London

An unexpected but welcome entry to Bonhams’ latest sale of Fine Books, Atlases, Manuscripts & Historical Photographs was a pair of 17th century linen, leather and black silk shoes.

It is not unusual to see Victoria Crosses making huge sums at auction, but last week the man who made these medals of gallantry was the one in the spotlight.

A drawing by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) sold to a phone bidder for £32,000 (plus 25% buyer’s premium) at Chiswick Auctions last week.

'Firsts, London’s Rare Book Fair' has announced a second digital staging to take place this month.

Mathematical work makes £300,000 in auction where composers also feature heavily

Bernard Shapero of Shapero Rare Books is among the newcomers to the Petworth Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair (September 11-13) this year.

According to his family, this French imperial naval eagle was purchased by the dealer Jack Webb (1923-2019) from a ‘totter’ in the early 1970s over the counter at his shop in Camden Passage.

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

While Sotheby’s and Christie’s shifted their main Old Master offerings to the end of July, Bonhams (27.5/25/20/13.9% buyer’s premium) maintained its auction earlier in the month with a sale in New Bond Street on July 7-8.

The lithographs of Alexander Calder (1898-1976) and Joan Miró (1893-1983) feature at Eames Fine Art’s exhibition Miró and Calder: Simpatico, which runs until August 30.

Leading works held back until mixed-category July auctions in a drawn-out sales season.

Sold at £140,000 in the first of two early manuscript sales held by Bloomsbury Auctions (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) on July 8 was a lot featured in the front page story in ATG No 2447.

Firsts of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice have made as much as £115,000* at auction.

Asian Art in London (AAL) is returning this year with a new format that splits the long-running event between Indian and Islamic art and east Asian art.

This brooch – an agate cameo in a diamond and enamel surround – has French assay marks for the Berlin-born, Paris-based historicist jeweller Jules Wièse (1818-90).

The highlight of Bonhams Australia’s (27.5/25% buyer’s premium) latest Jewels sale was this agate intaglio seal from the collection of Brisbane Catholic priest Father Peter Grice (1943-2019).