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Established dealers are calling for a “shake up” at the venerable TEFAF Maastricht in the wake of its 30th showing last month. Proposals include moving the fair to Amsterdam, making it shorter and including fewer exhibitors.

A fairly early example of a traditional way of insulting Britain’s enemies up to and including the Second World War, this early 19th century twin-handled chamber pot was rated at £2200 by bidders at Lockdales (18% buyer’s premium) at Ipswich.

This Japanese rice paper drawing was among a number of lots to draw strong bidding at Dreweatts and Bloomsbury’s (24% buyer’s premium) offering of the Jan Krugier collection.

As evidenced by prices recently recorded on these pages for Meiji and earlier material, collectors and dealers have been ahead of the City analysts currently looking at the revival of the Japanese stock exchange.

A trio of watercolours painted by British topographical artist Frank Dillon (1823-1909) were among the highlights of Diamond Mills’ (15% buyer’s premium) March 8 sale in Felixstowe, Suffolk.

The Art Basel Report was the first by Dr Clare McAndrew since leaving TEFAF where she had compiled a report since 2008.

The highest price for a picture sold in the regions this year came when a large painting by Edmund Blair Leighton (1853-1922) drew dramatic bidding at House & Son (17.5% buyer’s premium) in Bournemouth on March 21.

From different centuries and different cultures – same surprising high results for these two toys offered at Tamlyns’ (18% buyer’s premium) sale at Bridgwater on February 15.

Private works on a European theme yield strong prices in Cambridgeshire sale...

Hit by a lack of top-end auction consignments, the global art market declined markedly in 2016, according to the latest art market report.

Auctioneers are gearing up to win business and take on staff in the wake of the closure of Christie’s South Kensington later this year.

Seen here is one of 13 coloured lithographs by Marc Chagall that make up Tales from the Arabian Nights, a special, deluxe portfolio printed by Albert Carman and published by Pantheon Books in New York in 1948.

The wide-ranging sale at Hansons (17.5% buyer’s premium) at Etwall on February 21 included a 20-lot section of fountain pens which offered a brief overview of this largely affordable area of collecting.

Found in a Somerset house clearance, this Chinese jade study of an Asian citrus fruit known as Buddha’s hand generated interest beyond its diminutive 3in (8cm) size at Greenslade Taylor Hunt (19.5% buyer’s premium) at Taunton.

Shropshire auctioneer sells ‘cartographic cornerstone’ of Tex-Mex history at surprise £16,500...

Why, aided by the search engine, ethnographica is assuming greater importance for regional rooms...

The Dinky Toys journey began hot on the heels of the success of Meccano’s ‘Modelled Miniatures’ series of railway accessories, launched to accompany its Hornby train sets.