US

Two men have pleaded guilty in connection with the theft of rare books and manuscripts from the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Any museum or collector seeking a centrepiece for their display need look no further than the Gatling gun – a pivotal invention that makes its presence felt by its sheer size and bling.

This 14in (35cm) earthenware ‘face’ charger made by Madoura to a design by Pablo Picasso carries an estimate of $2000-3000 at Neely Auction in Lantana, Florida, on February 16.

A picture of a famous Italian Grand Tour view by one of the best-regarded artists of the American Hudson River school of painting is one of the highlights of a sale at Skinner in Boston on January 24.

The two-day sale at Case Antiques of Knoxville, Tennessee, on January 25-26 includes a number of Liverpool creamware jugs depicting a range of subject matter.

On January 30, Millea Bros of Boonton, New Jersey, will offer more than 400 lots of English and American furniture and decorative arts from the estate of Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Seeler (1926-2018).

This carte de visite picturing the author Mark Twain (Samuel L Clemens) is signed and inscribed twice.

The sale of furniture and decorative arts at Hindman in Chicago on February 11 includes these two late 19th century gadget canes, both mounted with the insignia of British army regiments.

This 13in (32cm) Royal Worcester ewer decorated with owls by Charles Baldwyn (1859-1913) carries an estimate of $950-1050 at Broward Auction Gallery in Dania Beach, Florida.

The Homes & Interiors sale at Bonhams Los Angeles on February 3 includes this Sèvres flower vase or Cuvette à Fleurs Courteille, measuring 10¼in (26cm) wide, estimated at $4000-6000.

If proof were needed that firearms sales are simply conducted on a completely different scale in the US, one need look no further than the three-day sale at Rock Island Auctions (18.5% buyer’s premium) in Illinois on December 6-8.

The Old Master paintings section of the sale taking place at Doyle in New York on February 5 will include this large and imposing portrait of Pauline Bonaparte, the younger sister of Napoleon.

This watercolour drawing by Charles Addams was one of the more successful lots in a December 10 Illustration Art sale held by Swann Galleries (25/20/10% buyer’s premium) in New York.

Sotheby’s holds the first of its New York series of Old Master paintings and drawings at the end of January with its Masters Week sales running from January 24-31.

‘Rupert’ is one of the dummy paratroopers which were dropped over German-occupied France in the early hours of June 6, 1944. Made from burlap and weighted with sand, these were intended to serve as a distraction during the D-Day landings.

Heritage now conducts a monthly online-only auction titled Fine & Decorative Arts. The February 13 sale includes two typical oil on panel works by the French cat painter Jules Gustave Leroy (1856-1921).