Auctioneers

Research reveals £265,000 auction purchase is a celebrated work from Grand Ducal workshops

This 13 x 13in (33 x 33cm) brick is from the walls of Babylon and dates from 604-562BC.

While they may not appear such comfortable bedfellows today, the novel weapons of mass destruction created during the First World War were deemed a perfectly suitable subject for novelty trinkets of the day.

For many British schoolchildren Roy of the Rovers was just as famous as any of the real-life footballers of the day.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” comments Fellows’ watch specialist Kes Crockett. “Jaeger LeCoultre is the best watchmaker in the world. Rolex is without question the most well-known manufacturer and Patek Philippe has produced some of the most collectable watches on the market. However, JLC arguably has a richer and more important horological history than both.”

There is some discolouring and it appears to have spent some considerable time folded up, but this early 19th century vellum document signed “Bonaparte” as Premier Consul was sold for £3000.

Over the years, the Navitimer has undergone a variety of cosmetic and mechanical changes. Pictured here are three iterations of the watch as it evolved across two decades.

Hefty estimates and guarantees suggest a fierce competition in the market when seeking consignments

Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807) was one of the most recognised artists of her day with her reputation spreading across Italy, France, Poland and Russia.

Inscription signalled one of American literature’s most significant editorial relationships

Peta Smyth has been dealing in antique textiles since 1976 and her shop at 42 Moreton Street in Pimlico, west London, is renowned for its extensive array of fine textiles, attracting a loyal and diverse clientele of interior designers, antiques dealers and collectors.

A strong contest for a Dutch naval scene was generated at Dorset saleroom thanks in part to the picture bearing the signature 'A. Storck'.

The Fifty Fathoms watch was born in the 1950s from the encounter between the Swiss firm Blancpain (by then using the legal trading name Rayville) and two French naval officers, Capt Robert Maloubier and Lt Claude Riffaud.

The fact that Christie’s held a full series of Old Masters auctions in New York at the start of 2023 not only boosted the overall total for the January series but also added to the amount of activity in this sector generally at this key time.

A tiny head study of a lady and her son by William Hogarth (1697-1764) is among the lots on offer at Cheffins’ fine art sale in Cambridge on March 22-23.

Dating from November 1917, a copy of 'Hydra, the Magazine of Craiglockhart War Hospital of Edinburgh' was sold for a notably higher than expected £7500.

A cache of art glass rediscovered during the contents removal of a house that had been unoccupied for several years came up for auction.

Dreweatts’ sale of Old Master, British and European art on March 2 includes a pair of portraits by Flemish artist Nicholas Joseph Delin (1741-1803).

Brothers often share many things together while growing up. Over at Richard Winterton Auctioneers, brothers Tom and Ben Winterton also share the rostrum.

A rare vista showing London before the Great Fire of 1666 is on offer at Woolley & Wallis’ sale of Old Masters, British & European Paintings on March 8.