UK

Before the poet Edward Lear sent the owl and the pussycat out to sea in a beautiful pea green boat in his 1867 poem, he combined them in this c.1846 watercolour.

Dealer Julie Brisbane’s triannual Antiques in Tents has been described in glowing terms by an American visitor as “a fair with a fantastic range and quality and probably the most enjoyable and charming fair I have ever visited”.

A view by Yorkshire artist Fred Elwell (1870-1958) of his beloved local town, Beverley, took £13,000 at local saleroom Hawleys (15% buyer’s premium) on April 9.

Daniel Levy opened his gallery, Daniel Raphael, in Church Street, Marylebone, earlier this year. The contemporary art gallery features the works of emerging and established artists. In the future he plans to increase his involvement in the fair scene.

The biannual National Vintage Fishing Tackle Fair at the Redditch Sports Centre in Redditch on Sunday, May 14, which has been fully booked for months, is the last to be held at this venue in its 13 years of existence, as the centre is closing.

Symbols of good fortune and longevity in both China and Japan, cranes cast in bronze with incised decoration were simply catalogued as oriental at the April 10 sale held by Edinburgh auction house Thomson Roddick (16% buyer’s premium).

A painting of St Tropez by the Fauvist painter Charles Camoin (1879-1965) went under the hammer for the first time in more than half a century at Gildings (15% buyer’s premium).

Reversing the usual pattern where it is an author’s first book that makes the big money, it is the last of the 38 books featuring Richmal Crompton’s most famous children’s book creation that has for many years been one of the most expensive purchases for collectors.

Not so much in demand as they once were, Royal Doulton figurines still have their devoted following, particularly when they are rarities such as the Lady Jester (HN1222) piece offered at Michael J Bowman (17.5% buyer’s premium) sale at Chudleigh on March 25.

English and Continental Antiques, the Suffolk dealership, has its second selling exhibition of 2017 on May 27.

Overshadowed by the boom in Chinese works and contemporary art they may have been, but the rise in demand for British studio ceramics has been the talk of the market these last few years.

Brexit, rising inflation and now the distraction of a snap general election has left a feeling in the picture trade that the good start to the year may begin to fade.

More than 130 original artworks by the artist, sometimes savage political cartoonist and stage designer, Gerald Scarfe, were offered by Sotheby’s (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on April 5.

If you are interested in Chinese mother-of-pearl gaming counters then it’s a pretty good bet that the name Bill Neal will also come up.

In the continuing series looking through the keyhole of ‘bricks and mortar’ shops in 2017, ATG talks to Stuart Watson who runs St. Reatham Antiques.