Auction

Sotheby’s are selling paintings from the age of Queen Victoria including a charming portrait by Sir George Clausen showing the England of another age. But how much will the bidders be willing to spend on it? Elsewhere, Charles Miller is offering a very special World War II flag for sale. This poignant item flew on D-Day as British troops came ashore on Sword Beach.

A sculpture by Henry Moore, a rare work by Henry Nicholson and a set of paintings collected by a friend of James Bond creator Ian Fleming come to auction at Christie’s. The amazing artist Mary Fedden was painting right up until her death at the age of 96. Now Sotheby’s are selling her paintings, plus the work of her husband Julian Trevelyan, from their studio in London.

A rare portrait of two young brothers by Titian is the highlight of an Old Masters sale at Sotheby’s. It comes from a collection amassed by the Scottish banker Sir William Forbes in the nineteenth century, but he died before he saw it. At Christie’s in London fabulous jewelry is being auctioned off, including some mouth-watering brooches by Cartier.

Size isn’t everything. In London, a tiny sketch by the great English artist John Constable is up for sale. It has only recently been rediscovered and is expected to far exceed its estimate of £300,000. Sotheby’s are selling the little-known art collection of rock legend David Bowie in an auction which has attracted huge interest. An astonishing 50,000 people attend the preview days.

There’s definitely money in motoring, when it’s of the vintage variety. To coincide with the annual London to Brighton rally, Bonham’s are auctioning ten cars that tell the story of early British motoring. They include an 1897 Daimler, made in the year of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, which may fetch up to a quarter of a million pounds. But is it still capable of completing the Brighton run?

At Christie’s, a masterpiece by the Belgian painter Jacob Jordaens may fetch over £1 million. But there’s also a tiny sketch by Constable that he made on the beach at Brighton while he worked on a larger scene. It was found in his studio when he died. At Bonham’s, memorabilia from the world of entertainment includes ballet shoes signed by Margot Fonteyn and a guitar owned by Jimi Hendrix.

He was a genius among watchmakers and every collector wants to own one. The timepieces made by Thomas Tompion come to auction at Sotheby’s, part of one of the biggest private collections of watches ever to come to market. Bonham’s are selling a unique Rolls Royce, nicknamed the Phantom of Love, made to order in the 1920s by a man for his beloved wife. It’s expected to fetch over a million pounds.

What’s in a name? At Bonham’s, specialist Charlie O’Brien has chosen a painting by a little-known American artist as star item in a sale of 19th century paintings. He has a hunch that it will fetch much more than the asking price. At Sotheby’s they’re selling something unique. It’s a musket made for the Chinese Emperor and called, appropriately, the Supreme Number One.

A special auction at Sotheby’s includes a masterpiece by Gustav Klimt which is so expensive that no estimate has been announced. There’s also a work by Picasso that he completed as the Allies advanced to liberate Paris in August 1944. Or perhaps you’ll be tempted by a striking portrait by Modigliani or Pissarro’s magnificent Les Quatre Saisons. If you have a few million to spare.

You will need around $18 million to bid for Ta Fare, a painting from Paul Gauguin’s final visit to Tahiti at a Christie’s Impressionism sale. There’s also work by Boudin, Matisse and a portrait of his sister by Salvador Dali, which may fetch over a million. Collectors are also gathering to view papers kept by Mary Anne Johnston, the niece of Alexander Fleming, the man who discovered penicillin.

After the death of President John F Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy sought comfort in her relationship with David Ormsby-Gore, later Lord Harlech. Fifty years on, the letters that passed between them have been discovered. Now they’re up for sale at Bonham’s in London. With an estimate of up to £150,000 this secret cache of correspondence tells a poignant, tragic love story.

In New York, a rebellious artist who’s been dead for only thirty years is about to become as famous, and expensive, as Picasso, Rembrandt and Cezanne. The work of Jean-Michel Basquiat will appear in sales at both Christie’s and Sotheby’s but it’s Sotheby’s who think they have the edge with a painting called ‘Untitled’ that hasn’t been seen for thirty years. It could sell for over $100 million.