Germany

Bronze works by the accomplished 20th century sculptor prove to be sought-after purchases

Fellow German artists Beckmann and Dix also starred during auctions held in Vienna and Munich

An unusual, slightly risky, but highly effective late 17th century alarm clock found a new owner at Dr Crott (25% buyer’s premium) in Mannheim.

Viking artefacts seldom appear at auction and when they do, they cause quite a stir.

The vast majority of the 116 known engravings created by the German artist Martin Schongauer in the second half of the 15th century are depictions of religious scenes or portraits of biblical figures.

Top Meissen pieces amassed by US buyer attract interest worldwide but many will stay in Germany

The 200th auction at specialist clock and watch saleroom Klöter’s (23% buyer’s premium) in Grafenau contained almost 950 timekeepers from all eras.

At Van Ham (27% buyer’s premium) in Cologne on November 12, the auctioneers were overwhelmed with bids when an early 20th century plaster copy of an iconic ancient Egyptian bust came up for sale with a guide of €6000.

Auction house Wendl (21% buyer’s premium) in Rudolstadt found fierce international interest for an early 19th century plate from the manufacture in Sèvres.

Between 1923, when he opened his workshop and 1935, the year he dissolved his company, the French goldsmith Jean Trotain primarily produced vanity cases and cigarette boxes for many of the most prominent designers of the Art Deco era.

The first-ever Leica die-cast camera, dating to 1933-34 and created by the Oskar Barnack, the father of modern 35mm photography, appeared as a landmark lot in the sixth sale from Wetzlar Camera Auctions (21.01% buyer’s premium) - held in the hometown of the manufacturer.

When he was 24, Carl Blechen abandoned his intended profession as a banker and devoted himself to painting.

Star of the show at Auktionhaus Heilbronn’s (21.7% buyer’s premium) latest sale of tinplate toys was a rare three-carriage Märklin train from the Rheinuferbahn, the line from Cologne and Bonn along the banks of the Rhine.

In the early years of the 20th century toy trains made in Germany were also aimed at the British domestic market, eagerly sold by retailers such as Gamages.

Among the attractions at Nagel’s auction of Asian art on December 9 in Stuttgart is a blue and white imperial vase from the Kangxi period (1662-1722).

A rare enamel advertising sign in almost perfect condition was the biggest eye-catcher at the recent dedicated sale held by specialist Pari (20% buyer’s premium) in the Bavarian city of Aschaffenburg.