Reynolds portrait of Princess Diana’s ancestor emerges at Monaco auction. A portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-92) of Lavinia Bingham (1762-1831), Countess Spencer, will be o ...

Pictures emerge from attic to serve up a wartime treat. Two pictures by Elsie Gledstanes (1891-1982) that were found untouched in an attic after 40 years drew notable competition ...

Antiques dealers speak out over Kensington council’s plans for Portobello Road improvements. Kensington and Chelsea council has announced a £4.4m plan for Portobello Road to im ...

White gloves for Oscar Wilde auction at Bonhams. All 156 lots of the Jeremy Mason collection are sold as bidders vie for choice items related to iconic figure.

British awards and decorations have many fascinating stories. There are two major categories: campaign medals and gallantry medals. Campaign medals are awarded to members of the British Armed Forces, ...

It was very much a local concern and local is the best word to describe the scope of factory and its wares, the geographical spread of its original clientele and, by and large, the nature of its ...

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 ...

That, at least, was the theory. In fact, relatively little Irish ‘provincial’ silver made the journey to the metropolis to receive official approval – for reasons of security and economy. It is a ...

The Worcester factory was founded at Warmstry House in 1751 by a deed of partnership with 15 members. The period from foundation to 1783, when it was acquired by Thomas Flight, is known as the First ...

The earliest collectors of firearms were probably monarchs intent on amassing armouries to demonstrate their wealth and power. They also became patrons, employing expert craftsmen to create better and ...

They did this to avoid the perils of travel and (after 1784) to escape paying duty in a region where a heathy distain for the Hanoverians persisted well into the 19 th century. Currently some 30 ...