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  • Archive for September, 2016

    STOLEN MASTERPIECES RECOVERED FROM NAPLES MAFIA

    Friday, September 30th, 2016

    Italian police have recovered two Van Gogh paintings stolen during a dramatic raid on the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam museum in December, 2002. They were in the possession of   the Naples mafia.  The theft from the walls in the main exhibition hall was baffling because guards were on patrol and infra red security systems were in operation.  This led to criticism of security at the world’s most important art museums.The two works had been on loan to the museum from the Dutch government.  Neither was insured.  They are valued at around $100 million.

    Vincent van Gogh - View of the Sea at Scheveningen.

    Vincent van Gogh – View of the Sea at Scheveningen.

    Vincent van Gogh - Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen, 1884

    Vincent van Gogh – Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen, 1884

    A MAJOR HOCKNEY AT SOTHEBY’S, NEW YORK

    Friday, September 30th, 2016
    David Hockney Woldgate Woods, 24, 25 and 26 October, 2006

    David Hockney
    Woldgate Woods, 24, 25 and 26 October, 2006

    Woldgate Woods, 24, 25 and 26 October 2006, the first work from David Hockney’s famed Woldgate Woods series to appear at auction will come up at Sotheby’s contemporary art evening sale in New York on November 17. Measuring over three and half meters in diameter it is estimated at $9-12 million.  With a retrospective at Tate Britain opening in February 2017 Sotheby’s reckon this could establish a record for Hockney at auction.  The work captivated audiences in London at the Royal Academy blockbuster 2012 exhibition David Hockney: A Bigger Picture.

    Throughout 2006, Hockney executed a limited series of paintings of the Woldgate Woods in his native Yorkshire, charting the changes in light and colour as the seasons passed. Limited by the size of the canvas he was able to fit through the staircase at his Bridlington studio, he devised a method of using multiple canvases in order to achieve the desired scale. Woldgate Woods, 24, 25 and 26 October 2006capturing the autumnal colors of East Yorkshire, is composed using six of these canvases. The huge public and critical success of this body of work has led to this quiet corner in the north east of England becoming known as ‘Hockney Country’, with the local tourist board even creating a Hockney Trail inspired by the locations immortalized in the series.

    BLUE AND WHITE CUPS MAKE 23,000 AT SHEPPARDS

    Friday, September 30th, 2016
    This pair of chicken cups sold for 23,000 at hammer.

    This pair of chicken cups sold for 23,000 at hammer.

    A pair of Chinese blue and white chicken cups sold for 23,000 on the third day of Sheppards four day auction at Loughton House, Co. Offaly.  Bearing the retrospective six character Chenghua reign marks, Kangxi Period (1662-1722) they had been estimated at just 800-1,200.  A gilt bronze Buddha dating from the 17th/18th century with a top estimate of 5,000 made a  hammer price of 17,000 in a day that saw some good results for Oriental ceramic pieces.  A Chinese blue and white Phoenix tail vase made 2,900; a pair of Chinese Qing polychrome bowls made 4,500; a Famille Rose bowl made 2,800; a small saucer dish with the seal mark of Qianlong made 3,400: a blue and white portrait plaque made 5,500; a Qing gourd vase made 5,000 and a pair of Famille Vert baluster bases made 6,000.

    A north west Persian carpet sold for 5,400, a George IV brass bound wine cooler made 9,000, a c1720 inlaid serpentine chest made 3,000 and a Regency brass inlaid library table sold for 4,800 at hammer.

    This c1720 serpentine chest made 3,000 at hammer.

    This c1720 serpentine chest made 3,000 at hammer.

    This gilt bronze Buddha sold for 17,000

    This gilt bronze Buddha sold for 17,000

    This George IV wine cooler made 9,000 at hammer.

    This George IV wine cooler made 9,000 at hammer.

    MUCH TO BRING COLLECTORS TO KILFANE HOUSE SALE AT THOMASTOWN

    Thursday, September 29th, 2016

    With everything from a fine Killarney wood table to a bronzed caryatid after Garnier Mealy’s antique and fine art sale at Kilfane House, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny at 11 a.m. on October 4 holds much to excite a cross section of collectors.  This fascinating house contents sale will include some lots from the private collection of Sir Anthony O’Reilly at Castlemartin, Co. Kildare.  Viewing gets underway at Kilfane  on Saturday and there will be a shuttle bus service from The Longman of Kilfane, where the auction is to be held on Tuesday.  There is a great selection of fine Irish furniture, gilt wood mirrors, art, bronzes, ceramics, glass, silver, rare books, rugs and garden furniture in an auction of over 600 lots.  Both the sale and the catalogue are online.  Here is a selection:

    MID-18TH CENTURY IRISH SIDE TABLE (20,000-30,000)

    MID-18TH CENTURY IRISH SIDE TABLE (20,000-30,000)  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    FTER GARNIER a bronzed cast iron and parcel gilt caryatid, holding a cornucopia (5,800-6,500)

    AFTER GARNIER
    a bronzed cast iron and parcel gilt caryatid, holding a cornucopia (5,800-6,500)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 5,500 AT HAMMER

    18TH CENTURY CARVED IRISH GILTWOOD WALL MIRROR, the rococo crest with C-scrolls (8,000-12,000)

    18TH CENTURY CARVED IRISH GILTWOOD WALL MIRROR,
    the rococo crest with C-scrolls (8,000-12,000) UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 5,400 AT HAMMER

     PIERRE LOUIS DÉTRIER (1822-1897), after Giambologna (c. 1880), Nessus Abducting Deianara (5,000-6,000)

    PIERRE LOUIS DÉTRIER (1822-1897),
    after Giambologna (c. 1880), Nessus Abducting Deianara (5,000-6,000)  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 4,200 AT HAMMER

    20TH CENTURY COPY OF THE GILT METAL MOUNTED WALNUT CYPHON TUBE BAROMETER, after the original by Thomas Thompkin, in the Royal collection at Hampton Court Palace (3,000-4,000)

    20TH CENTURY COPY OF THE GILT METAL MOUNTED WALNUT CYPHON TUBE BAROMETER,
    after the original by Thomas Thompkin, in the Royal collection at Hampton Court Palace (3,000-4,000) UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,800 AT HAMMER

    A Killarney centre table (8,500-10,500)

    A Killarney centre table (8,500-10,500)  UPDATE:  THIS SOLD FOR 7,000

    JOE BARRETT GAA MEDAL COLLECTION MAKES 40,000

    Thursday, September 29th, 2016
    The Joe Barrett medal collection.

    The Joe Barrett medal collection.

    The Joe Barrett GAA medal collection was the top lot at Fonsie Mealy’s Rare Books and Collectors sale in Kilkenny on September 28.   In 1929 Joe Barrett was the first Kerryman to lift the Sam Maguire trophy and his medal collection sold for a hammer price of 40,000.  It went to a private collector in Kerry.  The Phil Shanahan of Toomevara GAA medal collection went for 19,000.  A facsimile of the Book of Kells made 5,000 and  a Seamus Heaney handwritten foolscap manuscript critique of Celtic Art, an introduction by Ian Finlay made 2,000.  A pamphlet  presented by Heaney to Sean White complete with a three verse poem in Heaney’s own handwriting made 1,700 and an 1840 edition of The Ancient Music of Ireland edited by Bunting made sold for 1,600.

    Stirrings Still by Samuel Beckett, with illustrations by Louis le Brocquy and signed by both sold for 1,500.  A 1935 limited edition of Ulysses by James Joyce with illustrations by Henri Matisse signed by the artist sold for  1,400.

    (See post on antiquesandartireland.com for September 23, 2016)

    SLEEPER LOT MAKES 60,000 OVER 1,200 ESTIMATE

    Wednesday, September 28th, 2016
    After Jean Baptiste Greuze - Portrait of a young scribe

    After Jean Baptiste Greuze – Portrait of a young scribe

    An artwork described in the catalogue as an engraving of a young scribe after Jean-Baptise Greuze (1725-1805) sold for a hammer price of 60,000 over an estimate of 800-1,200 at Sheppards sale at Loughton House, Co. Offaly this afternoon.

     

    In an 18th century carved frame and measuring 26.5 cm by 32.5 cm it was the sleeper lot in the afternoon session.  The sale of contents from Loughton House is ongoing over four days and this was the fourth sale session.  It will continue with two sessions tomorrow and again on September 30.

    TOP SILVER LOTS FAIL TO FIND BUYERS AT SHEPPARDS

    Wednesday, September 28th, 2016
    This pair of c1735 candlesticks by Paul de Lamerie sold for 4,000 at hammer.

    This pair of c1735 candlesticks by Paul de Lamerie sold for 4,000 at hammer.

    The top silver lots did not get away at Sheppards sale at Loughton House, Moneygall, Co. Offaly today.  A pair of 1741 Irish silver covered ewers by Thomas Walker, Dublin estimated at 60,000-80,000 failed to find a buyer.  A rare bullet shaped Cork Republican silver teapot, one of only two known, suffered a similar fate.  Marked with the stamp only used during three months of the Irish Civil War from July to September 1922 when the Cork firm was unable to set items to the Assay Office in Dublin, it had been estimated at 15,000-25,000.

    A pair of silver candlesticks made in 1735 by Paul de Lamerie sold at the top estimate of 4,000.  This is the second day of the four day auction at Loughton House, which features Irish furniture, garden statuary, a library and archives, historic portraits and vintage and classic cars.

    (See post on antiquesandartireland.com for September 20, 2016)

    WHYTE’S IRISH ART SALE BRINGS A TOTAL OF 1.2 MILLION

    Tuesday, September 27th, 2016
    F. E. McWilliam - Woman Kneeling (100,000-150,000)

    F. E. McWilliam – Woman Kneeling sold for 90,000

    The sale of Irish and International art at Whyte’s in Dublin last night brought in a total of 1.2 million.   Matriach, a cherrywood carving by F.E. McWilliam, was the top lot. It sold for 90,000 at hammer and went to a collector in London.  There were some interesting results in an auction where  83% of lots on offer found buyers from among 100 bidders in the room, 50 telephone bidders and 150 internet buyers.  About 15% of lots, totalling 125,000, were sold on the internet.

    Other top prices were achieved for work by Jack Butler Yeats RHA (1871-1957) Singing Under the Canopy of Heaven, 1950, (85,000); Louis le Brocquy HRHA (1916-2012) Travellers, 1948, (58,000); Daniel O’Neill (1920-1974) Figure in a landscape, (45,000); Tony O’Malley HRHA (1913-2003) Morning Light II, Paradise Island, Bahamas,1982, (30,000); Dame Lucie Rie (Austrian/British 1902-1995) Footed Bowl, c.1980, (30,000); Colin Middleton MBE RHA (1910-1983) Children at Play, 1939, (29,000); William John Leech RHA ROI (1881-1968) Bowl of Fruit c.1944, (22,000); Patrick Leonard HRHA (1918-2005) A hot day in Rush, County Dublin, (18,000).

    WATER COLOUR SOCIETY OF IRELAND AT DUN LAOGHAIRE

    Sunday, September 25th, 2016

    The Water Colour Society of Ireland’s 162nd exhibition opens on Monday 26 September at the Concourse Gallery, Dun Laoghaire County Hall and runs for one week.  Over 300 paintings in watercolour, gouache and pastels, drawings and limited edition signed prints, will be on sale in a wide ranging and diverse exhibition.  Well-known artists showing include Jayne Barry, Brid Clarke, Patrick Cahill, Ivor Coburn RUA, John Coyle RHA, Chris Dearden RUA, Pauline Doyle ANCA, Joe Dunne RHA, Edward Freeney, Olivia Hayes, Les Jones ARUA, John Keating, Margaret Kent, Vincent Lambe, Grania Langrishe, Anthony Loughran, Brett McEntagart RHA, Oisin Roche, Tom Roche, Tom Ryan PPRHA, Susan Sex, and Neil Shawcross RHA RUA.  The president of the Australian Watercolour Institute David Van Nunen will show two works as an invited guest artist.   Here is a small selection from the show:

    ‘Gulls in Slade Harbour, Co. Wexford’,  by John Short

    ‘Gulls in Slade Harbour, Co. Wexford’, by John Short

    ‘Poppy Fantasia’,  by Kate Befell

    ‘Poppy Fantasia’, by Kate Befell

    ‘Henry Street 1916’,  by Liam O’Herlihy

    ‘Henry Street 1916’, by Liam O’Herlihy

    ‘Miss Mauve’  by Nicola Morrin

    ‘Miss Mauve’ by Nicola Morrin

    ‘Flame Trees after John Russell 2015’ by David Van Nunen

    ‘Flame Trees after John Russell 2015’ by David Van Nunen

     

    FULL ARRAY OF IRISH ART AT JAMES ADAM

    Sunday, September 25th, 2016

    A full array of Irish art and artists will come under the hammer at James Adam in Dublin on September 28.   A total of 194 lots will come under the hammer including work by Yeats, Paul Henry, Nathaniel Hone, Grace Henry, Estella Solomons, Frank McKelvey, James Humbert Craig, Derek Hill and Sean Keating.  The catalogue is online.  Here is a small selection:

    Jack Butler Yeats RHA (1871-1957) A Man Doing Accounts (1929) (200,000-300,000)

    Jack Butler Yeats RHA (1871-1957)
    A Man Doing Accounts (1929) (200,000-300,000)  UPDATE: THIS WAS WITHDRAWN FROM THE SALE

    Grace Henry HRHA (1868-1963) Sailing Boats, Chioggia (4,000-6,000)

    Grace Henry HRHA (1868-1963)
    Sailing Boats, Chioggia (4,000-6,000)  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    Paul Henry RHA (1877-1958) In the Western Mountains (1910-11) (40,000-60,000)

    Paul Henry RHA (1877-1958)
    In the Western Mountains (1910-11) (40,000-60,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 42,000 AT HAMMER

    Nathaniel Hone RHA (1831-1917) Malahide Sands with Figures (20,000-30,000)

    Nathaniel Hone RHA (1831-1917)
    Malahide Sands with Figures (20,000-30,000)  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    Sean Keating PRHA (1889-1977) Waiting for the Tide (50,000-70,000)

    Sean Keating PRHA (1889-1977)
    Waiting for the Tide (50,000-70,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 46,000 AT HAMMER