Germany

Among the hundreds of new products launched at the Exposition Universelle in 1900 was the so-called eggshell porcelain, produced by the Rozenburg Royal Delftware Factory in the Hague.

There were plenty of potential takers for a Sèvres cup and saucer from the 1840s which came under the hammer at Hargesheimer (28% buyer’s premium) in Dusseldorf on September 11-14.

A French gold and enamel box with an unusual decoration caught the eye of several bidders at Kendzia (16% buyer’s premium).

From October 17-20, the 15th edition of the prestigious fair Munich Highlights is opening its doors in the Residenz, the one-time city palace of the Bavarian royal family.

Schloß Ahlden (25% buyer’s premium) near Hanover was presumably expecting more than the modest estimate of €500 for an 18th century Chinese doucai dish (diameter 8in/21cm) that was to become one of the top lots of a recent auction.

This year, Munich auction house Ketterer (32/27/22% buyer’s premium) is marking its 70th anniversary and the evening sale provided plenty of opportunities for celebration.

Recent sales show the appetite for Chinese art from bidders with deep pockets is not at all diminished

Nagel’s (29.5% buyer’s premium) first sale dedicated to Fine Arts and Luxury in Stuttgart obviously caught the mood of the bidders.

In recent years, there has been an upsurge in interest for works by Adolph Menzel (see also ATG No 2649), whose works often go way above the guides and achieve unexpected six-figure prices.

Sometime c.1900, a craftsman or accomplished amateur spent a lot of time building or converting a 6ft 7in (2m) cupboard into a fully fitted dolls’ house.

Examples of products by Viennese factory founded 10 years after Meissen prove popular purchases

Selection of items by the Hungarian family firm date from most in-demand era of production

A fine example of Thai silversmithing sold well above its estimate for €17,000 (£14,400) at Historia Auctionata (27% buyer’s premium inc VAT) in Berlin on June 19. The 9in (23cm) parcel gilt and niello pumpkin-form tea kettle probably dated from the 1870s.

The Rare Books sale at Ketterer Kunst (25/20/19% buyer’s premium) in Hamburg on May 27 included this first edition dedication copy of Das Kapital (1867).

On May 8, Neumeister (30% buyer’s premium) in Munich sold the collection of Hans Constantin Faussner, a Bavarian lawyer and art collector.

It is safe to say that nowadays the image of a smoking dog would find little favour with animal rights activists or for that matter with the current (for now) UK Prime Minister.

A monumental painting of a fish market soared to unexpected heights at the May 16 auction at Lempertz (26% buyer’s premium) in Cologne.

June 2, 1878, began as a normal day in the varied life of the German artist Adolph von Menzel.