London

A carving of a deerhound which once adorned a 19th century yacht more than doubled the house record for a figurehead at a Charles Miller auction in west London. The item sold for £52,000 had a royal connection but it was the quality and condition which secured the high price, said Miller.

Running from June 7-9 at Battersea Evolution, the upcoming ' 'Firsts: London’s Rare Book Fair' will feature 150-exhibitors.

This finely preserved Roman sports mask of a youthful African prince may depict Lusius Quietus (98- 117AD), one of Rome’s great cavalry commanders.

Thirty years ago organiser Matthew Adams launched his antiques fair held at the Royal Horticultural Halls.

This 1979 photograph by German artist Astrid Klein is among the works on show at The Arts Club in London this summer.

An exhibition of works by René Gruau (1909-2004), whose illustrations helped to reinvigorate the Parisian fashion industry after the Second World War, features on the stand of Galerie Alexis Pentcheff at the inaugural 'Draw Art Fair London'.

An etching by Rembrandt (1606-69) offered by CG Boerner for a five-figure sum was among the stand-out Old Master sales during the recent London Original Print Fair.

In the Classical world, the so-called pyxis – a small round box used for storing trinkets, ointments or cosmetics – was often made from wood and other materials, but rarely in gold.

Dr Ivan Bonchev is founder of Pax Romana in London, a specialist gallery and auction house offering ancient art and numismatics. He launched the business six years ago.

Although the antiquities market is more stringently regulated than ever before, the possibility of illicit material continues to cause concern for collectors of antiquities. This places a greater financial value on pieces with long watertight provenances.