International

Alchemical work is best-seller as Vishniac lots create a valuable mix in the saleroom

Strawser auction group holds a three-day sale series in Indiana on May 25 & 27-28.

Two upcoming lots at US book auctions.

In what was the auction house’s most successful sale ever in financial terms, and one that boasted a 97% selling rate, a March 4 sale at Potter & Potter (20% buyer’s premium) was led at $65,000 (£49,240) by a 'Narrative of Colonel Ethan Allen’s Captivity from the Time of his Being Taken by the British, near Montreal… in 1775, to the Time of his Exchange…in May 1778'.

A selection of 14 upcoming lots from auctions taking place around the UK and overseas.

Though it is the pineapple that is most prominent, it is the assortment of creatures that flutter around, climb or emerge from its leaves that are the principal attraction of this coloured plate, below.

If social media makes you feel like Big Brother is watching you, and if truth occasionally feels stranger than fiction, then like many bibliophiles you might be exploring books that suggest models for society and the role of the individual.

The six lots described here are drawn from a hugely successful sale of comics and comic art held in Dallas by Heritage (20% buyer’s premium) over four days, from April 7-10.

Specialist toy sales held in April on either side of the Atlantic have yielded some notable prices for items from two specific categories: toys relating to Popeye and a collection of toy boats.

A fair featuring books, posters, photographs, pictures and records covering Surrealism, counter culture and underground movements will take place in Paris this summer.

A soapstone seal used by the emperor Qianlong to express his approval of paintings and calligraphy in the imperial collection sold at auction in Hong Kong for HK$131m (£13m) on April 29.

Jason Nazmiyal is the founder of Nazmiyal Collection in New York and specialises in turn-of-the-century antique and vintage rugs and carpets.

Even though the head of the Christ Child was missing, numerous bidders joined in the action when a carved figure of the Madonna with Child came up for sale in Düsseldorf.

The countless designs for furniture and decorative arts created by Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine, who were known as Napoleon’s architects, not only found favour with the French emperor but also had an enduring influence on cabinetmakers throughout Europe.

The Bizen ware of Kaneshige Tōyō (1896-1967) and the Hagi ware of Miwa Kyūwa (1895-1981) star at 'Branching Out', an exhibition at Joan B Mirviss of New York.

The Romanian artist Victor Brauner is known above all for his disturbing Surrealist paintings, often incorporating violent scenes.

One of the last five works created by the German Expressionist August Macke is for sale at Ketterer Kunst after being family owned for almost 100 years.