UK

Account of a double killing in 19th century Norwich heads a look at two-day auction.

Among a series of strong art sales reported from the recent LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair was an 18th century portrait of a lady offered by Jeremy Astfalck of The Old Corkscrew.

Banksy’s derisive portrayal of The House of Commons reduced to an assembly of primates achieved a record £8.5m (plus premium) in Sotheby’s Contemporary Art auction on October 3.

A missing Pugin parliamentary letter box has been returned to the Palace of Westminster more than 100 years after it disappeared.

A generation ago pieces such as this splendid 20in (50cm) famille rose ‘dragon’ charger from the Guangxu period (1874-1908) were valued chiefly as decorative objects. However, appreciation of the best quality porcelain produced in the last years of the Qing continues to grow.

For a number of years, the Colchester-born artist Harry Becker (1865-1928) followed the conventional path of a professional artist, achieving significant success and exhibiting regularly at the Royal Academy. But a growing disenchantment with London led to his ultimate departure in 1913 to Suffolk.

For the first Peterborough Festival of Antiques under IACF ownership, continuity was the order of the day. In future, however, the fair organiser will look to extend the appeal of this public-oriented event.

An oil on panel of The Tower of Babel, 1604, by Abel Grimmer (1570-1618/19), offered at £1.35m by Johnny Van Haeften was one of the stand-out sales during last week’s host of London art and antique trade events.

Original paintings by Abstract artist Nicolas de Stael (1914-55) rarely appear at auction outside the main salerooms in London, Paris and New York.

Malcolm Davidson died recently at the age of 85. For many years he ran City Fine Arts in the heart of the financial district of London offering furniture and unusual items to those working in the Square Mile.

The stylish Art Deco pottery figures for which Ars Lenci became celebrated were first shown at the Turin international exhibition in 1928.

Malvern event organisers have fully booked halls and hope for more exhibitors outside.

Pitched at £200-300, this Russian diptych icon shown below triggered wide pre-sale Russian and East European interest ahead of Elstob & Elstob’s 20% buyer’s premium) sale at Bedale.

This Resolution and Adventure medal is one of 2000 that were commissioned by the British Admiralty ahead of James Cook’s Second Voyage.

Taiwanese couple Haiwei Shao (left) and Daniel Hong travel regularly to the UK to buy antique jewellery at fairs and auctions as stock for their business in the South China Sea island state. The pair sell period jewellery online, at a local Taiwanese fair and by appointment.