International

Recent Old Master paintings in Vienna and Cologne have yielded some predicted but also unexpected results including a high price for a work by a German better known for his poems and plays than his paintings.

Dublin dealer sells an Irish selection as he hands the reins of the shop over to his son.

Condition leaves a little to be desired, but the spine of this copy of Sinclair Lewis’ 'Main Street' and the matching details on the jacket mark it out as a 1920 first, published by Harcourt, Brace & Howe of New York.

German salerooms move series to Austria and Belgium in the wake of cultural goods law...

“A masterpiece of Flemish book illumination,” said Reiss & Sohn (18% buyer’s premium) of a rare manuscript compendium of texts on chivalry, heraldry, nobility and the rules of war offered in its May 16-18 sales series.

Spring sale results provide promising upturn as Irish art market shows signs of recovery.

Bid to a double-estimate €42,000 (£36,290) in a Ketterer Kunst (20% buyer’s premium) sale of May 22 was a very rare, 1566-67 Lisbon first of 'Chronica da felicissimo rei dom Emanuel…'

The Malayan artist Cheong Soo Pieng (1917-83) is hardly a household name in Europe. Virtually all of his paintings that have sold at auction in recent decades came under the hammer in Hong Kong or Singapore.

Mirroring Whyte’s recent auction and its own Irish sale back in April, de Veres’ top performer on May 21 was another work by William Scott.

A ‘gambling’ sale held on May 5-6 by Potter & Potter (20% buyer’s premium) produced what may be a record bid of $8500 (£6590) on a 1902 first of SW Erdnase’s The Expert at the Card Table.

“Artworks from Underground Comix – especially from masters such as Robert Crumb – are becoming recognised in the fine art world as cultural cornerstones.”

The 18th century Église St Sulpice in Paris’ 6th arrondissement is one of the city’s most ornate churches, full of architectural and ornamental masterpieces.

Regarded by many as Gustav Mahler’s greatest song for voice and orchestra, ‘Ich bin der Weit abhanden gekommen’ was just one of many first-class performances featured in a 53-lot music sale conducted by Sotheby’s (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on May 23.

Yves Montand (1921-91) and Simone Signoret (1921-85) were famous French husband-and-wife actors with starring roles in many French films.

A clutch of photograph sales is coming up this month in Paris. Among them is Millon and Baron Ribeyre’s two-day auction on June 13 and 16.