UK

A group of three watercolours depicting Indian scenes attributed to Major General John Brownrigg Ballasis (1806-90) attracted interest at a timed sale held this summer by 1818 Auctioneers (20% buyer’s premium) in Milnthorpe, Cumbria.

Focus on how one antiques centre survived and now thrives by being prepared to adapt

South London auction house decided to press pause but was rewarded with a bumper result

It was catalogued as 18th or 19th century but this 2½ x 3½in (6 x 8.5cm) ivory plaque was more probably a product of medieval Christendom.

Appropriately enough, the very first lot offered in a sale called Eureka! was one that focused on scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century, was an autograph manuscript of seven pages of annotated design drawings by Thomas Edison relating to his work on light bulbs.

Sunbury fair debut on London SW19 playing fields draws the Sunday punters after swift launch

Two very different Chinese vases took the limelight at a recent sale Fieldings (24% buyer’s premium inc VAT) in Stourbridge.

An intriguing Indian miniature portrait drew strenuous competition against an estimate of just £30-50 at Clarke’s (18% buyer’s premium) in Shaftesbury, Dorset.

Exhibition focuses on photographer famed for his celebrity subjects from musicians to actors

The Staffordshire Figure Association is hoping to drum up some interest with the creation of this postcard available to buyers and sellers of Staffordshire figures.

Furniture dealership Early Oak has moved from Burford in the Cotswolds to a more central location for all its UK buyers in Harringworth, near Northamptonshire’s border with Rutland.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

Though the first human in-socket artificial eyes were created by Venetian glassmakers c.16th century, the earliest evidence of ocular prosthesis was found in a female burial plot in Shahr-I Sokhta, Iran – dating back to 2900-2800 BC.

So-called ‘Black Forest’ carvings don’t get much better than this walking stick stand modelled as a seated hound next to a tree stump offered by Hannam’s (23% buyer’s premium) in Selborne, Hampshire.

Manuscript was brought to Italy from Constantinople and later printed in Vicenza

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from September 8-19, 2020.

Barney and Sam James own a huge warehouse showroom called The Home Bothy near Crawley in Sussex, currently only open by appointment.

This George I provincial silver coffee pot c.1720, offered by Elstob & Elstob (22% buyer’s premium) in Ripon on August 20, is a great rarity.

In the hierarchy of Royal Worcester fruit painters Frank Roberts (1857-1920) comes close to the top.

Indian miniatures are a common sight at UK auctions. With a keen, dedicated and often very knowledgeable collecting base, they remain a somewhat independent but active sub-set of the art market.