South-east England

The much-loved Petersfield Antiques Fair is back this month, and it has something to celebrate.

There is some discolouring and it appears to have spent some considerable time folded up, but this early 19th century vellum document signed “Bonaparte” as Premier Consul was sold for £3000.

Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807) was one of the most recognised artists of her day with her reputation spreading across Italy, France, Poland and Russia.

Dreweatts’ sale of Old Master, British and European art on March 2 includes a pair of portraits by Flemish artist Nicholas Joseph Delin (1741-1803).

A rediscovered work by ‘Uruguay’s most important painter’ Juan Manuel Blanes (1830- 1901) has sold for a record £1.15m in West Sussex.

A substantial Victorian monocular microscope auctioned by Flints (25% buyer’s premium) dated 1858 and 1863 on the objectives was not only a good bit of kit with lots of accessories included but came signed with the owner’s name in several places.

Dreweatts in Newbury has for sale this fine Victorian ‘weather station’ with a full provenance and a portrait of its former owner.

Trebling its high estimate in a sale in Surrey was a large, in fact elephant folio-sized Atlas Royal… from c.1733

Rachel Toy’s love of vintage started with trips to car boots sales with her mum in the 1980s and ignited a particular interest in 1960s and 1970s homeware. Today she runs Rachel’s Vintage Retro based in Pitstone in east Buckinghamshire.

A cache of material from descendants of the Starbuck family, a Quaker whaling family influential in both the abolitionist movement and the founding of Nantucket as a whaling centre, was the highlight of Catherine Southon’s sale on February 8.

The Shanghai Jubilee Medal was instituted in 1893 to mark the 50th anniversary of the first British consul created after the Treaty of Nanking in 1843.

A group of watercolours from the collection of the renowned botanist, entomologist William Curtis (1746-99), drew attention in a Surrey sale.

Kent auction house C&T has set up a US operation for militaria consignments.

Late 19th century Louis Vuitton Explorer trunks are a rare and desirable subset of vintage luggage.

Portrait of Lord Byron subject offered at Dreweatts auction demonstrates considerable skill of a British artist

Two organisers whose London events are on hold also run fairs outside the capital that are booming

In its earliest days flying was frequently lethal, in and out of combat.

Society portraits from the early part of the 20th century retain a good following at auction

Numerous works by Henry Williamson including fascinating inscriptions and annotations were offered in Chichester saleroom

While London gun-makers featured heavily – and lucratively – at Gavin Gardiner’s (25% buyer’s premium) auction of Modern & Vintage Sporting Guns on December 14, provincial makers also got a look in.