Nottingham

A couple of prints by leading names from the early 20th century drew attention at recent regional sales despite some notable condition issues.

This single-page letter offered on January 19 by Mellors & Kirk (24% buyer’s premium) tells the remarkable story of Abdul Rahman Ibrahima Sori (1762-1829).

Focus on two contrasting sculptures from the same era by Feuchere and Boehm sold in recent auctions

An early 19th century transformation game featured at Mellors & Kirk (24% buyer’s premium) in Nottingham as part of a January 17 sale.

Although Dutchmen John and David Elers came to London sometime in the 1680s as silversmiths, the brothers are remembered today as the potters who brought fine unglazed stonewares to Staffordshire.

This 11oz George III silver goblet by Solomon Hougham, London 1802, is engraved with an inscription that is key to its appeal.

A leading member of the Birmingham Group and closely associated with the Arts & Crafts movement, Joseph Southall (1861-1944) is probably best known for tempera painting – the painstaking medieval technique he helped revive.

Pictures of old women from the fishing community of Newlyn are among the most prevalent works by Walter Langley (1852-1922).

“It is quite pathetic to see the Prince and Freda. His love is so obvious and undisguisable.”

Dealer promises to promote Nottingham specialist fair

Nottingham sale showcases wares of ‘the most complete manufacturer in England in metal’

Early works by Harold Knight (1874-1961) are not seen very often at auction but a group of six appeared at Mellors & Kirk of Nottingham at the end of last year.

Of such high quality that they justify the description ‘cabinet miniatures’, examples of a small group of silk and metal thread embroideries of Charles I can be seen in the V&A and Wallace Collection in London and in the New York Met.

The near ubiquitous ‘Dead Man’s Penny’ of the First World War becomes a rarity should the recipient be female.

This Victorian silver and enamel cigarette box is decorated to the lid with humorous scene from John Surtees’ Jorrocks, Jaunts and Jollities.

The unusual Chinese porcelain model (pictured below) forms the shape of a lingzhi stem vividly enamelled with a blend of green, blue and pink glazes. It measures 9in (23cm) high and carries a Qianlong (1736-95) mark.

An 1859 first of Darwin’s seminal work shrugs off condition issues to be a best-seller

In family ownership for several generations, this 27oz Charles II sugar box was described by Nottingham auction house Mellors & Kirk (24% buyer’s premium) as “in an exceptional state of preservation, with hardly any sign of wear and no damage or repair worthy of note”.

Nestlé, today a Swiss multinational corporation, was a much smaller company when this rare lithographed showcard was made.