Pick of the Week

He may have been considered ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’ but items connected to Lord Byron (1788-1824) make for very welcome auction consignments.

Although he initially specialised in small furnishing objects and statuettes, the Parisian bronzier Victor Paillard (1805-86) began exhibiting with more elaborate creations in the 1840s.

Despite appearing in a 1930s photograph held in the MAK Museum, Vienna, this wood carving of Adam and Eve seems to have hitherto eluded scholars of the German woodcarver Leonhard Kern (1588-1662).

Abraham Barachin became the last silversmith to use the Hull town mark of three ducal coronets.

Two plates from a Minton dinner service designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-52) for his personal use appeared for sale in Derbyshire last week.

A collection of pop culture ephemera and football memorabilia found in a Cotswold bungalow was offered across 390 lots at auction.

Works by John Bellany (1942-2013) abound at auction, with at least 2000 pictures sold in the last 10 years.

By 1920, as a new era of aero-engined racing cars threatened to break the 100mph barrier, the emerging sport of motor racing required better and more precise time-keeping.

From the very beginning, the Meissen factory sought close trade relations with the Augsburg goldsmiths.

This pair of satinwood demilune console tables with their fine marquetry and carved details are of exceptional quality and workmanship. The Thomas Chippendale workshop is a good candidate for their manufacture.

Sperm whale teeth, acquired from mammals that had beached on local reefs, had a deep significance to Fijian society.

Among the most extraordinary of all navigational charts are the lattice ‘stick maps’ used by Marshall Islanders.

The Battle of Britain or Dambusters are usually involved when it comes to sizeable Royal Air Force medal results.

An early view of Port Adelaide in Australia drew a flurry of overseas interest when it appeared at a recent auction in Massachusetts.

The story of the Poniatowski gems provided one of the great art scandals of its day.

As a general rule prices for most pairs of Staffordshire dogs, the quintessential Victorian fireside ornament, have dipped markedly in the past generation.

Cyril Arthur Farey (1888-1954) was one of the most renowned British architectural draughtsmen of the 20th century.

Ceramics by the Omega Workshops rose to unprecedented heights on March 17. The Design sale at Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury included a small collection of pottery by Roger Fry that came for sale from the former Fulham Road dealer Andrew Harriss.

“At a time when gender, sexuality, identity and roles are being negotiated like never before, the story of Gerda and Einar Wegener has only become more topical despite the almost 100 years that have passed since the artwork was created.”

The collecting history of English silver spoons spans well over a century.