London

'Who’s Absent? Is it you?' Simple and direct, these words appear on a British First World War poster, produced as recruits began to dwindle.

George Sandeman works at The Armoury of St James’s, which specialises in works of art with a naval or military flavour. The three-floor shop is in London’s Piccadilly Arcade.

“Conteyning divers Excellent & Approoved Remedies in Physique – and Chirurgery…”, an early 17th century manuscript of some 130 or so pages that seems to have been intended for publication, brought a much higher than expected bid in a recent London sale.

Pittsburgh entrepreneur Joseph Calihan and his wife Brenda bought their first piece of Irish art – an oil by Paul Henry – in the early 1990s.

An American library on the history of computing formed by the late Erwin Tomash provided the new season’s first major sale.

“A truly beautiful medal and a royal provenance make this something quite out of the ordinary. And, without hesitation, we can say that it is unique.” Stephen Fenton, specialist at Baldwin’s of St James’s, singled out a George IV accession medal as a highlight of the Peter Earthy collection.

Gerard Sekoto (1913-93) is cementing his place as one of the most bankable names in the field of South African art.

Islington dealership Kevin Page Oriental Art is officially re-opening following a flood that forced many dealers in the area to close.

Two exhibitions in Mayfair this month offer a reappraisal of a clutch of artists who lived and worked in St Ives.

Matthew Adams’ monthly Frock Me! vintage fairs returns to Chelsea Old Town Hall on Sunday, October 7 after an extensive refurbishment at the hall this summer.

One of the earliest surviving incandescent light bulbs, made by the English physicist Sir Joseph Wilson Swan (1828-1914) in the 1870s, sold for £7500 (plus 25% buyer’s premium) at Bonhams’ sale titled Instruments of Science and Technology.

Japonisme, western art inspired by Japanese art and design, is the theme of the next Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair in London’s Battersea. At the event, which runs from October 2-7, a showcase in the foyer focuses on pieces that reflect the influence of Japanese design on European interiors.

Two early examples of Indo- Portuguese furniture sold for five-figure sums at auction this month.