Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One app.

Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles. One news app.

The Latest Breaking News from Sotheby

Gems supposedly buried with Buddha are to be sold at auction – it’s a symptom of Buddhism’s ongoing commercialisation

Almost 2,000 years ago in modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India, someone deposited a cache of gems inside a reliquary (a container for holy relics), along with some bone fragments and ash. The gems were precious, but the bones and ash even more so, for according to an inscription on the reliquary,…

The Conversation

Sotheby's postpones historical Buddha gems auction after backlash from India's government

Sotheby’s in Hong Kong postponed an auction of gems with ties to early Buddhism after backlash from India’s government, which said the jewels were the country's religious and cultural heritage.

Euronews

Sellout exhibitions, bad biopics and million-dollar jumpers: Why we can’t stop buying into the Diana industry

LET’S UNPACK THAT: Almost three decades on from her tragic death, the Diana industrial complex is still booming. Katie Rosseinsky explores how the legend of the people’s princess became big business

The Independent UK

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Sotheby’s Hong Kong postpones auction of Buddha jewels after India threatens legal action

Auction of sacred Buddha relics paused to allow discussion between parties contesting ownership

The Independent UK

Sotheby's postpones auction of jewels associated with Buddha after backlash from India's government

Sotheby’s has postponed an auction of jewels associated with Buddha’s remains, originally scheduled for Wednesday, after the Indian government opposed the sale and demanded it be halted

The Independent UK

Auction of gems linked to Buddha postponed after India legal threat

Ministry of culture tells Sotheby’s it would be ‘participating in continued colonial exploitation’ if sale of gems goes ahead

The Guardian - UK

What are the Piprahwa gems, and why is India trying to stop their auction?

New Delhi says private sale of gems linked to the Buddha is unlawful and demands repatriation from Sotheby’s.

Al Jazeera

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

India demands halt to Hong Kong auction of sacred Buddha relics

Government urges return of items excavated in 1898, calling their sale a violation of global heritage laws

The Independent UK

India tries to halt auction of Piprahwa gems found with Buddha’s remains

Ministers claim sale in Hong Kong is unlawful and are demanding repatriation of relics buried in third-century BC

The Guardian - UK

Gen Z women are being sold a risky dream: the realities behind 'investing' in designer bags like the Hermès Birkin

Gen Z is obsessed with the Hermès Birkin thanks to viral TikTok posts promising higher returns from the luxury handbag than the stock market.

Fortune

Auction of ancient Indian gems ‘imbued with presence of Buddha’ condemned

Sotheby’s sale of Piprahwa gems, excavated after burial with Buddha’s remains, denounced as perpetuating colonial violence

The Guardian - UK

Set of first editions of Shakespeare's plays could fetch more than €5 million at auction

Today is The Bard's 461st birthday and Sotheby's auction house has announced the sale of a set of First, Second, Third and Fourth Folios.

Euronews

Freddie Mercury's sister spent £3million buying back brother's possessions

Kashmira Bulsara spent a fortune on the biggest auction of the Queen star's belongings.

Euronews

Freddie Mercury’s sister ‘secretly spent £3m’ buying his possessions at auction

Items that once belonged to the late Queen frontman, including paintings, costumes and handwritten lyrics, were sold during a high-profile auction in 2023

The Independent UK

Get all your
news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One news app.

Evening Standard

Freddie Mercury’s sister 'secretly spent £3 million to buy back his memorabilia'

Kashmira Bulsara spent millions to keep some of his possessions, including his jukebox and draft lyrics, in the family

Evening Standard

Shakespeare folios expected to fetch more than £3.5m at auction

The books were published between 1623 and 1685.

Euronews

Roy Lichtenstein pop art masterpieces head to auction for the first time

Forty works spanning four decades of Roy Lichtenstein’s career will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s in New York next month, expected to fetch over $35 million (€30.8 million).

The Guardian - UK

Pop goes the budget: Roy Lichtenstein works expected to raise £26m at auction

Forty of the late pop artist’s distinctive works will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s in New York next month

Get all your
news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One news app.

The Independent UK

Rare blue diamond shines at a $100 million exhibition in Abu Dhabi

A rare blue diamond was on display Tuesday at an exhibition of $100 million worth of the world’s rarest diamonds in the United Arab Emirates’ capital

Evening Standard

Photographer Miles Aldridge to host ‘marathon’ Polaroid sessions at Sotheby’s

The project offers members of the public the chance to take home their own Polaroid portrait.

The Independent UK

Rare Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant jerseys set to command $20m at auction

The first match-worn jerseys of the two NBA greats are on display at Sotheby’s in New York

Space

Ouch! Carlo Rambaldi's original screen-used 'E.T.' model might reach $1 million at Sotheby's auction

This original prop from Steven Spielberg's timeless 1982 film hits the auction block.

The Guardian - UK

Original body model of ET expected to fetch up to $1m at Sotheby’s

Daughter of Oscar-winning special effects artist Carlo Rambaldi hopes item will ‘continue to inspire’

Evening Standard

Original ET model expected to fetch up to £700,000 at auction

The 3ft-tall model was one of three used in Steven Spielberg’s 1982 sci-fi film.

Louder

“I want to be a f***ing Medici.” A Banksy original formerly owned by Blink-182's Mark Hoppus has sold for £4.3million at auction, and the punk rocker wants to use the money to buy work from upcoming artists.

Banksy's ‘Crude Oil (Vettriano)’ has a new owner, whose bank account is now £4.3 million lighter

1 … 3 4 5 6

People

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

55 stories

Maurizio Cattelan

55 stories

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Organisations

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

Topics

Places

the United Arab Emirates

280 stories

Fourteen days free

Download the app

One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.