Auctions

An unusual but welcome inclusion to the latest silver and vertu sale at Lawrences of Crewkerne was a medieval walrus ivory tableman or backgammon piece.

The English artist, illustrator and author Christopher ‘Kit’ Williams (b.1946) is best known for the book 'Masquerade', the pictorial storybook which contained clues to the location of an 18ct gold jewelled hare buried somewhere in the British countryside. It created quite a sensation in 1979.

This ‘Black Forest’ type clock on the theme of hunting is signed by Swiss master carver Johann Huggler of Brienz (1834-1912).

Rare and well-preserved armour from pre-history to the 17th century was well received in the pre-Christmas sales. Three examples are pictured here.

Any museum or collector seeking a centrepiece for their display need look no further than the Gatling gun – a pivotal invention that makes its presence felt by its sheer size and bling.

It was during the Carter, Stabler and Adams period in the 1920s-30s that some of the most memorable Poole wares were produced. Much of this Art Deco range – red earthenwares covered in a white slip and a semi-matt-glaze before decoration in a variety of Jazz Age patterns – was based on the work of chief designer Truda Carter.

Edged weapons from the East continue to feature regularly among the top lots in auctions across the world. Awareness of the rich array of culturally-significant weapons to be found in Western collections has grown as internet technology reaches a new international audience.

The New Year’s Day sale at Clarks in Liskeard included a collection of walking canes collected by the late actor Edward Woodward.

This 14in (35cm) earthenware ‘face’ charger made by Madoura to a design by Pablo Picasso carries an estimate of $2000-3000 at Neely Auction in Lantana, Florida, on February 16.

A sensitive portrait of a First World War soldier by the Irish painter William Orpen (1878-1931) was among a series of valuable lots chased by bidders at art sales in Dublin.

A picture of a famous Italian Grand Tour view by one of the best-regarded artists of the American Hudson River school of painting is one of the highlights of a sale at Skinner in Boston on January 24.

The two-day sale at Case Antiques of Knoxville, Tennessee, on January 25-26 includes a number of Liverpool creamware jugs depicting a range of subject matter.

On January 30, Millea Bros of Boonton, New Jersey, will offer more than 400 lots of English and American furniture and decorative arts from the estate of Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Seeler (1926-2018).

The impressive arms offered in London from a dealership which supplied weapons for many films were far from being just theatrical props

This carte de visite picturing the author Mark Twain (Samuel L Clemens) is signed and inscribed twice.

The sale of furniture and decorative arts at Hindman in Chicago on February 11 includes these two late 19th century gadget canes, both mounted with the insignia of British army regiments.

This 13in (32cm) Royal Worcester ewer decorated with owls by Charles Baldwyn (1859-1913) carries an estimate of $950-1050 at Broward Auction Gallery in Dania Beach, Florida.