Fine Art

This over life-sized marble bust depicts Emperor Didius Julianus, who ruled the Roman empire for just a few short months in the year 193AD. His fleeting 66-day reign took place during the tumultuous period known as ‘The Year of the Five Emperors’ and came to a grisly end when he was murdered by a common soldier.

Godwin Swifte, who styled himself as Lord Carlingford, was a member of one of Ireland’s notable families and a maverick of early flight.

Although the antiquities market is more stringently regulated than ever before, the possibility of illicit material continues to cause concern for collectors of antiquities. This places a greater financial value on pieces with long watertight provenances.

Among the top lots at Christie’s (25/20/13.5% buyer’s premium) trio of Old Master sales during ‘Classic Week’ was a rediscovered oil sketch by Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) for 'The Distribution of the Eagle Standards'.

A monogram and faint signature to a botanical study sold at Derbyshire saleroom Hansons (20% buyer’s premium) revealed it to be the work of celebrated Australian artist Sidney Nolan (1917-92).

On May 17 Stair Galleries in Hudson, New York, is selling the collection of Indian artefacts from the estate of David Swope of Ossining, NY.

Three modestly valued works selling at regional sales below £1001, including an oil by Paul Gauguin's son Pola.

An exhibition of works by René Gruau (1909-2004), whose illustrations helped to reinvigorate the Parisian fashion industry after the Second World War, features on the stand of Galerie Alexis Pentcheff at the inaugural 'Draw Art Fair London'.

This oil on canvas of A June Day, Ludlow by Beryl Maud Sinclair (1901-67) is among the works featured at Miles Wynn Cato’s final exhibition devoted to views of the Shropshire market town.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

An etching by Rembrandt (1606-69) offered by CG Boerner for a five-figure sum was among the stand-out Old Master sales during the recent London Original Print Fair.

This 1979 photograph by German artist Astrid Klein is among the works on show at The Arts Club in London this summer.

Hindman Auctioneers, formerly Leslie Hindman, is newly rebranded and has a busy calendar across its six US salerooms this year.

One of the few images of a 16th century Eastern potentate by a Western artist emerged from a ‘royal collection’ to sell for a multi-estimate sum at Sotheby’s.

Christie’s latest ‘Classic Week’ sales series put in a robust performance with sales of Old Master and 19th century pictures, sculpture and antiquities generating a premium-inclusive total of $79.5m (£61.16m).