Serpent-slayer: Giovanni della Robbia's glazed terracotta
sculpture St Michael the Archangel (c.1500-10)
was sold at Sotheby's last week for $413,000 - more than four times
its pre-auction estimate. The customary scales depicted in the
saint's left hand are replaced here with a white orb surmounted by
a metal cross, indicating his guardianship over all souls