Jack Watkins discovers.

The Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece that never was, thanks to an assassination, a war, an abduction and an invasion

The great master Leonardo da Vinci was on course to create an equine statue that could have rivalled his greatest pieces — until fate intervened. Carla Passino tells the tale of the da Vinci sculpture that never was.

'But for a few twists of fate, she might well have been Queen of England': Who was the mystery woman in the Hilliard miniature?

A chance encounter with a cabinet miniature sent two art historians down a rabbit hole of Elizabethan intrigue, spycraft and courtship.

One of the largest banknotes ever printed to be offered for auction

The note, printed in 1998 to celebrate 100 years of Philippine independence, is legal tender and larger than a piece of A4 paper.

The tragic tale of Rex Whistler, the brilliant young artist whose time at the Front Line lasted less than 24 hours

Rex Whistler, determined that the Second World War shouldn’t be left to young boys, worked hard to become an officer and lead troops into battle, but the naivety of early courage cost him his life on his very first day of battle, as Allan Mallinson reveals.

Rare guitars played by Prince and Noel Gallagher lead Sotheby's Popular Culture Auction

From August 29, you can bid on rare guitars, a Steinway piano from Abbey Road, art by John Lennon and a costume from Gladiator II, among other items.

'I can’t look away. I’m captivated': The painter who takes years over each portrait, with the only guarantee being that it won't look like the subject

The years when Art was part of the Olympics — and the double-gold winning painter who became its greatest champion

For decades in the early 20th century, the Olympic Games included events in art, literature and music. Only one person won more than a single gold medal in those years: Jean Jacoby, a painter from Luxembourg who remains his country's most decorated Olympian.

The foundry where Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Nic Fiddian-Green cast their bronzes

One of the oldest foundries in the world, Morris Singer in Hampshire has a long and storied past, creating art and sculpture for everyone from artists to dictators.

'I painted my own reality': The five key moments that defined Frida Kahlo's life and work

70 years on from the death of Frida Kahlo, Carla Passino takes a look at the work and life of the trailblazing artist.

Paris 1924, when sport came headfirst into an intoxicating mix of art, fashion and desire

When the Olympics opened in Paris in 1924, the French capital was already gripped by a ferocious blend of art, literature, cinema, fashion and a wild desire to dance. Sport merged into this culture to become the pinnacle of an extraordinary time, as Mary Miers reveals.

Farewell to the arms: The humbling English defeat to the French that you've never heard of

A 15th-century cannon, an 18th-century flintlock belt-pistol and two swords excavated near Castillon, the site of the battle that ended Britain's rule in south-western France, featured prominently in an Olympia Auctions sale last month.

Curious Questions: Why are there so few smiles in art?

Centuries of portraits down the ages — and vanishingly few in which the subjects smile. Carla Passino delves into the reasons why, and discovers some fascinating answers.

'The world's most joyful museum': Young V&A in East London wins top prize

The museum scooped the prestigious Museum of the Year award, the largest in the world, pocketing £120,000 after a three-year renovation.

Full steam ahead: The art of rail

The railway may have started its artistic life as a fire-breathing monster that devoured the countryside, but it soon became an emblem of advancing modernity, a cherished memento of the past and even, in the case of one station, the centre of the universe. Carlo Passino explains.

The Titian masterpiece found in a plastic bag at a London bus stop has sold for £17.6 million

The painting that secured Titian’s reputation as 'the greatest painter of the Venetian Renaissance' is going up for sale, 30 years after it was recovered in a carrier bag in the most unlikely of spots.

'If you get 12 great photographs a year, you're doing well': Charlie Waite on the secrets of landscape photography

The world-renowned landscape photographer Charlie Waite joins the Country Life Podcast.

My Favourite Painting: Rob Houchen

The actor Rob Houchen chooses a bold and challenging Egon Schiele work.