A monumental painting of an Old Testament subject, which came to auction in a gloomy state, drew a remarkable bidding battle at a West Sussex sale.

It’s wise to keep a lid on estimates for traditional pictures where condition and market freshness is lacking

A fine example of a Scottish Colourist still-life posted a house record for Glasgow saleroom Great Western Auctions (24% buyer’s premium).

Two prominent single-owner collections put together into a single Town & Country sale at Dreweatts generated some decent if selective bidding when it came to the pictures on offer.

Christie’s posted the second-highest price at auction for LS Lowry (1887-1976) when Sunday Afternoon, one of his largest industrial landscapes, was knocked down at £5.2m. With buyer’s premium added, the price was £6.29m.

With an exhibition dedicated to Philip Alexius de László (1869- 1937) having just opened at Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury, lively activity in the artist’s market has also come of late.

A sense of rediscovery came at Young’s (25% buyer’s premium) in Surrey when a portrait of a figure in eye-catching red attire emerged from a local deceased estate.

Withers and Dailey selections follow hot on the heels of Turpin lots with plenty of fine art highlights

A rare picture painted in India by Arthur William Devis (1762-1822) depicting a group of Bengali weavers was the subject of dramatic competition at Gorringe’s (25% buyer’s premium) spring fine art and antiques sale.

A group of portraits from the collection of the 3rd Earl of Liverpool, Charles Cecil Cope Jenkinson (1784-1851), will be offered at Gloucestershire saleroom Chorley’s next month.

A self-portrait by Sarah Biffin (c.1784-1850) has been acquired by the Museum of Somerset where it is now on display.

If you wanted to sum up the current state of the watercolours and works on paper sector in a single sentence, you might say something like ‘flatter than ever for general works but exceptional lots routinely generating strong interest’.