2014

It all started when Phil Sylvester was a lad, as serious collecting often does.

Two market-fresh British pictures consigned from a private American collection to Ahlers & Ogletree’s upcoming auction make a significant addition to the 1000-plus lots being offered at the Atlanta saleroom.

Most fine art sales at Exeter saleroom Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood feature multiple works by the irrepressible Robert Lenkiewicz (1941-2002) and their latest event was no different.

James II large silver chinoiserie footed salver, the circular top flat-chased with a continuous border of four Oriental figures, two long-legged birds and further birds in flight among palm trees and other foliage, beneath sunrays emerging from clouds and further clouds. London 1688 by Benjamin Yate (maker`s mark YT), diameter approx 131/2in (34.3cm). Estimate £30,000-50,000. Sold for £30,000 hammer at Tooveys of Washington, West Sussex, May 21, 2014.

6in (15cm) long Chinese white jade carving of a Buddhist lion dog, Qianlong 1736-95, with a paper label for Queen Amelia of Portugal Collection. Estimate £30,000-50,000. Sold for £110,000 hammer at Woolley & Wallis of Salisbury, May 21, 2014

An ancient Roman marble bust of the Emperor Hadrian that had been in the same private collection for over half a century was the runaway highlight in a recent sale held by Tessier Sarrou & Associés at Drouot in Paris.

Public collections in need of information about their oil paintings can be connected with specialists and members of the public with relevant knowledge thanks to a scheme called Art Detective.

Harris Lindsay, the works of art specialists on Jermyn Street, are to welcome two dealerships, Cohen & Cohen and Michael Lipitch, through their doors on what could prove a permanent basis in June.

After seven years together, Ben Wright and Jonathan Carter of Gloucestershire-based Carter Wright Fine & Interesting Clocks have decided to go their separate ways after an amicable split.

There was no slowing down in the Contemporary art market as the latest sales in New York posted a record for any auction series.

At the opening ceremony earlier this month of the Guardroom at Hemswell Antiques Centres, the former home of RAF Hemswell, the ribbon was cut by 83-year-old Bill Collard.

Mossgreen will be offering one of the most talked about items of the year at their forthcoming sale in Melbourne. The auction will feature this elaborately carved and inlaid cradle made for Princess Helena, Queen Victoria’s fifth child.

Leonard Joel of Melbourne will be marking the 50th anniversary of the Beatles arriving to tour Australia by offering a collection of photographs taken of the group in Adelaide.

Thomas del Mar’s second sale of items from the John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection on May 7 included a number of related items, such as this 3ft 7in (1.1m) high panted limestone carving of St Eligius or Eloi, patron saint of horses and farriers.

This bizarrely dressed young man is the 23-year-old Alfred Hitchock, the film director who went on to make Psycho, North by North West, The Birds and Vertigo.

A very rare Allcock Ariel reel with its original calf leather case sold for a wholly unexpected £6600 at Westenhanger Auctioneers (20% buyer’s premium) in Stanford, near Ashford, on April 13.

Christie’s posted a record total for any auction ever with a $745m (£462.7m) premium-inclusive total at their evening sale of post-war and Contemporary art in New York last night (Tuesday, May 13). It now begs the question: how much further can this boom keep going?

It was sovereign territory at Baldwin’s once more earlier this month when they took £430,000 for an Edward VIII gold proof example dated 1937 and £320,000 for an Elizabeth II example dated 1953.

Legislation designed to protect art authenticators from lengthy and expensive legal claims has been proposed in New York.

The protagonists in the battle over the future of Sotheby’s have called a truce, with both sides conceding points.