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A long-lost sculpture made a reappearance this week as did a certain summer auction at Christie’s. Meanwhile, one reader took an ironic tone in responding to auctioneers’ commission rates. That and more at ATG this week – get a taste in our quotes of the week below.

Lamps designed by surrealist artist Salvador Dalí have been blocked from export in the hope a buyer can be found to pay £440,000 to keep them in the UK.

Bonhams is offering a portrait at its upcoming Old Master sale in London which is being billed as one of the earliest paintings of Sir Francis Drake.

Only 13 of the top 100 artists at auction last year were women, according to a recent analysis by the art market site MutualArt.

An archive of manuscripts and books from the French novelist Marcel Proust’s library realised a premium-inclusive €750,000 (£657,895) at Sotheby’s in Paris.

You can sleep easily now – we can announce that Emu, of Rod Hull and Emu fame – has found a very appropriate new home after being successfully sold at auction.

Christie’s will hold two contemporary art day sales in London this June. The announcement follows the auction house’s decision to drop its summer series in this category last year in favour of its March and October offerings.

A record-breaking year for Art Fund, including the purchase of £5.5m of art, is a ‘step in the right direction’ as the national charity seeks to increase its annual grant giving to £10m.

A famous Ronnie Barker script that first came to light during an episode of the Antiques Roadshow in 2006 is to be offered at auction this week.

When ‘collecting fields’ are talked about it can mean certain eras rather than just ceramics, glass or silver for example. The ‘heroic age of polar exploration’ is a classic example.

One of the few autograph works ever to have emerged at auction by the neo-classical sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1821) will be offered at Sotheby’s in London this summer.

An alternative to going to court over art world legal disputes will be launched in the Netherlands.

One of the starring lots at Chorley’s auction of items from British country houses this summer is a table from Cubberley House in Herefordshire.

Two Attic black figure vases that formerly belonged to Lucien Bonaparte, the younger brother of Napoleon, were acquired by the Louvre from an auction held at Drouot in Paris by Pierre Bergé et Associés (PBA).