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  • Archive for December, 2010

    JANE AUSTEN’S EMMA, SIGNED BY MARIA EDGEWORTH, SELLS FOR £79,250

    Thursday, December 16th, 2010

    Jane Austen's Emma signed by Maria Edgeworth. (click to enlarge)

    AN extremely rare first edition of Jane Austen’s Emma, signed by the Irish authoress Maria Edgeworth, made a hammer price with buyer’s premium of £79,250 at Sotheby’s in London on December 16.  It is the only known copy of Emma given by Jane Austen – Britain’s most beloved authoress – to a fellow writer.

    Emma was published in three volumes by John Murray on December 23, 1815.  This lot comprised volumes I and 3. No part of the manuscript for Emma survives and no presentation copy inscribed by Jane Austen herself is known to exist.  This copy has remained in Maria Edgeworth’s family ever since. The Irish writer is regarded as the creator, in Castle Rackrent, of the first true historical novel in English.
    At the same sale a first printing in England of James Joyce’s Ulysses, published in London by John Lane the Bodley Head in 1936, sold for £11,875.  This was number 89 of a limited edition of 1,000 copies.
    Sotheby’s English Literature and History and Childrens books and illustrations sale realised £821,813.  (see antiquesandartireland.com post for October 29)

    NEW AUCTION RECORD FOR SIR STANLEY SPENCER AT SOTHEBY’S

    Thursday, December 16th, 2010

    Sir Stanley Spencer's Hilda and I at Pond Street, dating from 1954, sold for £1,430,050. (click on image to enlarge)

    There was a new auction record for a work by Sir Stanley Spencer at Sotheby’s in London on December 15.  Hilda and I at Pond Street, dating from 1954, sold for £1,430,050 ($2,249,612), far in excess of its pre-sale estimate of £400,000-600,000. James Rawlin, senior director in 20th century British art at Sotheby’s, said the result helps establish Spencer as one of the central figures of figurative art in Britain in the 20th century.

    Works by Frank Auerbach, Dame Barbara Hepworth, L.S. Lowry, Christopher Wood and Lynn Chadwick also performed well in the sale of 20th century British art.  It realised a total of £8,255,625.  Sotheby’s pointed out that there is a higher price in US dollars for a work by Spencer.  His Christ Preaching at Cookham Regatta; Listening from Punts made £1,237,600 / $2,270,852 in June 2004.

    EILEEN GRAY SCREEN SELLS, Sirène ARMCHAIR UNSOLD

    Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

    Eileen Gray painted wood brick screen made $842,000 at Christie's in New York.

    Estimated at $2/$3 million, this Eileen Gray armchair failed to sell in New York.

    An Eileen Gray painted wood brick screen from 1923 made $842,500 at Christie’s in New York on December 14.  This was within the  $700,000 – $1,000,000 estimate.  Christie’s described the piece, composed of 45 large and ten small white painted wood panels on steel rods, as: “defining the key point of transition between her early engagement with the luxury of lacquer and symbolist motifs and her subsequent commitment to Modernist ideals”.

    The screen was one of a pair presented by Miss Gray at the Salon des Artistes Déorateurs in 1923.  The other one is now at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.
    The ‘Sirène’ armchair, a lacquered painted and beech armchair by Eileen Gray which was estimated at $2/$3 million, failed to sell.  Bidding reached $1.7 million, at which point it was withdrawn.
    See post for December 3 on antiquesandartireland.com

    JOYCE AND MYLES na gCOPALEEN TAKE PRIDE OF PLACE AT MEALY’S

    Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
    A James Joyce broadside and an archive from Brian O’Nolan (Myles na gCopaleen) were the top lots at Mealy’s rare book sale in Dublin on December 14.   Each made 22,000.  The Holy Office, a pamphlet issued by James Joyce (see post on antiquesandartireland.com for December 6) had been estimated at 15,000-20,000. The 1960’s archive of correspondence between Myles na gCopaleen and his agents and publishers was estimated at 10,000-15,000.
    A Cuala Press visitors book with 1,900 signatures, including Yeats and Maud Gonne together, made 17,000. A previously unrecorded collection of letters by Sean O’Casey sold for 10,000.

    110,000 HITS AND GROWING

    Monday, December 13th, 2010
    HITS on antiquesandartireland.com have passed the 100,000 mark.  According to Google’s webmaster tools the number of search queries on this site in the month to December 10 was 110,000. The previous week it stood at 90,500. I would like to sincerely thank each and every one of you.  Hits come from all around the globe, the majority from Ireland, Britain and the US. Established in April and largely unpromoted, the website has been growing steadily month on month.
    Reaction has been extremely positive, and for this I am grateful.  Here are two, one from James Adam, the Irish auction house with the largest annual turnover, the other from Sotheby’s.
    James O’Halloran, managing director at James Adam, writes: “I am an avid fan of your blog, in fact it is the first site on my bookmarks bar so I check it at least once a day hoping for another snippet of interesting information from the world of art and antiques. I particularly like the wide variety of up to the minute stories and the useful links to other websites. We, at Adams are always delighted to have coverage of our activities on the blog and look forward to working with you long into the future.”
    Arabella Bishop, Director, Sotheby’s Ireland writes:  ‘I find this an invaluable website for reference to keep abreast of the art market both in Ireland and abroad.  Des’s years of experience and knowledge makes this site indispensable’

    LUKE GARDINER BY JOSHUA REYNOLDS ECHOES GRACEFUL DUBLIN AND BLOODY REBELLION

    Saturday, December 11th, 2010

    Sir Joshua Reynold's fine portrait of Luke Gardiner.

    This very fine portrait of Luke Gardiner, 1st Viscount Mountjoy, by Sir Joshua Reynolds went way over estimate at Christie’s evening Old Masters sale on December 7.  The subject sat for this portrait in 1773. Gardiner (1745-1798), an Irish landowner and MP for County Dublin, was killed at the Battle of New Ross in 1798.  One of the bloodiest battles of the 1798 rebellion in Ireland was followed by an appalling massacre in the town of  New Ross.

    Though he died suppressing Irish rebels he had, in 1778, introduced legislation in the Irish House of Commons aimed at alleviating many of the economic difficulties faced by Catholics.
    He also promoted the interest of Dublin and its surrounding areas. Like his father and grandfather he developed the Gardiner estate. In the 1770s he was responsible for the development of Temple, Eccles and North Great George’s Streets, and later in the 1790s for Mountjoy Square and Rutland Square.
    The portrait made £553,250 against an estimate of £200,000-£300,000.

    GREAT YEAR FOR OLD MASTERS AT SOTHEBYS

    Saturday, December 11th, 2010

    GEORGE STUBBS, A.R.A. LIVERPOOL 1724 - 1806 LONDON BROOD MARES AND FOALS FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE EARL OF MACCLESFIELD. (click to enlarge)

    Sotheby’s December series of Old Master & British Paintings sales in London made an overall total of £27,991,125. This brings the total for worldwide sales of Old Master & British Pictures at Sotheby’s in 2010 to just over £153,000,000.  The highlight of the latest series  was George Stubbs’s Brood Mares and Foals which made a new auction record price of  £10,121,250.  The previous record for Stubbs of £3,191,500 was made in 1995 by his Portrait of The Royal Tiger.

    Alex Bell, head of the International Department, remarked : “Our sales this week end what has been another very successful year for the Old Master market at Sotheby’s. As in New York in January and London in July, we’ve once again this week seen exceptional works of art – with strong and again striking images and good provenance – perform very well and in many cases establish new benchmark prices. In July we led the Old Master sales season with Turner’s Modern Rome – Campo Vaccino (see antiquesandartireland.com post for July 7) while Stubbs’s Brood Mares and Foals has been the undoubted star of the show this week. We’re delighted to see that the Old Master market is experiencing an even greater international reach, with buyers from Russia and China, in particular, showing an ever increasing interest in the field.  These are exciting developments for the Old Master market.”

    MARILYN WITH JFK AT BONHAMS

    Saturday, December 11th, 2010

    The swearing in of President Johnson on Air Force One.

    A collection of 12,000 photographs by the first official White House  photographer Cecil Stoughton made just over  $150,000  against an estimate of $200,000 at Bonhams in New York on December 9. It included the only known image of Marilyn Monroe with President John F. Kennedy.  (see antiquesandartireland.com post for June 2).  Marked “Sensitive Material — May 19, 1962,”  the image sold for just over $9,000. This was above the $4,000 to $6,000 estimate.

    Stoughton’s most famous image shows Lyndon B. Johnson being sworn as president on Air Force One following Kennedy’s assassination. The photo of Johnson with his hand raised taking the oath of office surrounded by his wife and Jacqueline Kennedy still wearing her blood-splattered dress made $13,420.

    AFFORDABILITY THE KEY AT CHRISTMAS SALE AT JAMES ADAM

    Friday, December 10th, 2010

    This limited edition screenprint by Patrick Scott, entitled Christmas Greeting, dated '89, is estimated at 300-400. (click to enlarge) UPDATE: SOLD FOR 280

    Ger's Field is the title of this oil and wax on canvas by Coilin Murray at Adams. It is estimated at 300-500. (click to enlarge) UPDATE: SOLD FOR 320

    The Christmas sale at James Adam in Dublin on Tuesday, December 14 at 6 p.m. is made up of 318 affordable lots of paintings, prints, sculpture and literature.  There are sketches by artists like Estella Solomons, Thomas Ryan and Peter Curling, watercolours by Alexander Williams and Douglas Alexander, more contemporary works from artists Andrew Folan, Patrick Scott, Tigue O’Donoghue Ross, Paddy Lennon, Michael Mulcahy and Brian Maguire, Andy Warhol screenprints of Marylin Monroe, sculpture by Patrick McElroy and a small section with books, sketchbooks and catalogues of Irish interest.  Estimates range from ten and twenty euro upwards.

    MODEL OF LUSITANIA TO BE SOLD AT SOTHEBY’S

    Thursday, December 9th, 2010

    The Lusitania model. IT MADE $194,500

    A Marklin model of the Lusitania  made c1912 will be sold at Sotheby’s in New York on December 17. It is part of the celebrated Malcolm Forbes collection of toy boats, soldiers, motorcycles and classic board games.  The sale is estimated to realise between $3/$5 million. The major portion consists of sports, naval, commercial and luxury toy boats.

    In May 1915 the Cunard liner was torpedoed 11 miles off the Old Head of Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland, precipitating the entry of the US into the First World War.  Lusitania sank in 18 minutes, killing about 1,198 of the 1,959 people on board.
    The model, thirty seven and a half inches long, is estimated at $100,000-$200,000. The deck is finished with intricate details, including working anchors and chain. A view of the lower deck is made possible by cutouts in the hull. It was purchased by Malcolm Forbes, publisher of Forbes magazine, for $28,600 at Sotheby’s New York in 1983. At the time this was the highest price ever paid for a toy boat.
    UPDATE: The Lusitania model sold for a hammer price with buyer’s premium of  $194,500