Cabinet of curiosities

British eccentricity at its best shone in a series of sales earlier this year that encompassed a fruitwood hand holding an apple, two puzzle pipes and an unusual wooden snuffbox inset with bone panels

Camels and souks , Jerusalem and Petra are once again capturing people’s imagination, as a crop of sales earlier in the spring demonstrates

Modern high streets are dotted with coffee chains, cafes and tea shops of all kinds, but in the late 19th century the tea shop was a groundbreaking innovation. A genteel alternative to bawdy pubs or t

The Tower at Vita’s home, Sissinghurst Castle ...

Collectors who hunt new pieces must create space for them and others must downsize, which is why the past month saw two sales of distinguished possessions

Ancient India gave the world its number system, anticipated Galileo’s heliocentric theory by a millennium and spread its culture from Egypt to Siberia–only to be almost entirely forgotten. It’s past time to restore it to its rightful place in history