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Lawyers are warning UK art market businesses that they must overhaul their direct marketing to consumers ahead of seismic changes to data protection law from May 2018 – or risk hefty fines.

A pair of white glazed figures of musicians made by the Lowestoft factory c.1770 sold for £4000 at the July 18 sale at Keys (plus 20% buyer’s premium) of Aylsham.

As well as the Richard Platt consignment, David Lay offered more than 100 lots of modern art by a local Cornish family.

What better way to test your mettle as a novice auctioneer than to host a live sale with experienced auctioneers playing the part of bidders?

The art and antiques trade has criticised a report on the ivory market, arguing it “fails to distinguish between genuine works of art and the trade in modern carvings made from tusks”.

The Doccia factory is perhaps best known for its hard-paste sculptures – many of them near-direct copies in porcelain of 17th and early 18th century bronzes. The key figure is the talented modeller Gaspero Bruschi, himself a Florentine sculptor.

Condensed into one day instead of the usual two, the Summer Sale at Tennants (20% buyer’s premium) nevertheless provided a bird’s eye view of the middle market which these triannual ‘fine’ auctions at Leyburn traditionally offer.

More than 100 Russian paintings consigned from a single source went under the hammer at Moore Allen & Innocent’s (18% buyer’s premium) July 7 sale in Cirencester.

MADAM – I don’t know if your readers are aware but the future of Poole Pottery Studio in Poole is in danger as the lease is up on the building in which it operates.

Tim Goodman’s Fine Art Bourse (FAB) has fallen foul of Facebook’s nudity rules.

Found among the contents of a storage unit, a watercolour of Venice by Edward Lear (1812-88) starred in Brighton General Auctions’ (15% buyer’s premium) sale on July 28.

ATG’s weekly selection of items on sale at auctions and dealerships.

ATG’s selection of auction lots bought by internet bidders on thesaleroom.com from the period August 2-9, 2017. This includes both the highest prices over estimate and the top prices paid online.

Collectors of works by the Rhead family of potters will no doubt have September 5 already marked in their diaries.

MADAM – I write regarding the ban on passing on the cost of credit card transaction fees in our credit (debt)-obsessed society (ATG No 2302).

Below we present further highlights from the busy summer season that we didn’t have space for in earlier editions.