Sotheby's

It was rather thin pickings at the latest series of Old Master auctions in London.

The major summer sales of works of art included a boxwood prayer nut and Rothschild provenanced vases.

Despite appearing in a 1930s photograph held in the MAK Museum, Vienna, this wood carving of Adam and Eve seems to have hitherto eluded scholars of the German woodcarver Leonhard Kern (1588-1662).

A round up of recent international moves and appointments

A string of top-end consignments of British works boosted the latest London sales of Modern and Contemporary art.

Set of charts, plans and views was published by the Admiralty for Royal Navy use

A sale held by Sotheby’s (26/20/13.9% buyer’s premium) to disperse natural history works from the library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven, contained a good many lots that brought six-figure bids, but the one featured here was one that proved a surprise.

Asian art ‘circus’ moves to French capital for dealer shows and auctions in early June

Dramatic rescue of 1916 was recorded visually by the polar explorer two years later

Sotheby’s is holding a month-long programme of exhibitions and events to mark the platinum jubilee.

One of the highlights of Sotheby’s Asian art auction to be held in its Paris room on June 16 will be this jade seal carved with the imperial symbol of a dragon, estimated at €100,000-150,000.

A £1.2m house record at Dreweatts was the highlight of the recent round of UK Asian art sales.

Underlining the recovery of the post-covid art market, at the very top-end at least, the latest series of 20th and 21st century auctions in New York posted a record total for a flagship auction fortnight.