UK

An eclectic array of modern art stood out at the Roseberys London (23% buyer’s premium) sale of 20th century art and design.

A copy of the posthumously published, 1633 first edition of John Donne’s Poems in a neatly rebacked but contemporary sheep binding is a desirable volume in itself.

Highlights from dealer Bernard Jacobson’s huge collection of prints by Henri Matisse (1869-1954) are currently on offer at his London gallery.

The family of the late Paul Whitfield are holding an event in London on the evening of September 26 to celebrate his life. Contact paulwhitfieldmemorial@gmail.com for details.

Celebrating 10 years of sales at Sworders’ (23% buyer’s premium) custom-built auction house (the firm has actually been going since 1782), chairman Guy Schooling was in a justifiably buoyant mood.

More than £35,000 worth of Modern British art from a single-owner collection sold at Bellmans (22% buyer’s premium) in Winchester on June 27-28.

There were two 1997, first-impression copies of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the June 21 sale held by Bonhams.

Jackie King is an art consultant with a background working in Old Masters for dealers including Silvano Lodi and Brian Koetser. She lives and works in London.

In terms of lot numbers, the major single contribution to Sworders’ anniversary sale (see main Auction Reports this edition) on June 19-20 was the estate of the late Annabelle Comery, an inveterate and wealthy collector who had lived on Alderney in the Channel Islands.

A still-life by Scottish Colourist George Leslie Hunter (1877-1931) not seen on the market for nearly half a century took £72,000 at Hansons (20% buyer’s premium).

One of a collection of ornithological and other natural history works from a country house library offered in an Edinburgh sale was a scarce, complete copy of a work that created a bitter fall-out between author and illustrator.

'Peu à Peu Sortant de la Brume', a 1969 screenprint by Ceri Richards (1903-71) is part of the annual summer show at Oriel Tegfryn in Anglesey.

“My granny used to say, if you get stuck sell the French table,” the vendor told Harrogate auctioneer Elizabeth Pepper-Darling.

Found in a garden shed during a house clearance, this unrestored version of a classic c.1950 pedal car, below, attracted bidders online, on the phones and in the Wolverhampton rooms of Cuttlestones (17.5% buyer’s premium) on June 22.

Issued by ‘Hunt & Sons, Card Makers to His Majesty’, a ‘Great Mogul’ deck of playing cards of c.1830, the labels that seal the packaging still unbroken after all those years, featured in a recent Suffolk sale.

Penman Antiques Fairs’ third annual event at Burford School includes among its offerings a classic ceramic lion figure by Swedish designer Lisa Larson.

New culture minister Jeremy Wright, appointed after a Cabinet reshuffle prompted by the resignation of David Davis and Boris Johnson, is being asked to prioritise the introduction of digital export licences for art works in time for Brexit.

Entered from the same consignor, two c.1810 mahogany cellarettes were offered singly, rather than as a near pair by Mallams (20% buyer’s premium) at Abingdon. However, after two centuries, they will remain together after selling to the same private buyer on the phone.

ATG’s calendar of book auctions taking place in the UK and Ireland from July 17-28, 2018.

Galloway Fairs’ last event at Arley Hall featured the sale of a silver epergne from Highland Antiques for a five-figure sum. Hopes are high that a similar result will be achieved at this month’s fair at George Watson’s College in Edinburgh.