2025 at a glance 

Roseberys had its strongest year of consolidated sales ever in 2025

This record performance reflects not just strong demand, but a broadening of the Roseberys offering and the arrival of a new generation of collectors.

While the very top end of the global market has become more selective, the middle market surged with new confidence. The volume of transactions between £40,000-£100,000 rose by 6% from 2024, reflecting growing buyer confidence at this level. 

Ben Griffiths, Managing Director

We’ve seen a clear rise in the quality of works consigned, driven by strong demand from both new and established collectors. While the upper end of the global market has slowed, this has allowed us to deepen our engagement with a broader and more resilient base of buyers, who are overwhelmingly buying for personal use, as opposed to speculatively.

Ben Griffiths, Managing Director.

Across the auction house, the sell-through rate climbed to 73% - up from 2024 by 2% - confirming that this demand translated into decisive bidding across categories rather than being concentrated in a single department. This signals a shift in buying behaviour, with collectors showing greater confidence in cross-category collecting and value-driven acquisitions.

Jewellery had the highest auction turnover of the year, achieving £3,800,00 across specialist sales. Demand was so strong that the category was split for the first time into separate Jewellery auctions, along with a new category; Watches & Luxury Items. The wider jewellery auction market continues to expand and is forecast to reach $7.445BN by 2033, supported by growing interest in rare, investment-grade pieces.

This has unfolded against a global landscape in which the natural diamond market has softened, with lower prices, reduced production and more cautious demand, while the lab-grown diamond bubble appears to be losing momentum. 

A pair of 19th century natural pearl earrings sold at Roseberys for £45,740

Coloured gemstones, natural pearls and 70s gold jewellery all saw renewed attention from collectors this year, reflecting a move toward distinctive materials, craftsmanship and bespoke design. In a similar vein, the popularity of Victorian and Edwardian jewellery has increased this year. 

An Aries zodiac pendant by Georges L’Enfant sold for £7,216 

“Collectors are prioritising authenticity and long-term value, and this has translated into fierce competition for exceptional stones, signed pieces and bold design,” says Catrin Jones, Head of Jewellery. “We’ve also seen a huge increase in private buyers this year, which is a trend we often see during times of financial uncertainty; buyers are more comfortable investing in tangible assets like gold and diamonds.”

Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian Art took a hammer total of £3,100,000 across its five specialist sales. Buyer share from Asia increased by 3% in 2025. 

Roseberys exhibition of Jiang Tingxi Paintings at the International Antiques Fair, Hong Kong 

The 2025 hammer totals in this category were driven by standalone lots with excellent provenance and of exceptional rarity. Two notable examples are a pair of huanghuali chairs from the Solomon Adler Collection, which realised a price of £774,240 - a record for the auction house - and a rediscovered set of paintings by Jiang Tingxi from the collection of Major Iain Menzies, which sold for £780,480 in total. 

 

A rare pair of Chinese huanghuali continuous yoke back armchairs from the Solomon Adler collection, nanguan mao yi, Qing Dynasty, 18th Century

Price Realised: £774,240

 

The department’s success was bolstered by the landmark single-owner sale of 1,000 Years of 100 Boys in Chinese Art: The Feng-Chun Ma Collection. Exhibitions at the International Antiques Fair, Hong Kong and at Bowman Sculpture Gallery during Asian Art in London increased the profile of the sales. 

Scholar-Collector Feng-Chun Ma gave a talk on her collection at Roseberys

The level of international bidding this year, particularly from Asia, demonstrates renewed confidence in the category and a growing appetite for museum-quality objects with clear provenance and cultural significance. Although the market was cautious at the start of the year, Asian art has proven to be a resilient category, with more qualified buyers entering the middle market, likely driven by strong fair calendars and sustained gallery activity. A new generation of collector-dealer families is increasingly shaping the field and, I believe, will introduce an influx of younger collectors to traditional Chinese art, a shift we have already begun to see this year.

- Bill Forrest, Director and Head of Chinese, Japanese & South Asian Art 

Roseberys has further expanded its digital capabilities and reach, with over 800,000 livestream views this year, 60,000 social followers across all platforms and over 1 million unique visitors to Roseberys.co.uk. 

Belsize Park, painted by F.N Souza in 1961. 

It sold for £299,240 against a £10,000-£15,000 estimate.

Roseberys’ inaugural Modern & Contemporary Middle East & South Asian Art sale in October exemplified the success of online only sales, netting over £635,000 - 251% above its high estimate. A 1961 oil on canvas by F.N. Souza led the sale at £299,240, demonstrating the growing global interest in Indian modernist art. The auction coincided with a period of rapid growth in the Indian art market, currently valued at $338 million and projected to reach $1.1 billion by 2030. 

Assorted works by Indian Modernist artists

For a debut sale, these results are extraordinary and demonstrate the ripe potential of Indian modernism on the middle market. Collectors are recognising the significance and quality of Middle Eastern and South Asian modernist paintings and competing aggressively to secure these works. Now is the time to invest in these works as they are beginning to be acquired by Indian and South Asian institutions. 

Alice Bailey, Director and Head of Islamic & Indian Art at Roseberys

The introduction of regular timed and online sales of contemporary and traditional collectibles has bolstered Roseberys demographic of young buyers, with 18% of buyers reported to be under the age of 45. The rise in younger buyers has been particularly notable across Watches & Luxury Items and Prints & Multiples sales, where there is great diversity in price point and accessibility levels. 

A pair of rare Cartier London watches

Our primary demographic used to be people in their fifties but that figure has shifted - we’re seeing a younger demographic of buyers and consignors. Online sales have helped in that regard but watches by their nature are a fast moving, accessible collecting category with extremely varied price points - you can buy a really interesting, historic watch at auction for less than £1,000.

Kate Lacey, Watch Specialist. 

Modern British & 20th Century Art remained one of the auction house’s most consistent performers; the department made a hammer total of £2,184,320 across its specialist sales. The 2025 auctions were characterised by exceptional sections of private and single owner collections, including The Estate of Jeffrey Judelson, The Estate of Professor Joseph Rykwert CBE and the collection of Professor W. M. Ballantyne. 

Assorted works by Jacob Kramer, David Bomberg & Bernard Meninisky from a private collection in the December Modern British & 20th Century Art sale

The results were bolstered by two single owner sales of French Naturalist Painters from a Private European Collection in March and September. 

Lot 194: Paule Vézelay, Five Forms: Orange, Brown, Red and Grey on White, 1959 Price Realised: £22,304	Lot 1011: Léa Decamps-Lafugie, Siamoise et orchidées, Price Realised: £11,152

A notable rise in works consigned by female artists aligned with growing demand in the secondary market. Roseberys’ March Modern British Sales set new auction records for pioneering twentieth-century female artists Paule Vézelay, Fay Pomerance and Léa Decamps-Lafugie. Vézelay’s Five Forms: Orange, Brown, Red and Grey on White (1959) achieved £22,304, more than doubling its £8,500-£9,000 estimate, making it the most valuable work on paper by the artist ever sold at auction. Meanwhile, two oil-on-canvas works by Decamps-Lafugie, offered in a standalone sale of French Naturalist Painters from a Private Collection, sold for £13,120 and £11,152, marking the highest prices achieved for her works in this category. A work by Pomerance sold for £2,886 against a £300-£400 estimate, which is the highest auction result for the artist to date.

We tend to have fewer lots at the very top end, but our strength lies in depth. The totals are driven by volume and by the quality of the private collections we bring to market,” said William Summerfield, Associate Director and Head of Department. “Some of the most engaging works we handle come from small, tightly curated collections, where the material has been thoughtfully assembled, often unseen for decades.

- William Summerfield, Associate Director and Head of Modern British & 20th Century Art 

2025 was also a landmark year for Silver auctions; the December sale achieved the department’s highest total to date of £271,540. An Edwardian silver tea service once owned by Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton sold for £20,990 in Roseberys September Silver auction, almost seven times its high estimate. It was the second most valuable lot ever sold by the department.  

A tea set formerly owned by Ernest Shackleton sold for £20,990

“Silver has had an exceptional year, fuelled by rising global prices and sustained demand for historically significant, well-provenanced pieces,” said Georgina Agnew, Head of Silver

Old Master, British & European Pictures saw a 74% increase in hammer total from 2024–2025 across three specialist auctions, reflecting a broader upswing in the category at the upper middle market. 

Constable’s The Valley Farm, Flatford realised a price of £71,740

Fresh-to-market works with strong provenance performed particularly well, such as a John Constable drawing that came directly from the artist’s family to the open market for the first time, which realised a price of £71,740. Similarly, a work on paper by Carl Joseph Begas depicting Felix Mendelssohn as a child, with provenance from the composer’s family, to realise a record price of £34,040.  Begas’ works on paper typically reach prices in the low to mid-thousands.  

The 2025 Old Master auctions were considerably strengthened by the inclusion of distinguished private collections, with notable examples being the Hugo Morley-Fletcher collection and the collection of Baron Stanley Kalms.  

A painting by Louis Hubbard-Grimshaw from the collection of Baron Stanley Kalms sold for £60,040 

“With the wider market softening, we’re seeing higher-calibre consignments and more deliberate buying. Economic uncertainty often pushes collectors toward categories with depth and stability, which is why Old Masters have performed so consistently this year,” said Lara L’vov-Basirov, Associate Director & Head of Old Master, British and European Pictures. 

A photo book by Peter Henry Emerson sold for £52,480 

Fine & Decorative Arts saw a 41% increase in hammer total in 2025 across four specialist sales, driven by strong performance in porcelain, historic ceramics and rare books. The October auction was led by a record-breaking Minton porcelain Vaisseau à mât, which achieved £18,368, while rare ceramics continued to outperform, including a late 17th-century Brislington delftware charger that sold for £13,776.  

The March Fine & Decorative sale featured 64 lots from the personal collection of Hugo Morley-Fletcher, achieving a 98.5% sell-through rate and underscoring his expertise in European ceramics. To mark the occasion and the introduction of wine into Fine & Decorative auctions, Roseberys hosted a private view and wine tasting in collaboration with Crystal Palace Wine Club. Guests enjoyed specialist talks on the collection alongside a curated tasting of wines from the sale and additional selections provided by the Club. 

Guests at the Roseberys x Crystal Palace Wine Club event celebrating the Hugo Morley-Fletcher Collection

The October sale also presented the distinguished Susan Beazley Collection, assembled over decades and reflecting connoisseurship in early English porcelain. Fine books emerged as a growth area, led by a deluxe edition of Life and Landscape on the Norfolk Broads (1886) by Peter Henry Emerson, which sold for £52,480, and a set of ten volumes of The Life of George Washington that achieved a price of £14,432. 

Lot 238: Andy Warhol, American 1928-1987, Superman, from Myths, (F and S II.260) 1981
Price Realised: £223,840

Prints & Multiples saw particular success with works by Andy Warhol; his Superman screenprint, from the Myths series (1981), achieved a price of £223,840, marking the highest-ever result for a print in the department’s history and the fifth highest result for a single painting or print for the auction house. Two further Warhol prints, Chanel from Ads and Beethoven, realised prices of £169,240 and £91,240. 

Lot 180: Andy Warhol, Chanel, from Ads, 1985 Price Realised: £169,240	Lot 215: Andy Warhol, Beethoven (F. and S. 392), 1987 Price Realised: £91,240

These results demonstrate Roseberys is gaining significant traction in the Warhol market, particularly with his later print output. For collectors, it shows how rare variants of iconic works remain among the most liquid areas of his market, especially when supported by strong provenance and condition. 

- Ed Plackett, Head of Prints & Multiples

Additionally, the arrival of new collecting categories, including Luxury Items, Wine & Spirits and Studio Pottery have further expanded Roseberys’ audience to a new demographic of collectors. 8% of bidders in 2025 were new to Roseberys this year.

Meanwhile, the Luxury Items department marked its first full year of sales. From 23 lots in December 2024 to 156 by November 2025, the department offered 416 lots in total, driving a total hammer price of £122,505, a 382% year-on-year increase. Demand is strong for established maisons of exemplary quality, particularly Chanel and Hermès and British millinery. 

A Hans Coper dish from the collection of Bunny Roger sold for £44,440  

The new Studio Pottery department saw steady success in its debut year of sales, offered as part of the Design auctions. The standout lot in this category was a rare Hans Coper dish which realised a price of £44,440, fourteen times its estimate of £2,000-£3,000.  

Acquisitions & Museum Sector Engagement

Roseberys deepened its engagement with the institutional sector in 2025, both through significant museum acquisitions and strengthened relationships with leading cultural organisations. Works sold this year entered the collections of Historic Royal Palaces and Poole Museum, including a portrait of King Edward VI now on display in ‘The Tudor World’ at Hampton Court Palace, John Piper’s first work to enter Poole Museum’s collection ahead of its 2025 reopening.

John Piper work purchased by Poole Museum	Portrait of Edward VI displayed at Hampton Court Palace=

Alongside these placements, members of the team continued to build meaningful connections across the sector: Modern British specialist Nicole Schembre joined the Victoria and Albert Museum as a Young Patron, Director Alice Bailey continued her involvement with Dulwich Picture Gallery as a patron and Associate Directors Lara L’vov-Basirov and William Summerfield became Young Ambassadors at the National Gallery. Roseberys also joined the Association of Women in the Arts, further aligning the business with networks shaping the future of the cultural field.

This institutional engagement was reinforced through public programming developed with Dulwich Picture Gallery. In June, Roseberys hosted its first valuation day at the Gallery, attracting strong local interest and uncovering notable finds, supported by specialist talks ranging from Tiepolo drawings to Mughal miniature painting. 

Roseberys specialist at Dulwich Picture Gallery Valuations Day 

Building on its success, the partnership will continue in early 2026 with a Spotlight Tour of the Gallery’s European Portraiture Collection led by Lara L’vov-Basirov, offering audiences the opportunity to explore 17th and 18th-century portraiture through an auctioneer’s perspective.  

Best Stories of 2025

George Romney Found in ‘Dumpster’

A pen and ink sketch discarded in a dumpster in upstate New York turned out to be an authentic work by George Romney. Discovered by an antiques enthusiast while dumpster diving, the drawing was consigned to Roseberys’ Old Master, British & European Pictures sale on 12 March, where it sold for £2,362 against an estimate of £600–£800.

Jiang Tingxi Imperial Bird Paintings Discovered in UK Homes 

Two remarkable sets of Imperial Chinese bird paintings by court artist Jiang Tingxi, commissioned by Emperor Kangxi (1661 -1722), were uncovered in South London and Dorset during routine valuations by Bill Forrest, Head of Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian Art. The initial discovery of seven works in a South London home led to the identification of a further twelve paintings in Dorset, all belonging to descendants of Major Iain Menzies (1895–1979), who likely acquired them after the First World War. 

Unusually, each painting retained its original accompanying text, recorded in the Shiqu Baoji catalogue, significantly enhancing their historical and scholarly value. The works were offered as two lots in Roseberys’ 13 May Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian Art sale. Each set realised £390,240.

“World’s First Coffee Table Book” Found in a Wardrobe

A deluxe 1886 copy of Peter Henry Emerson’s Life and Landscape on the Norfolk Broads - one of only twenty five - was rediscovered wrapped in brown paper in a Maryland closet after being purchased years earlier at a yard sale. Offered in the Fine & Decorative sale on 10 July with an estimate of £30,000-£50,000, it achieved £52,480.

Private Collection Highlights

1,000 Years of 100 Boys: The Feng-Chun Ma Collection of Chinese Art

Running alongside Roseberys’ regular November Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian auctions was the single-owner sale: 1000 Years of 100 Boys: The Feng-Chun Ma Collection.  

Feng-Chun Ma is a distinguished scholar-collector who has worked in the East Asian Antiques trade for over four decades. The collection comprised 102 objets d’art related to the Chinese motif of “boys at play” (yingxitu), symbolising the auspicious wish for many sons and the continuation of family lineage. Objects span from early Song dynasty ceramics to Ming and Qing dynasty porcelain, jade carvings, bronzes, snuff bottles and textiles.

It hammered above estimate for £242,330, with the top lots in the sale selling predominantly to buyers based in China, although interest was strong from the Netherlands, the UK and Austria.

The Collection of the Late Hugo Morley-Fletcher  

The collection of the late Hugo Morley-Fletcher, former Antiques Roadshow presenter, sold for double its low estimate at Roseberys in 2025. The collection was sold across Roseberys’ March Fine & Decorative and Old Master, British & European Pictures auctions. It included ancestral portraits from the historic Yester House, Morley-Fletcher’s former family home, as well as historic European porcelain from his private collection, reflecting his specialism in ceramics. The collection realised a total of £249,201 across both sales, soaring over its £120,638 low estimate (including buyer’s premium). 

The Solomon Adler Collection 

The collection of Solomon Adler (1909-1994), sold for a hammer total of £808,900, including the pair of Huanghuali chairs. Huanghuali furniture from the collection generally performed highly, with a rare 18th century Chinese huanghuali plank-top pedestal table selling for £69,140 against a £6,000 - £8,000 estimate. 

Solomon Adler (1909–1994) was a former U.S. Treasury official accused of Soviet espionage. He went on to lecture at the University of Cambridge and later moved to China, where he spent the rest of his life working as an economist and translated the writings of Chairman Mao Zedong. Roseberys November Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian Art auction was the first time the collection has appeared on the open market or been seen by the public. 

A Private Collection of International Design 

An important single-owner collection of international modern design and lighting led Roseberys’ November Design sale, featuring some of the most renowned names of the 20th century including Gio Ponti, Max Ingrand, Mathieu Matégot and Paavo Tynell. The pieces came from a distinguished private collector who furnished their London home with works by key figures of post-war design, many acquired through leading galleries across Europe. The collection achieved a hammer total of £82,550. 

“Modernist design aligns with how people live now - smaller spaces, flexible layouts and a preference for authenticity. Buyers are responding to the honesty of the materials and the intelligence of the construction and that’s why these pieces continue to perform,” said Nigel Dawson-Ellis, Head of Design. 

Charitable Initiatives

Roseberys expanded its charitable activity in 2025 through a range of collaborations. The auction house supported The Bidpath Foundation’s national Gavel Trail Auction, contributing George Clarke’s “It Was A Nice Picnic Until…” gavel to raise funds for The Brain Tumour Charity, The National Brain Appeal and the International Children’s Palliative Care Network. 

Roseberys also partnered with Specsavers and Carers UK on a campaign, valuing a portrait of a carer by Colin Davidson at a symbolic £184 billion to reflect the economic contribution of unpaid carers, with the work shown at the Saatchi Gallery before moving to a public display on the South Bank. 

The year also saw continued collaboration with Paintings in Hospitals, with deaccessioned works included in the Modern British & 20th Century Art sale to support the charity’s mission of improving health and wellbeing through art.

 Looking Ahead 

2025 was a landmark year for Roseberys, marked by record-breaking sales, exceptional private collections and strengthened engagement with institutions. Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian Art set new benchmarks with the rediscovered Jiang Tingxi bird paintings, which sold for £390,240 per set and a pair of 18th-century huanghuali chairs from the Solomon Adler Collection realising £774,240 - a new record for the auction house. 

The year also saw a notable increase in private collections coming to market, from Hugo Morley-Fletcher’s European ceramics and ancestral portraits to Feng-Chun Ma’s single-owner sale of 102 Chinese objets d’art. Fine & Decorative Art achieved remarkable results for historic ceramics and rare books, including Peter Henry Emerson’s Life and Landscape on the Norfolk Broads at £52,480, while acquisitions by institutions such as Historic Royal Palaces and Poole Museum demonstrated Roseberys’ commitment to preserving and sharing cultural heritage. 

Looking ahead to 2026, the auction house will build on this momentum, connecting extraordinary works with both established and emerging collectors, and continuing to bring expertise, innovation and accessibility to the market. 

I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved in 2025. From record-breaking sales to significant institutional acquisitions, the year demonstrates how tradition and expertise, combined with a new generation of collectors, can drive an auction house to new heights. In 2026 we will continue to champion remarkable works and expand our reach to audiences across the globe.

- Ian Cadzow, Chairman.