Europe

Irish auctioneers are split on whether to postpone sales to comply with the country's coronavirus social distancing rules, with some banking on internet bidding to continue to host auctions.

A private collection featuring Anglo-Indian and Islamic objects, amassed from Irish country house sales over a 60-year period, comes to auction in Durrow, Ireland on March 24.

The prestigious Paris drawings fair ‘Salon du Dessin’ has been postponed until the end of May as the outbreak of coronavirus in Europe continues to have a major effect on the fairs calendar.

Elizabethan silver rarely appears at auctions in continental Europe, so an upcoming collection being offered for sale at Koller in Zurich is something of a special occasion.

TEFAF Maastricht will close earlier than planned, at 7pm Wednesday, March 11.

The Paris drawings fair ‘Salon du Dessin’ is to go ahead as planned later this month, despite the new restrictions on public gatherings in France.

Monday in Maastricht at TEFAF was a quieter experience as visitor numbers (anecdotally) remained down into the second week of the art and antiques fair.

TEFAF Maastricht was visited by 4000 people on its Early Access day on Thursday, a 29% drop from last year.

Despite the apparent loss of some major international buyers due to fears over Coronavirus, the 33rd edition of TEFAF Maastricht hosted more dealers than ever, many of whom stayed cool and made sales.

The city of Maastricht itself will take pride of place on Daniel Crouch Rare Books’ stand at TEFAF, set to open tomorrow.