UK

A number of portraits of women from different periods of history were among the most contested pictures at sales around the country in the early part of this year.

Bid to £2800 in a recent Norfolk sale was a detailed and now rare Map of the Parish of St Mary Abbotts, Kensington… dating from 1879.

At the recent Chelsea Antiques Fair a 19th century bronze bust of Isis by Pierre-Eugène-Émile Hébert was bought by an Egyptian businessman who came with no intention of buying anything specific.

At a mid or high-end art and antiques fair buyers can comfortably get round all the stands in a day and have time to browse, consider and discuss with expert dealers. Such events have a more relaxed and social vibe to them: dealers invite their clients along and hope to meet new buyers by attracting them onto their stands with eye-catching items and displays.

Antiques centres provide a treasure trove of objects from a wide array of dealers all under one roof and make a good destination for a trip that any antiques or vintage lover will enjoy.

Auction house Dix Noonan Webb (DNW) will be shortening its name to Noonans from the end of April.

Self-portrait sold to National Portrait Gallery by dealer who also plans an exhibition

An Isnik fritware tile familiar to ATG readers made its second visit to the saleroom last week.

During the Meiji period, the Kyoto artist and entrepreneur Nishimura Sozaemon (1855-1935) used Western mechanised weaving techniques to develop new styles of Japanese decorative textiles.

Teapots made in delftware were never particularly functional nor popular in either England or the Netherlands.

Harry Potter just keeps on doing well at auction, and Hansons (25% buyer’s premium), which has enjoyed a particularly close and profitable relationship with JK Rowling’s creation over the years, had more to offer in a March 9 sale.

Polar material in a travel and exploration themed sale held on March 2 by Bonhams (27.5/25/20/14.5% buyer’s premium) produced a bid of £24,000 for a letter that Robert Falcon Scott wrote to a friend, Lady Goodrich, about his planned British Antarctic Expedition of 1910.

Local appeal propelled a naïve painting of Farnham to 40-times its top estimate at Parker Fine Art Auctions’ (25% buyer’s premium) latest sale.

The Kent artist William Stephen Tomkin (1861-1940) is best known as a proficient watercolour painter of marine subjects and a draughtsman who worked for General August Pitt Rivers (of Oxford museum fame) between 1882-90.

Rebecca Scott runs Witney Antiques, which is one of the businesses taking part in this week’s 'Cotswolds Curated' event.

Dealer offers vintage and new design art after more than 30 years in family weaving company

Eight different colourways of the classic Whitefriars Banjo vase were offered in a single-owner private collection at Tennants (22% buyer’s premium).