Christie's

Multi-estimate sums proved the norm among the star lots during London’s Islamic Week auction series.

Works by the flamboyant Lord Berners come to auction from Faringdon House contents sale.

A restituted portrait of a German electoral prince by Lucas Cranach the Elder, missing for nearly 80 years, has sold for $6.6m (£4.7m).

Increasing number of auctions and shows around the Salon make Paris a must in March.

Christie’s spring decorative arts sale will take place on May 22. It features works by some of the current hot favourites in this field, notably the Lalannes and Rembrandt Bugatti.

More than $120m of Asian art was sold at auction during last week’s New York Asia Week.

Christie’s has two dedicated drawings sales, one devoted to Old Master and 19th century works on March 21, the other to modern works on paper on March 22.

Works by Pablo Picasso (1881- 1973) dominated the latest series of Impressionist and Modern art auctions in London, with Gurr Johns securing nearly all of them.

With options to sell at regular intervals in North America, Europe, Hong Kong or China, the major auction houses and their vendors take a global view of the Asian art market.

Sold for $28,000 (£20,820) by Christie’s New York (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on December 5 was this original drawing by Ralph Steadman for the 1971 first appearance of Hunter Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

The many voyages made in search of the lost Franklin expedition feature strongly in another spotlight on polar exploration covering sales in London and New York. The splendid Martin Greene library again provides notable highlights.