UK

When this cabinet on stand appeared in the inventory of a Gloucestershire home in the 1920s it was described simply as ‘An old Italian Cabinet of ebony and Tortoiseshell’. In fact, it is Flemish rather than Italian and was probably made in Antwerp in the first half of the 17th century.

Nic McElhatton, former chairman of Christie’s South Kensington, is leaving to set up his own business that will see him move between the worlds of auctions and private sales.

A large Qing blue and white bottle vase with a Yongzheng (1723-35) mark sold for £150,000 (plus 20% buyer’s premium) at Halls in Shrewsbury.

Roseberys has made a swoop for senior Christie’s South Kensington former heads as the south-east London auction house signals its mid-market ambitions.

The farewell party for Christie’s South Kensington, around the corner from Old Brompton Road at The Kensington Hotel on July 19, was a melee of former staff, clients and friends of the auction house. So packed was the room, moving from one end to the other was tricky.

London Art Week (June 30-July 7) had its first run as a biannual event organised by a limited company.

Dreamy landscapes, fairies and classical female nudes fill many of today’s best-known canvases by the Victorian artist Edward Robert Hughes (1851-1914). But it was his skills as a portraitist that impressed critics most while he lived.

Bookings are going well for the collaborative venture between B2B Events and Bentleys Fairs at the beginning of August.

A superb set of decorated armour sold at Sotheby’s (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) is believed to have set a record. The £880,000 hammer price for the three-quarter-length cuirassier protection is believed to be the highest auction result for 17th century armour.

Possibly the largest quantity of watercolours by the Second World War artist Thomas Hennell (1903-45) to come to auction in one sitting was on offer at Mallams (20% buyer’s premium) on July 5

ATG’s weekly selection of items on sale at auctions and dealerships.

As with many collectors and dealers, the antiques passion started in an auction room. As a child, some of Amanda Allinson’s earliest memories are of sitting with her grandma in the County Durham rooms of Addisons Auctioneers in Barnard Castle, the town where she grew up.

Auctioneers and dealers will have to decide whether to absorb the cost of credit card transactions or pass them on to buyers in another form when a ban on all such fees comes into force in January 2018.

This work above by the popular cartoonist Max Beerbohm (1872-1956) was a highlight of Mallams’ library sale on June 21.

A scarce collection of watercolours by Biggles creator WE Johns (1893-1968) sold beyond expectations in Sworders’ (22% buyer’s premium) June 27 sale in Stansted Mountfitchet.

At just after 10am on July 19, William Porter – the first of four carefully chosen auctioneers – climbed the rostrum to a ripple of applause from an audience of two dozen staff and a dozen or so buyers. “Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Christie’s South Kensington and welcome to the Interiors sale.” Long pause. “For the last time,” he said. “Boo,” heckled a voice from the front.

ATG’s weekly selection of items on sale at auctions and dealerships.

Campaigners against ‘British’ hallmarking overseas have welcomed the launch of a consultation on the issue.