Auctions

Although turned down at the time by the British Museum, a 2nd century vase with Bacchic ornament found by Gavin Hamilton near Hadrian’s villa in Tivoli c.1771 proved a sensation with 18th century connoisseurs.

An atypical visitor to a recent sale at Canterbury Auction Galleries (24% buyer’s premium) was a Norwegian silver gilt brudekrone dating from the late 18th or early 19th century.

Alongside pieces made in Kinsale, Galway and Waterford, silver from the small County Cork town of Youghal is among the scarcest of all Irish provincial silver. Only a handful of pieces survive that carry the punning town mark of a yawl.

Dearth of fresh works coming to the market is a challenge for Old Master auction series.

Only recently has the name Marguerite Gérard (1761-1837) re-emerged from the long shadow cast by her brother-in-law and tutor, Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806).

ATG’s selection of auction lots bought by internet bidders on thesaleroom.com from the period January 2-8, 2019. This includes both the highest prices over estimate and the top prices paid online.

Our weekly selection from salerooms.

Palace uses power of pre-emption to buy cast of Giambologna’s seminal sculpture at auction.

Sotheby’s (25% buyer’s premium) sale of art and antiques from the Regency manor house Spetchley Park in Wychavon, Worcestershire, held in London on December 11, included a range of ‘kunstkammer’ objects amassed by the Berkeley family in the 19th century.

This impressive and rare pair of silver table candlesticks with cluster columns, square bases and drip cups had no visible hallmarks but is probably Dutch and late 17th century in date.

This small Gothic Revival beaker was made by ecclesiastical metal manufacturer John Hardman (Birmingham, 1848) at the height of the first partnership with AWN Pugin.

The typical Georgian silver coffee pot is one of the great bargains of 21st century antiques collecting.

Games manifesto from 1892 and Audubon’s classic head a selection of money-spinners.

Victorian silver novelties do not come much better than this claret jug, formed as a 9in (23cm) tall kneeling elephant by James Barclay Hennell, London 1881. The hinged head (currently lacking tusks) forms the cover.

This rediscovered drawing of the future George IV (1762-1830) is believed to have been owned by his true love Maria Fitzherbert (1756-1837).

A sale of art and antiques from a Worcestershire manor house included the rare appearance at auction of two examples of Opus Anglicanum.

Scientific instruments and photographica specialist Flints Auctions has opened new premises and is launching a fresh type of sale.