When they first came into use in the 1830s, friction matches were hazardous and could combust without warning, so vesta cases were something of a necessity. But as their production became more ...

Rediscovered portraits by Romney and Raeburn emerge at auctions this spring. Mark the diary for the appearance of two notable British portraits at auction in Paris and in Cambridg ...

The most read stories on this website over the last week included news of dealers in St James’s warning that rent rises could lead to firms closing.

Chinese art collection from dealers and collectors comes to auction in London. Dealers, collectors and Chinese art specialists Marcus and Debby Flacks will be offering 50 lots fro ...

Rare book fair returns to Dublin after three years. A fresh chapter of an old favourite is being planned for the summer in Ireland: The Dublin Rare Book Fair takes place from June ...

With estimates from £500 here are five previews of items coming up at auction this week.

The J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles has bought two 17th century Dutch still life paintings, one by Jan Davidsz de Heem (1606-84) and one by his slightly older predecessor Pieter Claesz ...

National Army Museum acquires Victorian study from Cecil Court dealer. London dealer Darnley Fine Art of Cecil Court has sold a study of Henry Nelson O’Neil’s picture Eastward ...

Plea to find Coalbrookdale benches and sundial stolen in Herefordshire. The owner of a group of four antique Coalbrookdale benches and a decorative armillary sundial has made a pl ...

Records date back to 1720 for a small glassworks off London's Fleet Street, but Britain's longest running glass house, best known as the Whitefriars factory, really came into its own when James Powell ...

Silver spoons for the dining table have been around since antiquity - a much longer history than the table fork, which did not come into general use until the 18 th century. By this time spoons had ...

After 1840, F. & R. Pratt of Fenton in Staffordshire, became the leading (but not the only) manufacturer of multicoloured transfer printed pot lids and a huge range of related wares. Long admired for ...