Germany

The new season got off to an encouraging start for Cologne auction house Lempertz (26% buyer’s premium) when it held an African and Oceanic art sale on February 1 in Brussels

One would hardly call a 13in x 2ft 1in (34 x 63cm) copper block, weighing more than 32 pounds (14.6kg), a convenient method of payment, but in the mid-17th century such plates were indeed issued in Sweden under King Charles X Gustav.

A group of eight Andy Warhol (1928-87) prints came to auction at Van Ham (32% buyer’s premium including VAT) in Cologne at the end of last year, including a few of his most famous subjects from documented editions of the 1960-80s.

Demonstrating how the internet has transformed the market for potential sleepers, three portraits that drew strong interest recently at different auctions in the UK and Europe all sold to online buyers.

In these days of music-streaming, the once ubiquitous image of the mongrel Nipper listening to a gramophone is no longer such a familiar sight.

Long before the auction in Krefeld began, it was clear that the price for a vase by Hans Coper would be way higher than the estimate of €8000.

A chance find proved to be very fortuitous for one of the consignors of the auction held by Schreiber (22% buyer’s premium) on November 5.

One of four works as commission for the Polish king is the star lot of an Austrian collection

A treasure trove for film aficionados was one of the highlights at Auction Team Breker (24.8% buyer’s premium) on November 5.

A Max Beckmann (1884-1950) self-portrait set a record for any artwork sold at a German auction when it was knocked down at €20m (£17.1m).

Top result from the October 26 arms and armour auction at Munich saleroom Hermann Historica (25% buyer’s premium) was a 5ft 6in (1.67m) two-hand sword made by the acclaimed bladesmith Wolfgang Stantler II of Passau, c.1580.

Offered as part of a series of sales held by Reiss & Sohn (19% buyer’s premium) of Königstein im Taunus was an exceptionally early cookery book.

A welding course was to have a lasting effect on the artistic development of the British sculptor Lynn Chadwick (1914-2003).

A multitude of fabulous creatures are an integral part of traditional Chinese mythology. Among them is the Bixie, whose name translates as ‘to ward off evil spirits’.

In his diary entry for August 12, 1950, the German writer and Nobel Prize recipient Thomas Mann described a meeting with his daughter-in-law Gret, who had married his youngest son Michael in 1939, and her 10-year-old son Frido in a café in Innsbruck.

Two closely related bronze sculptures by Alberto Giacometti are among the highlights of the Modern and Contemporary sales on December 2 at Lempertz in Cologne.

Glassware with provenance to Augustus of Saxony takes five-figure sum

The combination of Meissen porcelain and Augsburg silver proved to be a winning formula at a sale held by Metz (25% buyer’s premium) in Heidelberg.

The sculptor Prosper d’Épinay (1836-1914) was a true cosmopolitan. Born in Mauritius, he later became a British subject, but is still often considered to be a French artist.