Features

Tapestries featured at both Dreweatts’ Chilham Castle auction and Flaxley Abbey sale.

A round up of portrait miniatures appearing at auction and offered by dealers.

“I couldn’t have started collecting without the help and guidance of Robert Bayne-Powell (1910-94).

The market presence of Sarah Biffin (1784-1850), a portrait miniaturist born without hands, arms and legs, has been rising over the past few years.

Carved giltwood mirrors were in strong demand at Dreweatts, four of them among the five-figure prices.

Despite being buffeted by the vagaries of fashion and now the modern crusade against antique ivory, portrait miniatures have managed to keep a keen collecting base.

How can an enthusiast create a museum-quality collection without vast sums of money?

Despite their sterling service with the Allies, a large number of Polish soldiers could not return home when the fighting ended, as a fascinating archive reveals.

Lt William Emlyn Hardwick (1885-1918) was born in Brecon but by the time he enlisted to fight in the First World War he was living in Australia.

Stroud Auction Rooms’ sale on November 9-10 will feature over 1000 lots of guns, weapons, medals and militaria, including two notable collections.

A group of father-and-son lots related to the Royal Navy may have been small in size but revealed a combined service in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars that was lengthy.

Air Commander J Searby had a key role to play in the Peenemunde Raid targeting the V weapons factory during the night of the August 17-18, 1943, as part of the RAF’s elite Path Finder Force.

Relatively few gallantry medals available for what was short self-contained conflict, heroic stories involving highly collectable regiments, a relatively morally unambiguous backstory (for British collectors at least)… the Falklands War can generate high demand at auction.

When Bill Speakman won his Victoria Cross on November 4, 1951, fighting beside him was Corporal John Pender.

In 1888, in response to a tender issued by the War Office, Prof Archibald Barr and Dr William Stroud submitted an application for an optical range-finder patent to the Patents Office.

The awards shortlist for Asian Art in London’s East Asian art season has been announced. The Antiques Trade Gazette Award for Outstanding East Asian Work of Art from an Auction House and the Apollo Award for Outstanding East Asian Work of Art from a Dealer each have three finalists.

A selection of Japanese art on offer at upcoming sales in London and the regions

Maps for Indian & Islamic Art: 20-29 October / East Asian Art: 27 October-5 November.

Asian Art in London (AAL), the initiative that ties together auction houses and dealers in a common aim of promoting the UK as a market centre for Asian works of art, celebrates its 25th edition in 2022.

A selection of East Asian art on offer at upcoming sales in London and the regions