Decorative Art

The French sculptor Paul Comolera (1818-1897) first appears in the Minton records in October 1873 and is listed until 1876. During this short time, he created some of Minton’s greatest models of animals which were often observed from life.

This early 20th century Russian silver and cloisonné enamel pill box measuring just 1½in (3.5cm) across bears marks for Fabergé and Feodor Ruckert (1840-1917).

Two very different pieces of glass went way over the odds at a specialist sale at Dr Fischer (30% buyer’s premium) in Heilbronn.

Henry Piddington (1797-1858) was an English sea captain who sailed mostly in East India and China.

Two impressive vases from the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St Petersburg took top honours at the sale held by Auktionshaus OWL (27% buyer’s premium) on May 16 in Bad Driburg in North-Rhine-Westfalia.

This 10½in (26cm) high Meiji period cloisonné vase from the workshop of Namikawa Sosuke came for sale at Olympia Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) on May 6 with a primary provenance.

A true connoisseur’s collection of early silver greeted those who viewed the Woolley & Wallis (27/26% buyer’s premium) Fine Silver & Objects of Vertu sale in Salisbury on April 28-29.

As pre-sale Instagram posts go, the promo for the auction at Martel Maides (20% buyer’s premium) in St Peter Port, Guernsey, on May 1 was inspired.

Furnishings and personal items from Rydal Mount, the final home of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth, will be offered at auction this month.

The cuerda seca (dry cord or kashi) technique of decorating tiles was developed in Central Asia during the latter part of the 14th century.

The story of this late 19th century Russian beaker goes back to a boarding house in Harrogate in 1894.

From May 26-29 Gloucestershire auction house Kinghams held a spring exhibition titled 'William De Morgan Master Potter'.

Rare Renaissance item hammered at €450,000 is boosted by armorial for two significant families

Geneva’s blue ribbon jewellery sales are not the obvious place to find a suite of mid-18th century English silver dessert plates.

Among the highlights of the Fine Jewellery sale at Adam’s in Dublin on May 12 was this remarkable Louis XV hardstone, gold and gemset cane handle.

Sir Robert Walpole’s first seal salver re-emerged from a century in a US private collection to sell for a hammer price of $190,000 (£140,500) in New York.

A rare 18th century medal issued to commemorate the death of explorer James Cook is to become part of an exhibition marking the 300th anniversary of the explorer’s birth after being sold at auction.

London dealer Liliane Fawcett, who since 1984 has traded from Notting Hill as Themes and Variations, began acquiring Italian post-war glass just as the secondary market was forming.