A set of four Irish glass table display centrepieces commissioned by the Fifth Earl Spencer when he was Viceroy of Ireland are destined to help pay for the current re-roofing and renovation project at Althorp Estate in Northamptonshire, England.
The attics, basements and stables of Althorp, ancestral home of the late Princess Diana, are currently being catalogued for three sales of art and antiques this summer. The proceeds will pay for the current re-roofing and renovation project at Althorp Estate.
The antique Irish glass pieces, which are among a number of Irish lots to have emerged due to the family’s long association with this country, are estimated at 15,000-25,000 pounds sterling. The sales are expected to make £20 million, of which half will come from the sale of two old masters, a Rubens and a Guernico.
The Althorp attic sale will take place at Christie’s South Kensington on July 7-8 and is on show from July 3-7.
The Spencer House sale will take place at Christie’s King Street on July 8. There will be a public exhibition from July 2-8. The old masters and 19th century art evening sale will take place on July 6.