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, ...

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 ...

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 ...

"In their view, we Londoners know little about God, and nothing about pottery". Royal Doulton's rise from London makers of domestic stonewares to an internationally-recognised Staffordshire Potteries ...

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 ...

Sotheby’s will offer a Rembrandt sketch titled Young Lion Resting in New York on February 4 with a $… ...

Among the most interesting works on paper sold in the autumn sales around the UK was a First World War scene by a French artist. Titled Retour de Combat, the engaging study of marching soldiers was by ...

A pair of Chinese huanghuali armchairs, formerly owned by a US Treasury official who became an economic adviser to Chairman ...

Different from the simple overglaze 'bat' printed wares produced at the Worcester and Caughley factories from the 1750s, Spode's ingenious method involved first the engraving of a design onto a copper ...

The J Paul Getty Museum has purchased a Hellenistic gold box-bezel ring, describing it as “one of the finest and best-preserved surviving examples of this ancient jewellery type”. The c.3rd-2nd ...

First used in clockmaking by the Dutchman Christiaan Huygens in 1656, the pendulum made for near frictionless time-keeping, while it was the anchor mechanism (probably invented around the same time by ...

Although now familiar to generations of children, the industrial process of die-casting only came into being towards the end of the First World War. Forcing a molten alloy into a mould under pressure ...