Features

Birmingham-born Roy Elvis (1944- 2022) inherited his family interest in antiques and started collecting furniture and decorative arts from an early age.

A pair of militaria highlights related to Irish regiments that came up in recent auctions.

A rare Second World War helmet worn by members of a little-known unit of the UK home front comes for sale at Sworders on February 7.

A selection of militaria with solid Sussex interest appeared at Lewes saleroom Wallis & Wallis (22% buyer’s premium).

Specialist buyers turn out in force to bid for rusty ‘warts and all’ weapons amassed by dealer-collector

A major draw to a recent Dreweatts’ (25% buyer’s premium) sale of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art was a cache of Qing porcelain and hardstone carvings previously owned by Anthony de Rothschild (1887-1961).

Dreweatts’ (25% buyer’s premium) ‘part II’ sale of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art at the end of last year included Chinese export porcelain from ‘the china store of a Somerset country house’.

By illustrating and combining popular folk songs with scenes of dramas of the time, the artist or workshop named Ding Liangxian created a new type of woodblock print for urban Chinese audiences in the second quarter of the 18th century.

The Rokujuyoshu Meisho Zue (Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces) series was the last great landscape work created by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858).

The Komai family of sword makers and armourers were among the many Japanese metalworkers courting a new clientele during the Meiji period (1868-1912).

The sale at Kinghams (23% buyer’s premium) in Moreton-in-Marsh included a 12in (30cm) carved cinnabar lacquer dish dating from the late Yuan or early Ming period – c.1350-1400.

A large reticulated ‘dragon and phoenix’ censer came for sale at Mallams’ (25% buyer’s premium) in Cheltenham from a Herefordshire vendor whose family had lived in Shanghai in the 1930s.

Neolithic jade congs – the inspiration for many pieces of Qing and later porcelain – are probably some of the most intriguing objects from ancient Chinese culture.

Vietnamese buyers have sent the best works of art from the Le (1428-1789) and Nguyen (1802-1945) dynasties to unchartered territory in recent years.

Creative examples featured in recent UK auctions show the influence of religion and culture on the Manchu rulers of the Qing

A small and recently discovered painting by Peter Lanyon (1918-64) emerged at Kinghams’ (23% buyer’s premium).

While Ascot Gold Cups are not uncommon, the sight of two heading down the home straight to a rostrum finish on the same day was definitely rare.

Anna Zinkeisen (1901-76), who painted 'The Boxing Match' depicting a bout from 1928, enjoyed publicity from the painting at the time.

In its stable of women artists Modern British art specialist Osborne Samuel features Sybil Andrews (1898-1992).

Dealer Karen Taylor is among those noting that “collectors seem to be following the trend set by museums and buying more work by women”.