Fine Art

Recent auction sales shone the spotlight on pioneering photographers active in the first days of the art

Produced by a German-Austrian sculptor in the 18th century, three intriguing marble sculptures were among the attractions of the sale at EP Deutsch (24% buyer’s premium) on January 31 in Vienna.

Thirty-eight lots offered in Bath included a strong array of 20th century works assembled in London

Described as “exceptionally large” when offered by Chiswick Auctions (26/12% buyer’s premium), this black and white presentation photograph depicts Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie (1892-1975).

Julia Margaret Cameron was a neighbour and close friend of Alfred Tennyson on the Isle of Wight.

The personal photo album of a crew member of a post-war Antarctic whaling factory ship is for sale in April 29 at Charles Miller in London for an estimated £800-1200.

Online exhibition focuses on style and dress depicted in 20th century art often by lesser-known creators

Established in 1936, London gallery Abbott and Holder first published one of its now established ‘Lists’ in 1942. The firm now publishes these monthly, online, providing a way to introduce 100 new works of art to its existing stock.

The historic but compact English city of Lichfield and historic photographic views of China are not an immediately obvious fit but two auction houses made the connection recently.

A major consignment of Old Masters is coming up at Sotheby’s New York which the auction house said is poised to break the record for any singleowner sale in this category.

March is traditionally the month for drawings and works on paper in Paris, a magnet that attracts enthusiasts from around the world to the French capital.

Among the watercolours attracting interest at the earlier part of the year were four works by Lucy Elizabeth Kemp-Welch (1869-1958) that appeared at Lincoln saleroom Golding Young & Mawer (24% buyer’s premium).

A Roman marble bust of the tyrannical Emperor Commodus attracted a flurry of bids at Mallams (25% buyer’s premium) in Oxford.

A gold and enamel Dent pocket watch given by Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, to the Italian opera singer Giuseppina Grassini surfaced for sale at an auction in Austria

Gladys Hynes (1888-1958), an overlooked Irish-British artist, pacifist, feminist and Irish Republican, will be the subject of a forthcoming book by Jennifer FitzGerald and Sean Mark and I to be published by Yale University Press in 2026.