Fine Art

A monumental painting of an Old Testament subject, which came to auction in a gloomy state, drew a remarkable bidding battle at a West Sussex sale.

The personal art collection of film director and intellectual Pierre Rouve (1915-98), kept in his Chelsea house until he died, will be offered at auction.

A round-up of art and antiques news from the previous seven days, including a George Frederic Watts self-portrait acquired by Watts Gallery in Surrey.

Two watercolours in the manner of John Singer Sargent sailed above hopes when offered by Amelia Jeffers (20% buyer’s premium) in Delaware, Ohio on March 7.

Ben Nicholson’s series of monochromatic three-dimensional relief paintings - created by the thick layers of white paint and carving wood - were first produced in the mid-to-late 1930s.

During his travels to Europe, Winfield Robbins (1841-1910) amassed some 150,000 prints that he later left to his hometown of Arlington, Massachusetts.

A strong provenance is always desirable on the secondary market, but it is essential when it comes to selling works by LS Lowry (1887-1976) - arguably Britain’s most faked artist.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

A recent Brunk’s (23% buyer’s premium) auction in Asheville, North Carolina, included a group of six small oil-on-copper mythological scenes by Neapolitan painter Luca Giordano (1634-1705).

Watercolour of a sleeping feline – possibly her favourite cat – takes £19,000 in Cambridge saleroom

An untitled ink on rice paper work by Brazilian artist Mira Schendel (1919-88) is among the works starring at the exhibition 'Live With It', staged at Battersea Power Station, where it is offered for $18,000.

It’s wise to keep a lid on estimates for traditional pictures where condition and market freshness is lacking

Though officially retired for many years, dealer Malcolm Innes continues to trade, focusing on Scottish landscape, sporting and military art.

Irish-born William W Armstrong (1822-1914) emigrated to Canada in 1851 and initially found success as a civil engineer on the early railways and pioneering photography for industrial purposes.

A remarkable sketchbook compiled after its creator had been taken prisoner at the fall of Singapore in the Second World War sold for £1650 (estimate £500-700) as part of a timed online sale.

In his first online sale, dealer Andrew Sim of Sim Fine Art features a series of Second World War pictures of the ‘Food War’ on the home front.