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Rising in inverse ratio to the decline in classic English furniture has been the interest in 20th century design pieces such as the silver birch table and four chairs sold at Spicers (20% buyer’s premium) in Driffield on November 29.

A collection of vintage travel posters included a number with the added advantage of local appeal when offered by Penzance auction house David Lay (18% buyer’s premium).

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

This portrait by Nicolas Régnier (1588-1657) of a richly attired lady possibly depicts Maria Farnese and appears to have been executed when the artist was in Modena where he painted several portraits of members of the d’Este court.

David William Stoddart, trading as Black Ink Prints, passed away suddenly on November 20 aged 62. Much loved and sadly missed.

A round-up of art and antiques news from the previous seven days, including the sale of leather riding boots owned by Napoleon at a Paris auction.

Part toy, part biscuit tin, the crossover appeal of a 1929 Huntley & Palmers product helped it to star at Hansons’ (20% buyer’s premium) five-day 2100-lot marathon antiques and collectors sale.

In a large collection of fountain pens offered at Cornish auction house Barbara Kirk (15% buyer’s premium) most well-known makers were represented, but among the rarer ones were no fewer than 19 by the Italian manufacturer Omas.

A Post-Impressionist painting of a horse-drawn hansom cab by Robert Bevan (1865-1925) was one of the headline lots at the Modern British art sales in London.

Three modestly valued works selling at regional sales including a John Piper church screen print.

A central Edinburgh location, men wearing tartan trousers and kilts and a bagpiper greeting guests: three ingredients suggesting that Lyon & Turnbull has hosted the most Scottish of parties to celebrate 20 years since its renaissance as an auction house.

Watercolour collection sold at auction represents a ‘who’s who’ of the city in the 1830s

An early watercolour by Isabel Codrington (1874-1943) depicts the Norse legend of the goddess Iduna and King Thiassi, who disguised himself as an eagle to kidnap her.

A fine-looking copy of the 1931, US first of The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett sold right on the low estimate at $60,000 (£46,875) at Christie’s New York (25/20/13.5% buyer’s premium) to match a previous auction high.

Fewer than 30 works are known by the Victorian artist and noted Suffragette Susan Isabel Dacre (1844-1933).

Besch holds its traditional winter sale series from December 27-31 at the Hotel Martinez in Cannes. Wines, champagne and spirits; Impressionist and Modern art; designer watches, pens, jewellery and coins all feature.

David Secrett began his working life apprenticed to a church organ-builder. After a spell as an RAF instrument-fitter and Russian linguist, he returned to organ-building and later moved to the workshops of the Science Museum in London.

MADAM – I was surprised by your editorial on 1stdibs last week and what it implies (News, ATG No 2419).

A piece of Orientalist art by German-born watercolourist Carl Haag (1820-1915) drew multiple bids at Maidenhead saleroom Dawson’s (23% buyer’s premium).

The binding of a copy of 'Vocabularis rerum' of Wenceslaus Brack sold in a recent West Sussex sale was a 19th century one and now broken, but this was in its time a very popular and much reprinted work.