Auctioneers

The sale held by Swan Fine Art (20% buyer’s premium) in Tetsworth on May 6 included a fine-quality ventriloquist’s doll, c.1930.

Spread over four days, April 30-May 3, a comics and artwork auction held by Heritage (20% buyer’s premium) in Dallas raised over $7.5m with every lot sold.

The auction calendar has been much changed by Covid 19 restrictions. However, as indicated by these lots offered for sale, an increasing number of auction houses are transacting safely behind closed doors holding timed sales or ‘live online’ sales with bids taken via bidding platforms such as thesaleroom.com or over the phone. Typically purchases can either be collected safely and couriered, or stored by the auction house until the current government guidance is lifted. With auction houses set to be able to be reopen premises to the public from June 1, more and more sales are now being added to the auction calendar.

Both American and European works are on offer in Skinner’s wide-ranging sale of paintings and sculpture to be held live online in its Marlborough rooms on May 31.

Auctions may be down in number but pre-lockdown sales provided some positive market signs

Several works by the celebrated master enamel craftsman Feodor Ruckert featured in the latest Russian works of art sale held by Doyle (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) in New York.

Seven lots by celebrated local artist Percy Kelly (1918-93) put in a decent performance at the most recent Antiques & Fine Art sale held by Cumbrian saleroom Mitchells (22% buyer’s premium).

The team at antiques dealership Robert Mills Architectural spent decades salvaging items from closed-down churches, banks, mansions and pubs.

Christie’s Paris rooms has announced a programme of 18 summer sales that it will be holding over May, June and July. These are a mixture of timed auctions and live online (huis clos) auctions.

Results from two salerooms including an £18,000 longcase reflect strong demand

Three modestly valued works selling at regional sales including a pencil and watercolour by Russian artist Vladimir Polunin.

Sir Oswald Birley (1880-1952) is among the artists most represented in UK public collections. Art UK records 173 works in national museums and institutions, National Trust properties and local museums.

The name of the Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson (1914-2001) may not be as familiar in the UK as that of many other creators of children’s favourites.

Trudpert Schneider (1804-99), a Freiburg carpenter whose first brush with photography was to repair a broken box camera, is today deemed one of Germany’s most important daguerreotypists.