Object lessons: from Scottish roses to a Danish cocktail bar cabinet

Elizabeth Catlett, Seated Woman (date unknown)American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture, Sotheby’s, New York, 9 JuneEstimate $60,000-$80,000This determined-looking bronze figure by the African-American sculptor Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012) has a solid monumentality that belies her 30cm stature. Catlett campaigned throughout her long career to improve the lives of working-class African-American and Mexican women. This work, which is one of Catlett’s smaller pieces in bronze, is typi