A GILT-METAL MOUNTED PAINT-DECORATED BUREAU PLAT,

Recommended features

• • 

  • ‘He was one of the greats’ — John Minton’s Children by the Sea

    As a preparatory drawing for a work held by Tate Britain comes to auction, Jessica Lack illuminates the tormented British artist’s brief and brilliant career

• • 

  • Artist guide: Elisabeth Frink

    A primer on the sculptor whose art encapsulated mankind’s existential crisis in the post-war era

• • 

  • What to look for on the back of a painting — an expert guide

    From labels and staples to stretchers and repairs — the reverse of an artwork can reveal more about it than you might suppose

• • 

  • How is an artwork appraised?

    From craquelure to patina, watermarks to brushstrokes… Our specialists on what they’re looking for when someone brings a work of art into Christie’s

• • 

  • I bought it at Christie’s

    Fashion designer Dame Dora Wong on an 18th-century portrait of a warrior painted for the Hall of Imperial Brilliance in Beijing

• • 

  • Virtual tour: The Leaping Light at Christie’s London

    A 360-degree view of our private-selling exhibition of 20th century British art, featuring Frank Auerbach, Barbara Hepworth, David Hockney, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson and Bridget Riley.