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This Qing bronze fragment measuring a substantial 19in (47cm) across was once part of a magnificent sculpture of a crane that adorned an imperial palace.

Japanese antique ivories have been gradually disappearing from the catalogues of prominent dealers and major auction houses but good examples are still being sold in the regions.

Early Japanese porcelain models of animals are very rare, and this elephant form koro, c.1700, offered for sale as part of the Woolley & Wallis (25/12% buyer’s premium) Japanese works of art sale appears to be unrecorded.

The outstanding jade offered in the regions in the October-December period was this pale celadon teapot and cover that came for sale at Duke’s in Dorchester on December 8 from a Dutch private collection where it had been since the 1980s.

This Japanese cloisonné casket bears the mark for the Ando Company of Nagoya.

Hopes of an easier year seemed rather optimistic as 2021 opened but despite the pandemic disruption many art and antiques firms were able to do surprisingly good business…however, Omicron could put another spanner in the works as 2022 looms

ATG takes a look back at the key moments for the art and antiques world over 2021.

The Rolex Deep Sea Special, with its remarkable bubble case capable of withstanding huge pressure, was created in the early 1950s to test just how deep a diving watch could go.

Enicar watches do not have the instant brand recognition of a Rolex or Omega but they do share many of the same parts.

The impact of the First World War on the wristwatch as an accessory deemed suitable for men is well known.

If ever there were a price to demonstrate just how important condition has become in the top end of the collecting market then it is the record-breaking SFr2.55m (£2.065m) for a reference CK2915 Speedmaster at Phillips (26/21% buyer's premium) in Geneva on November 5.

In contrast to the red-hot trade in vintage and modern wristwatches, the market for antique pocket watches appears very low key. However, as demand for the better-quality pieces remains robust, not all are destined for the scrapheap. Richard Fox reports

This Charles II silver mounted coconut cup is particularly rare on account of its marks for the Hull silversmith Edward Mangie (1634-85).

Given their relatively small metal content, many silver-mounted ‘tigerware’ beer jugs survived the great bullion melting of the English Civil War, making them perhaps the most recognised example of late 16th century silver today.

In a recent Financial Times article titled 'Dangerous baubles for boys', historian and style journalist Nick Foulkes commented that a friend had “described my hands as looking like a cabinet of curiosities trying to emulate a pair of knuckledusters”.

As very personal items, typically weighing little more than an ounce of bullion, the most numerous silver survivors from the 17th century are spoons.

When Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685 (which had given religious freedom to French protestants), a flood of Huguenot refugees travelled across Europe to places where they could practise their religion in safety.

Many sales in late November and early December are assembled with presents in mind and silver and jewellery are much to the fore.

London’s historic diamond and jewellery quarter faces challenges but also opportunities

The V&A loses out in £23,000 bidding battle for Prince Albert’s drawings of the diamond and sapphire coronet he designed for Queen Victoria.