← Past Issues·Sunday, July 19, 2026

Reading someone's forward?

Get your own copy — free, every morning.

Join collectors, dealers & curators

No spam · free every morning · unsubscribe anytime

The Morning Signal

July 19, 2026

THE LEAD

Bonhams to Offer Rare Meissen Chocolate Cup from Swan Service, Estimated at £25,000–35,000

via Bonhams

Bonhams will present a single-owner ceramics sale featuring an extremely rare Meissen chocolate cup and saucer from the Swan service, estimated at £25,000–35,000. The service was originally ordered in 1736 by Heinrich Graf von Brühl, the most powerful man in Dresden during the mid-18th century, and comprised over 2,200 pieces. Approximately 50 percent of the service was destroyed or stolen by the Red Army after World War II, with many pieces used as target practice. The sale also includes eight objects from the 'Half figure service,' arguably the rarest chinoiserie decoration on Meissen porcelain, estimated at £500,000–700,000. Sebastian Kuhn, Bonhams Director of European porcelain, described the collection as 'one of the most valuable collections of Meissen porcelain in the world.'

Auction Result

The Number

€265.7M

across 7 auctions this week

Today's dispatch New York (4) · London (2) · Milan (2) · Paris · Salzburg

Market Snapshot

3 stories today | 1 auction result | 1 exhibition opening

This week · 47 stories · 7 auctions (€265.7M aggregate) · 22 exhibitions opening · most-active city: London

Sale highlight: Johann Joachim Kaendler at Bonhams — £25,000–35,000

Just Opened

Jul 17

Daniel Buren Solo Exhibition Opens July 17 at Musée des Impressionismes Giverny — Galleria Continua

By Region

Americas

Frieze Article Examines Rise of Art-World Meme Accounts as Institutional Critique via Frieze

Europe

Musée d'Orsay Restores Courbet's 'A Burial at Ornans' in Public View via Musée d'Orsay

Asia-Pacific

quiet today

Middle East & Africa

quiet today

Featured

Thaddaeus Ropac Milano Stages Duchamp-Sturtevant Dialogue 'Dialogues are Mostly Fried Snowballs'

Thaddaeus Ropac Milano presents "Dialogues are Mostly Fried Snowballs," an exhibition pairing works by Marcel Duchamp and Sturtevant. The show juxtaposes Duchamp's readymades, including the Fountain…

via Thaddaeus Ropac · Exhibition

This Week Ahead

Thu Jul 23

Galleria Continua Presents 'Villa Marigola' Solo Show at Lerici Music Festival via Galleria Continua

Fri Jul 24

Monster Chetwynd's 'A Feather in your Hat!' Opens at Estonia National Museum on July 24, 2026 via Sadie Coles HQ

Fri Jul 24

MoMA PS1 Announces Precious Okoyomon's Largest Outdoor Installation, Opening July 24 via MoMA

Sat Jul 25

White Cube Announces Sara Flores Exhibition at proyectoamil Ardez, Switzerland via White Cube

Sat Jul 25

Latvian National Museum of Art Opens Exhibition of Guerlain Contemporary Drawing Donation via Galleria Continua

Sun Jul 26

Christian Marclay's 'The Clock' to Screen at LACMA, White Cube Announces via White Cube

Full calendar →

Next Week

Mon Jul 27

Matthew Barney's 'ZONE DEFENSE: Old Snowmass Parallax' to Debut at AIR 2026 in Aspen via Sadie Coles HQ

Fri Jul 31

Gladstone Gallery Artist to Open Courtyard Commission at MoMA PS1 on July 31, 2026 via Gladstone Gallery

Trending Institutions ▲ Thaddaeus Ropac (10) · ▲ White Cube (8) · ▲ Tate (7) · ▼ Bonhams (4) · ▲ LACMA (4) · ▲ Louvre Abu Dhabi (4) · ▲ Musée d'Orsay (4)

Artist Spotlight

Robert Rauschenberg · 3 mentions this week

Robert Rauschenberg was a pivotal American artist known for his 'Combines,' a series of works that integrated everyday objects into painting and sculpture to bridge the gap between art and life. His multidisciplinary practice spanned painting, photography, printmaking, and performance, influencing movements from Neo-Dada to Pop art.

Read profile →

The Wire

1.

Frieze Article Examines Rise of Art-World Meme Accounts as Institutional Critique — Frieze

Tomorrow's edition, in your inbox

Join collectors, dealers & curators reading The Morning Signal daily.

Join collectors, dealers & curators

No spam · free every morning · unsubscribe anytime

← 2026-07-18