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Artcurial’s (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) auction focus on Charlotte Perriand, the celebrated 20th century French designer and a current hot ticket in the design market, took the form of a select sale of just 20 lots chosen to showcase her strengths and versatility.

Masters of Design are very much in the spotlight in Paris at the moment. A week after Artcurial’s Charlotte Perriand sortie on October 31, Sotheby’s Paris (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) was mounting its traditional autumn sale devoted to major works from the Art Nouveau, Art Deco, post-war and modern design periods.

Figuring why a specific lot did unexpectedly well is part and parcel of reviewing auctions but this oil on board lunette of a pastoral idyll below is more of a challenge than most.

Published by Ackermann in 1819 in its ‘Repository of the Arts’ journal, Four & Twenty Hobby-Horses All of a Row is an amusing coloured aquatint, accompanied by verses (by one L Harrison) that begin “Hobby’s the word, and onward sliding, All London Town is set a-riding:”.

A heartbreaking letter dated March 1916 enclosing a diamond ring found by a dealer in a Victorian chest of drawers he bought at a recent IACF Shepton Mallet fair has sparked an intriguing search.

'A Dawn', a 1914 picture by CRW Nevinson (1889-1946) in his trademark Vorticist style has been consigned to Sotheby's from a private source.

This evening village scene by the landscape painter James Hamilton Hay (1874- 1916) drew multiple bids at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood (21% buyer’s premium) in Exeter on October 3.

Among recent highlights at the Drouot in Paris, Beaussant- Lefèvre’s (21.53% buyer’s premium inc VAT) classic sale of Old Masters, furniture and works of art on October 18 produced a substantial €265,000 (£240,910) for a modestly estimated bronze of the goddess Diana.

Classic names of 20th century design and a high-priced mystery artist provided the eye-catchers outside the fine art at the October 26 Decorative, Contemporary Art and Design sale held at Ewbank’s (22.5% buyer’s premium).

Our weekly selection from salerooms and dealerships.

Our weekly selection from salerooms and dealerships.

TEFAF Maastricht has added ‘TEFAF Tribal’ as a new category to its 2018 edition in a move that points to the ongoing strength of the tribal art market.

The Louvre museum in Paris is hoping to raise more than £8m to buy a jewel-encrusted Book of Hours.

The large pockets once inserted at the side of this leather armchair – now sealed up – give a clue to the role of the famous person who once sat on it. The chair’s nickname of ‘The Emma’ is another big hint.

ATG’s selection of auction lots bought by internet bidders on thesaleroom.com from the period October 19-25, 2017. This includes both the highest prices over estimate and the top prices paid online.

“A very niche but hugely vibrant market,” said specialist auctioneer John Morgan of the hobby of live-steam modelling.

Brought about by the sad death of one of the collecting scene’s more colourful characters, the sale of the Adrian Cowdry Collection at Ewbank’s (22.5% buyer’s premium) at Woking on October 12-13 attracted bidders from round the world.

Further items from the talented Yeats family are heading to auction this autumn.

MADAM – Recently there have been several national press reports claiming that the UK is the world’s largest exporter of ivory. I felt your readers should know that this is not accurate.