UK

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

Though the first human in-socket artificial eyes were created by Venetian glassmakers c.16th century, the earliest evidence of ocular prosthesis was found in a female burial plot in Shahr-I Sokhta, Iran – dating back to 2900-2800 BC.

Furniture dealership Early Oak has moved from Burford in the Cotswolds to a more central location for all its UK buyers in Harringworth, near Northamptonshire’s border with Rutland.

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from September 8-19, 2020.

So-called ‘Black Forest’ carvings don’t get much better than this walking stick stand modelled as a seated hound next to a tree stump offered by Hannam’s (23% buyer’s premium) in Selborne, Hampshire.

Manuscript was brought to Italy from Constantinople and later printed in Vicenza

Barney and Sam James own a huge warehouse showroom called The Home Bothy near Crawley in Sussex, currently only open by appointment.

Indian miniatures are a common sight at UK auctions. With a keen, dedicated and often very knowledgeable collecting base, they remain a somewhat independent but active sub-set of the art market.

The Petworth Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair (September 11-13), is a big step towards getting back to business as usual for many dealers and collectors.

The two-day Hackney Fleamarket is back at Abney Hall on Stoke Newington’s Church Street with all sorts of vintage pieces including lighting (as in this picture below), suitcases, posters, maps, furniture, ceramics, glass, jewellery and records.

This George I provincial silver coffee pot c.1720, offered by Elstob & Elstob (22% buyer’s premium) in Ripon on August 20, is a great rarity.

In the hierarchy of Royal Worcester fruit painters Frank Roberts (1857-1920) comes close to the top.

Derbyshire auctioneer Charles Hanson has purchased the assets of two struggling UK salerooms: Charles Ross Auctioneers in Woburn and Holloway’s in Banbury.

An unexpected but welcome entry to Bonhams’ latest sale of Fine Books, Atlases, Manuscripts & Historical Photographs was a pair of 17th century linen, leather and black silk shoes.

Among the contents of the home of the late Dame Elisabeth Frink (1930-93) and later her son, Lin Jammet (1958-2017), offered at auction last week, was the sculptor’s Royal Academy diploma.