UK

A trio of literary discoveries star at Sim Fine Art’s upcoming exhibition.

A previously unrecorded painting attributed to Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, the Italian Old Master known as il Guercino (1591-1666), has been consigned to Cambridge auction house Cheffins.

A set of five Victorian diamond six-point star brooches sold for £26,000 at Golding Young & Mawer (20% buyer’s premium) on January 24. As each star has a hook fitting and a screw fitting for attachment, the set was probably once part of a suite consisting of frames for a tiara, necklace, earrings and brooches.

The next three Frock Me vintage fashion fairs this year will be held at the Kensington Town Hall, instead of its usual venue, Chelsea Town Hall, which is being refurbished.

The December 6 jewellery sale at Roseberys (23% buyer’s premium) was the maiden auction for new head of department Mark Bowis.

Lloyd Rust has run South East Antiques for 10 years. It is based in a 2500sq ft warehouse and trades mainly from eBay. He is also a heavy metal DJ and compere at the metal festival Bloodstock in his spare time. For the past 10 years he has also hosted a charity music festival in Chelmsford Essex.

Dorothy McEwan (1925-2017), who died in December, was the founder of The McEwan Gallery in Scotland. She was not your typical art dealer – if such a one exists.

Two exceptionally rare celestial globes or spheres have made their mark in Geneva and London salerooms in recent times – and on the same day.

Christopher Howe has been dealing from the Pimlico Road area for the past 30 years but he likes to shake things up.

Works on paper, not oil paintings, stole the show at Lawrences (22% buyer’s premium) of Crewkerne.

Dealer, art adviser and former auctioneer Simon Wingett is heading a project to create a new Welsh tourism centre including a sculpture park and gallery.

Among the most desirable of all Second World War wristwatches – a strong suit in this currently hot collecting arena – is the Panerai 3646. This distinctive model was initially intended for the Royal Italian Navy but was also used by German submariners or Kampfschwimmer.

Modern and contemporary British art racked up £195,000 at a Roseberys (23% buyer’s premium) sale, with 80% of the 252 lots sold.

The year is well under way for Penman Fairs as it gears up for The Chester Antiques Fair.

Henry Shaw (1812-87) is a well-known name in the world of antique taxidermy.

Jewellery specialist Joanna Hardy is usually found in glamorous locations.

This painting of a saint sold for a multi-estimate £5400 at London Auctions (22% buyer’s premium) in Chiswick.

The history of the Kutchinsky jewellery brand dates back to 1893 – the year Hirsch Kutchinsky and son Morris arrived in the East End of London, having fled Poland.

Traditional ‘country house style’ pictures were in plentiful supply at a two-day sale at Tennants of Leyburn.

More glamorous sales will take place this year, but a week of four quality auctions at Lawrences (22% buyer’s premium) of Crewkerne provided some solid reassurance about the state of the middle market.