Watercolours

With estimates from £2000, here are five previews of items coming up at auction this week

Edward Lear (1812-88), the Victorian artist and author probably best known for penning 'The Owl and the Pussycat', started drawing himself as ‘perfectly spherical’ in 1860.

A ‘missing’ portrait miniature of Joseph Brant (1743-1807), the famous Mohawk ally of the British during the American Revolution, sold for Can$55,000 (£29,505) at auction in Canada.

A portrait miniature of Anne Lefroy, a writer who was close friends and a mentor of Jane Austen, has been acquired by Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, Hampshire.

Hugely popular in the Edwardian era, Louis Wain’s (1869-1939) anthropomorphic cats continue to charm a 21st century audience.

A notable feature of the latest Welsh sale at Rogers Jones (24% buyer’s premium) in Cardiff was the level of interest from the US.

Underlining the growing demand for David Bomberg (1890-1957) over recent years, a work on paper titled ‘The Tent Family’ recently appeared at auction for the third time in 10 years, selling for a greater amount on each occasion.

Large views of the British countryside, garden paintings and botanical studies are the most popular works when it comes to Somerset-born Alfred Parsons (1847-1920).

Artistically and commercially, John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) is a giant that straddles the Atlantic.