UK

Pair of rare and early French examples offered separately create a bidding frenzy despite condition issues

This large 12in (30cm) hexagonal painted fritware tile from 16th century Damascus is decorated with one of the most recognisable Ottoman decorative motifs - the çintamani pattern.

The opening section of Duke’s latest Art & Design post 1880 sale was devoted to the ‘forgotten’ artist Kathleen Muriel Scale (1913-2006).

London has a new boutique auction house with the launch this month of Azca Auctions in Hammersmith, west London.

More paintings on offer in Dorest saleroom from the Cornish ‘school’ show the market strength

The Alfred Jewel is a famous piece of Anglo-Saxon goldsmith craftmanship, a gold-mounted piece of rock crystal enamelled with a portrait of a man and the inscription translating as ‘Alfred ordered me to be made’.

It was on March 1, 1849 that Nathaniel Cook, the editor of the Illustrated London News, registered the design that would provide the ancient and cosmopolitan game of chess with its first standardised set.

“Siege notes are a niche but popular subsidiary of military banknote collecting,” says Andrew Pattison, head of the Banknotes Department at Noonans (24% buyer’s premium).

An autographed photograph of Charles Darwin (1809-82) described as “very scarce” by Hansons (26.5% buyer’s premium) sold for £8500.