A c1946 Portrait of an Aran Woman and Her Children at Mealy’s is a large work by Sean Keating that has not been on the open market before. According to Dr. Eimear O’Connor the sitters in the portrait – lot 780 at Mealy’s Winter Sale in Castlecomer on December 6-7 – are the artist’s wife, two sons and pet cat. The estimate is 40,000-50,000. The auction will feature lots from the Gore-Booth family of Lissadell, the collection of Sir Anthony O’Reilly at Castlemartin and from the estate of Professor Anne Crookshank among others. One of the more unusual lots is the Mountainstown House elk antlers. Around 11,000 years old the antlers of this Great Irish Elk were found on the estate by members of the Pollock family. The lot is estimated at 8,000-12,000.
An early 20th century Rolex silver and cobalt blue enamel ball pendant watch is believed to have belonged to Countess Constance Markievicz and is estimated at 700-1,100. An exceptional Regency rosewood breakfast table is estimated at 7,000-11,000, a 1st UK edition of The Lord of the Rings with all final impressions has a similar estimate and A Mountain Landscape by Paul Henry is estimated at 20,000-30,000. There are 1,100 lots in total and the catalogue is online. Here is a small selection: