International

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.

In 1934, a meeting of two great modern painters took place in Bern. One of them was the Expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, who had left Germany shortly before the end of the First World War.

Both the first and the first trade editions of A Room of One’s Own (1929) were among a collection of eight Virginia Woolf lots included in the April 16 Rare Books, Autographs, & Maps auction at Doyle (28% buyer’s premium) in New York.

An “exceedingly uncommon” signed and inscribed photograph of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) earned top-lot honours in an Autographs sale held at Swann.

The illustrated book that Vasily Kandinsky published in 1913 under the title 'Klänge' (Sounds) is considered one of the finest examples of Expressionist literature.

Until now, paintings by the Dutch artist Lode Sengers (1896-1956) have rarely gone into four figures.

Many of the Austrian designer Gustav Gurschner’s works of art were driven by the new possibilities provided by electricity.

Book owner’s son realised the impact this landmark work would have

Part of the legend of escapologist Harry Houdini (1874-1926) rests on the hundreds of ‘challenges’ he accepted from manufacturers of packing cases, boxes, handcuffs and the like.

The Van Blarenberghes were a dynasty of artists from Lille in northern France.

A handkerchief made in early 19th century Scotland celebrating the 1776 Declaration of Independence and featuring portraits of George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson hammered for $55,000 (£40,425) at Eldred’s (26% buyer’s premium).

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

An original piece of Astérix cover art painted by Albert Uderzo (1927-2020) sold for an $360,000 (£267,000) at Heritage Auctions (25% buyer’s premium) in Dallas, Texas.

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

Two-in-one edition of the first and last Jane Austen novels had sat undisturbed in a hallway for over 50 years

An undated cast of Giambologna’s Allegory of Astronomy hammered for a remarkable $500,000 (£367,325) at San Rafael Auction Gallery in California.