Europe

I am a Dutch historian working on a biography of the Belgian nobleman Arthur Baron de Woelmont (1826-1911).

In the 16th century, so-called double mazer goblets were highly treasured works of art.

For many decades, the collection of the German industrialist Walter Bauer, who died in 1968, has been hidden from public view.

Early evidence suggests uncertainty is a major obstacle for the market

From the mid-18th century onwards, members of the Courvoisier family belonged to the most important and innovative watchmakers in Switzerland.

Around 1900, the majority of women employed in the ceramic industry worked solely in the decoration department, more often than not as painters.

In recent years, Germany has often shown itself to be a vibrant market for enamel signs, attracting international bidders who on several occasions have been willing to invest six-figure prices when rare pieces come under the hammer.

Arts & Crafts design for Liberty is highly prized at German auction

The oeuvre of the Alsatian painter Sebastian Stoskopff (1597-1657) is far from extensive. Only some 60 of his works are thought to exist, of which 26 are signed and 10 dated.

Falling-ball or falling-globe clocks are great horological rarities; only about 30 examples are thought to have survived since their construction in the second half of the 17th century.

In the extensive sale of October 22-25, Wendl in Rudolstadt will be selling the second tranche of the porcelain collection amassed by Kurt Adelsberger.

A late 19th century marble figure of David with the Head of Goliath at his feet was one of the stars at Neumeister (30% buyer’s premium) in Munich this autumn.

Example made in Gujarat or Goa goes to a Portuguese buyer

Among the countless designs that Josef Hoffmann, the Viennese architect and multi-talented driving force behind the Wiener Werkstätte, executed during his long career was a bowl with two scroll handles, sometimes described as a centrepiece.

On January 1, 1901, the German inventor Eduard Thürey applied for a patent for his typewriter design, the layout of which was completely different to all previous forms of writing machines.

In the 1950s-60s, the Yamazaki Gangu company, which traded under the internationally more recognisable name IY Metal Toys, was one of the leading Japanese producers of tinplate toys.