News

These days it is all too easy to assume that everything that passes through the London salerooms is a totally known quantity that can no longer hold any surprises for either the auctioneer or the trade. But, believe it or not, London sales can still contain significant sleepers, as was demonstrated twice in the space of five days at the main London houses’ secondary salerooms.

The most hotly contested property in Christie’s 335-lot Japanese and Korean sale on October 15 was a selection of Korean art from the Falk collection. Just over half of the reasonably estimated 55 Korean entries hailed from this New York collection, that attracted new American buyers as well as regular European privates and dealers.

FRANCE: There were some prestigious names among the 24 exhibitors at the first Salon International d’Art Asiatique, held at the Hôtel Dassault on the Champs-Elysées from October 5-8.

Enamel Advertising Signs by Christopher Baglee and Andrew Morley, published by Shire Publications. ISBN 0747805105. £4.50

The Ashendene Dantes that sold for £7000 as part of the book section of this general antiques sale at Dreweatt Neate on 10 October were formerly in the library of Sir Frederick Handley Page, founder of the aeronautical firm, and sold at £3500 was his copy of the 1906 Ashendene edition of Sir Thomas More’s Utopia.

Windsor Chairs: An Illustrated Handbook by Wallace Nutting published by Dover Publications Inc. NY ($14.95) and distributed in the UK by David & Charles Ltd of Newton Abbot. ISBN 0486417255 £15.70

A Study Collection of Marked Domestic Brass and other Base Metalware c.1600-1900, a catalogue compiled by Roderick and Valentine Butler, Neil Bollen and Dr Christopher Green. Price £26 inc. p&p UK, £30 inc p&p US. Contact Roderick and Valentine Butler on 01404 42169 to order copies.