Europe

An unexpectedly high price was paid in a sale of Old Master paintings and drawings held this summer by auction house Aguttes (23/25% buyer’s premium plus VAT) in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

An ensemble of jewellery by René Lalique was on offer in a Decorative Arts sale held by Tessier & Sarrou (28% buyer’s premium) at Drouot. All the pieces were signed examples of his distinctive Art Nouveau style and inventive use of non-precious materials.

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from August 4-20, 2020.

A lifetime impression of The Fall of Man (Adam and Eve) – perhaps Albrecht Dürer’s (1471-1528) best-known engraving – has sold for a record €430,000 (£390,000) in Germany. The buyer was a British collector.

In a letter to his brother, written in 1883, Vincent van Gogh expressed his admiration for the Swiss painter Albert Anker.

A bidding battle broke out at Kinsky (28% buyer’s premium) in Vienna for this pair of figures fashioned as King Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I, each about 13in (32cm) high.

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from July 21-Aug 1, 2020.

There is a phenomenon known in Germany as Ostalgie, which is a nostalgic feeling for the now defunct East German state (GDR).

There is absolutely no way that one can describe the decoration of a late 19th century Meissen ewer sold by Wendl (21% buyer’s premium) in Rudolstadt as restrained.

In his autobiography Georg Schrimpf described how he originally lacked the courage to become a painter and spent several years as a baker, a waiter and a coalman until he finally found the conviction to devote himself exclusively to art.

Two hundred eagerly awaited examples from Brockhaus collection generate suitable response.

Among the most important clients of the 18th century artist Pompeo Batoni was Domenico Orsini, Duke of Gravina, who went on to become Cardinal Domenico Amedeo Orsini d’Arago.

An oil painting by Alphonse Etienne Dinet from 1897 caused the greatest stir at a recent auction at Karl & Faber (25% buyer’s premium) in Munich.

Two lost folios from the 'Yongle Dadian', the Ming dynasty encyclopaedia that has assumed national treasure status in China, surfaced for sale in Paris last week.

This set of 40 Paris porcelain cabinet plates, c.1850, decorated with views of Constantinople, sold for €36,000/£32,730 (estimate €20,000-30,000) at a recent sale held by Dutch firm Oriental Art Auctions (28% buyer’s premium) in Hattem.

Bearing an estimate of just €100-150, a double-sided lot in a big Dutch sale attracted great international interest and ended up selling at €32,500 (£29,120).

The sale of the Müller-Frei collection of paintings and decorative arts held by Koller (25% buyer’s premium) in Zurich last month included two early 18th century Meissen figure groups that outstripped their estimates.