Europe

A tragic shipwreck provided the Danish marine painter Anton Melbye and his colleague John William Bottomley, a German of Irish origin, with a dramatic subject for their 2ft x 2ft 11in (60 x 90cm) oil painting The Wreck of the Anglo Saxon from 1863.

Although the rise of the internet during the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a number of galleries moving online, many have also decided to persist with their bricks and mortar approach. Here are two businesses building up their physical presence in the face of ongoing uncertainty.

Modern paintings and whole wunderkammer from a closed museum deliver sell-out response

Auction houses in Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland are adjusting their sales calendars to accommodate the latest set of Covid-19 restrictions.

Paris auction group Hôtel Drouot has reorganised its operations and will soon allow non-shareholder businesses to operate from its premises.

A rare scent bottle designed by one of the leading figures in the French Art Nouveau movement was the highlight of a sale of perfume bottles and jewellery held by Copages (23% buyer’s premium) at Drouot in Paris.

Robert Aronson runs Dutch family business Aronson Anitquairs, which launched in 1881 and today specialises in Delftware.

The rare Ankwe terracotta figure is attributed to ceramicist Azume of Goemai, who died c.1951. Her figures were made for women and important locals, and two other examples – the only others known – currently reside in The British Museum.

A number of six-figure prices for rare and interesting items were achieved when French auction house Rouillac (24% buyer’s premium inc VAT) staged its 32nd Garden Party sale.

Pictured here is one of a pair of Art Deco consoles by Gilbert Poillerat (1902-88) from c.1938 that will feature in a sale of 20th century Decorative Arts to be held by Tajan in its Paris rooms on November 17.

Our regular listing of British and Irish book auctions.

Turin dealership Caretto & Occhinegro Gallery has sold a previously unpublished oil by Jan Matsys (c.1510-75) to the Abbey of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice.

As travel possibilities opened up with the advent of railways and steamships, the question of how to transport belongings became an important one. One of the first manufacturers to tackle this with great success was entrepreneur and designer Louis Vuitton (1821-92).

A number of strong results for works by modern Vietnamese painters have been achieved in recent weeks in salerooms across France.

Our regular listing of British and Irish book auctions.

This Orientalist painting, 'Ecole coranique' by Etienne Dinet (1861-1929), will be offered by Jack-Philippe Ruellan in a sale in Vannes on November 7.

Two Old Master oil on panel paintings by 17th century Dutch artists featuring very different subjects were best-sellers in large mixed-discipline sales held in Paris and Monaco.

Pre-emption, the right of a French museum or institution to step in at the fall of the gavel to claim a lot at auctions staged in France for purchase at the hammer price, is a common occurence in such sales.

At Ivoire Nantes’ (24% buyer’s premium inc VAT) auction in the French city on September 29, this 2ft 1in x 3ft (64 x 91cm) signed pastel by Louise Abbemé (1858-1927), showing the actress Sarah Bernhardt seated, sold for €8200 (£7455).