Auctioneers

Letter sent from a very young Charles to his grandma with doodles and kisses emerges at auction

Tennants’ Fine Jewellery, Watches and Silver sale, held concurrently with the Country House auction on March 18 included a very tactile and much-coveted Fabergé silver table lighter in the form of a walking Indian elephant.

The Collections sale at Bonhams (27.5% buyer’s premium) in London on March 21 included more than 70 lots of Regency porcelain from the collection of the Conservative party politician Howard Emerson Flight.

English furniture highlights from the Fred and Kay Krehbiel Collection sold by Hindman, the estate of Alan and Dianne Kay sold by Freeman’s and the Hyde Park Antiques sale at Sotheby’s, underlined strengths and weaknesses of English country house taste

Objects associated with the infamous 18th century ‘Beggars Bennison’ society command a certain appeal.

Offered as part of a March 2 sale held by Heritage (20% buyer’s premium) that was billed as a Pulp Magazine Showcase was this October 1919 issue of 'The Thrill Book'.

Shown here is what would be an arachnophobe’s nightmare: one of the 29 hand-coloured engraved plates that illustrate a copy of John Blackwell’s 'History of Spiders of Great Britain and Ireland'.

There was plenty of choice for ceramics collectors at the Krehbiel collection sale.

Feather ‘mosaic’ pictures made in Mexico for Christian conquerors are among the most remarkable objects from 16th century Mesoamerica.

By far the most desirable wares from the Goodwin & Harris ‘Metropolitan Scenery’ series of blue and white transfer printed earthenwares are those featuring cricketers in the grounds of Windsor Great Park.

This George III blue john vase standing 14in (14cm) high on a square marble base was probably turned and carved by the Derby marble mason Richard Brown for Matthew Boulton.

Across more than 800 objects offered at the Krehbiel sale, the great majority were proper antiques.

A round-up of Arts & Crafts pieces coming up at auction.

This monumental white marble frieze titled Nelson receiving the Spanish surrender after the Battle of St Vincent was created c.1826 by the English sculptor Edward Hodges Baily (1788-1867).

Subject to particular competition from Napoleon buffs at the sale of Books and Works on Paper at Chiswick Auctions on March 16 was an original watercolour sketch titled Funeral Procession to the grave of Bonaparte, 9 May 1821.

This military tunic was worn by the English soldier and friend of the Romantic poets Edward John Trelawny during the Greek War of Independence.

Born in Naples, the revivalist jeweller Carlo Giuliano (1831-95) made his name in London.

First published in 1755, Samuel Johnson’s 'A Dictionary of the English Language' had taken eight years to compile with six helpers.