Auctions

Modestly guided at just £200-300, this tiny Qianlong period ruby-glazed teabowl and 4in (10.5cm) diameter saucer generated plenty of interest when it came up for sale at Elstob (25% buyer’s premium).

A rare silver and turquoise tazza designed by Erik Magnussen (1884-1961) for the Gorham Manufacturing Company sold for $24,000 (£19,000) at Schwenke Auctioneers (29/27% buyer’s premium) in Woodbury, Connecticut.

Canny buyers who invested in works by female artists are now reaping the rewards in salerooms

A 19th century Native American wolf mask, once used in religious ceremonies on the Northwest coast, emerged from the obscurity of a £50-100 estimate to bring £14,000 at auction in Hertfordshire.

A couple of works by leading names in the sector gave a boost to Chiswick Auctions’ (25% buyer’s premium) latest Modern British and Irish Art sale.

Gifts given by the late Poet Laureate to his friend show how interesting items can be bought for three figures

Biennais bronzes portrayed Napoleon and the many family members he appointed to poweful positions

An original version of one of the great Art Deco posters emerged at Sapphire Auction Gallery (20% buyer’s premium).

An 18th century Native American trade axe pipe linked to the great Shawnee chief and warrior Tecumseh (1768-1813) was the runaway performer when the collection of Ohio dealer and entrepreneur Bruce Knight was dispersed in the first days of the New Year.

Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927) is one of the most famous and highly regarded masters of the art of Japanese cloisonné.

The Durrington Collection of Glass, a select 60-lot auction which Bonhams (28/27/21/14.4% buyer’s premium) offered for sale last year, featured some of the best examples of 18th century British glassmaking across a number of collectable categories.

Mallams (25% buyer’s premium) got off to an early New Year start with a Country House auction.

Our selection of lots from 11 upcoming auctions

A staple at American barber shops of the 19th and early 20th centuries was the occupational shaving mug.

Explorer and naval captain George Vancouver set sail from King’s Lynn in April 1791 aboard HMS Discovery to survey the Pacific Northwest coastline of North America.

The top lot at Leonard Auction’s (25% buyer’s premium) December 10 sale in Addison, Illinois, was a work by the Argentinian Op artist Hugo Rodolfo Demarco (1932-95).

Among the most contested lots at Nadeau’s (23% buyer’s premium) sale on January 1 was a set of miniature watercolour and gouache portraits credited to a follower of the German court painter Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553).