International

Musical manuscript and portrait on song in salerooms.

In the third multi-million-pound sale this year of a rediscovered Old Master at a provincial French auction house, a late Gothic panel offered at Cortot & Associés of Dijon brought a dramatic competition late last month.

Consigned from a scholarly collector in New Zealand, a pair of relief-carved ivory panels was the among the highlights of Fonsie Mealy’s (22% buyer’s premium inc VAT) Castlecomer sale on November 26.

Copy of only the fourth book to be printed using the new types comes to auction

This portrait by Nicolas Régnier (1588-1657) of a richly attired lady possibly depicts Maria Farnese and appears to have been executed when the artist was in Modena where he painted several portraits of members of the d’Este court.

A fine-looking copy of the 1931, US first of The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett sold right on the low estimate at $60,000 (£46,875) at Christie’s New York (25/20/13.5% buyer’s premium) to match a previous auction high.

Besch holds its traditional winter sale series from December 27-31 at the Hotel Martinez in Cannes. Wines, champagne and spirits; Impressionist and Modern art; designer watches, pens, jewellery and coins all feature.

Our regular listing of British and Irish book auctions.

Bruneau closes the year with a December 14 sale of Comics and Toys, for which Travis Landry, its director of pop culture, will join forces with ‘event entertainment company’ Altered Reality Entertainment.

A Japanese Meiji period shibayama inlaid lacquer shodana will feature in the Asian works of art section of Weschler’s Capital Collections auction on December 13 in Rockville, Maryland.

A pair of Castelli maiolica plaques will feature in Artcurial’s mixed-discipline sale of furniture and works of art in Paris on December 16-17.

On January 11-12 the specialist doll auction firm Theriault’s will be offering the collection of an American heiress, the late Huguette Clark.

A selection of books relating to conjuring dating back to the 17th century is one of the features of the latest Potter & Potter Magic sale to be held on December 14 in Chicago.