South-west England

Queen Victoria gave many gifts to family, friends and servants, often commemorating notable events in her life.

Tory politician acquired the artist’s watercolours before London dealer raised the profile

Organiser announces 2023 launch of another decorative home and salvage event

Outside the John Patten collection at Lawrences of Crewkerne on October 12 were several other good-quality pictures boosting the bottom line.

Auction house Chorley’s has changed hands, with director Thomas Jenner-Fust buying the business with former colleague and friend Werner Freundel.

The top-seller of the small Chinese offering from Exbury House was this colourful, elaborate 18th century cloisonné cong.

A copy of the 1543, first German language edition of a work that centuries later, in 'Printing and the Mind of Man', was declared to be “perhaps the most celebrated and most beautiful herbal ever published” was offered by Gloucestershire saleroom Dominic Winter (20% buyer’s premium) on October 12.

The unashamed opulence of interior decoration that became known as Le Goût Rothschild as it spread from 19th century France to Austria, Germany and Britain is a style that has always been admired.

In colonial Mexico cacao beans and vanilla pods assumed a similar status to tea leaves in England.

In 1888, in response to a tender issued by the War Office, Prof Archibald Barr and Dr William Stroud submitted an application for an optical range-finder patent to the Patents Office.

Relatively few gallantry medals available for what was short self-contained conflict, heroic stories involving highly collectable regiments, a relatively morally unambiguous backstory (for British collectors at least)… the Falklands War can generate high demand at auction.

A selection of Doulton HN series rarities sold at three regional salerooms this month.

Ceramics by Hans Coper (1920-81) and Lucie Rie (1902-95) have been assimilated into the collecting sphere of Modern British art with spectacular effect.

Stroud Auction Rooms’ sale on November 9-10 will feature over 1000 lots of guns, weapons, medals and militaria, including two notable collections.

The cylindrical brush pot or bitong appears to have been introduced into the repertoire of Chinese ceramic forms in the late 1620s.

Among the most desirable of all ‘Prattware’ transfer printed wares are the series of very rare and highly decorative advertising plaques produced for firms such as Crosse & Blackwell and Huntley & Palmers.

The three-day fair welcomed renowned photojournalist for a swish magazine showcase.

Samantha and Richard Payne-Withers run two antiques centres in Bridport, a Dorset market town which offers quite a choice of antiques and vintage shops.

Lucy Burnett is a dealer at Market Cross Antiques in the Somerset town of Somerton, near Yeovil.

Naive artworks that can also suit modern decorating taste are rising in popularity and price.