Auctions

Many single-owner collections appeared in the pages of ATG this year, usually as they came up at auction. The silver collection of the late Michael Baggott and the art, books and memorabilia collection of the late Barry Humphries were among the stand-out sales.

Dehua blanc de chine figures of Guanyin – the goddess of compassion, protector of mariners and bringer of sons – often carry the impressed double gourd seal of the great 16th or 17th century ceramicist He Chaozong.

The latest sale at Alastair Gibson Auctions in Kent was led by a stellar example of Meiji or Taisho era cloisonné: a pair of imperial presentation vases by Nagoya master Hattori Tadasaburo.

While the market for post-war Whitefriars has waxed and waned in the past three decades, in 2025 several very active collectors have driven saleroom prices forward once again. It has been a strong year for the Geoffrey Baxter Textured range in particular.

Pocket watches owned by Horatio Nelson, Thomas Hardy and Cuthbert Collingwood and consulted throughout the Battle of Trafalgar were sold together as a single lot in London on December 9.

The Distinguished Conduct Medal awarded to Private Samuel Vickery of the Coldstream Guards who kept Florence Nightingale safe during the Crimean War is to be offered at Noonans on January 14.

With works by female artists now having a much higher profile among Old Masters than in the past it was not surprising to see a painting by the famous French portraitist Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) among the best-sellers in a September sale of works from a country house in Brittany.

Before the August 8 Historical Manuscripts sale at Heritage Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) in Dallas, specialist Sandra Palomino fielded many questions about one lot in particular.

Our regular listing of books and works on paper sales

Draft of a speech by the author written when he had fled US slavery appears for sale in modern-day Ohio

Our selection of lots from four upcoming auctions

The Ivoire group of auction firms has salerooms across the French regions that regularly hold auctions covering a range of specialist categories as well as more general sales.

Four complete catalogues for the ground-breaking 1913 Armory Show, bound into a single volume, hammered for $7000 (£5315) against a guide of $10,000-15,000 at Swann (27% buyer’s premium) on October 23 in New York City.

Two views of Chelsea Old Church by Walter Greaves (1846-1930) emerged at different salerooms in recent months.

Luxurious interiors, plush fittings, ornate signs and stylish promotion provide a plethora of entry points

ATG’s pick of auction lots bought by internet bidders on thesaleroom.com, featuring both the highest prices over-estimate and the top prices paid online