Europe

The biblical story of Susanna and the Elders, also known as Susanna Bathing, has inspired artists throughout the centuries, among them Jan Lievens who painted this version in c.1630.

The contents of the Bishop’s House in Newry, standing on the Clanrye river in counties Down and Armagh, were sold by Victor Mee (20% buyer’s premium) earlier this year.

As a token of their appreciation for his work as administrator of the region around the German town of Geldern, a few miles from the Dutch border, 16 mayors from local towns presented the Prussian politician and bureaucrat Georg von Eerde with a monumental silver centrepiece.

A tribal art sale held by Lempertz (26/20% buyer’s premium) in Brussels earlier this year was led by an exceptional nkisi nkondi figure. Guided at €70,000-80,000, it hammered at €320,000 (£264,500).

A fine example of early 18th century Ottoman metalwork sold for many times its estimate at Stockholms Auktionsverk (20% buyer’s premium) on February 20.

Two unusual books took top honours at a Neumeister (30/27/25% buyer’s premium) auction in Munich, both achieving multiples of the estimates.

As with Pierre Jeanneret and his vision for Chandigarh in India, Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012) is famous for his involvement in the city of Brasilia as chief architect.

Swedish civil engineer and army officer with great understanding bought the best impressions available

Dealer Patrick Mestdagh (Galerie Patrick & Ondine Mestdagh) has partnered with gallery owner Sébastien Janssen (Sorry We’re Closed) to launch a new art and antiques fair in Brussels.

Before his death on St Helena, Napoleon Bonaparte said: “What nothing will erase, what will live forever, is my Civil Code.”

A hit at TEFAF was a rediscovered portrait that Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) painted in 1897 of Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona, from the Ga people of west Africa.

A landscape by Gottardo Guido Segantini (1882-1974) was the highly fought-after favourite at Döbritz (26% buyer’s premium) in Frankfurt on February 22.

The continuing interest of international collectors for ceramics by the Zsolnay factory in Pécs in south-west Hungary could be seen at a recent auction held by Mehlis (24% buyer’s premium) in Plauen.

One of the factors that made the Mona Lisa probably the most-visited work of art in the world was that the painting was stolen from the Louvre in 1911.

Late 18th century Order of the Garter soars way over estimate as part of an Austrian sale

One of several known versions of the most famous painting by Gabriel von Max (1840-1915) caused quite a stir at Plückbaum (26.5% buyer’s premium) in Bonn.

Collectors and institutions flooded into the huge art fair for an ‘exceptional calibre’ of works on display