AN IRISH GOTHIC REVIVAL WHITE MARBLE PANEL
CIRCA 1840, by repute removed from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh (£600-800) Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014
A c1840 Gothic Revival panel from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh is among the more surprising lots at an Interiors sale at Christie’s South Kensington on March 18. Carved on both sides as two connecting scrolls Christie’s estimate it at £600-800. The catholic cathedral in Armagh was designed by two architects, as work was suspended in the mid-1840’s due to the famine. The lower half was designed in 1838 in the English Perpendicular Style by Thomas Duff the Newry. The Upper half was designed in 1853 in the French Decorated Gothic Style by J.J. McCarthy of Dublin. The cathedral was dedicated in 1873. Christie’s say the rood screen from which this section of panelling is thought to originate was destroyed when the cathedral was remodelled in 1980 along with the High Altar designed by Italian sculptor Cesare Aureli (1844-1923).
The auction will feature the collection of celebrated interior designer Tessa Kennedy, best known for designing the Rivoli Bar at the Ritz which was reinstated in 2001 and for which she was awarded Designer of the Year. She has been an international decorator to stars for the past 50 years with clients including Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, George Harrison, Pierce Brosnan, corporate clients like De Beers and world renowned hotels like Claridges and The Berkeley. The collection features furniture from her Knightsbridge apartment and film tokens like Marlon Brandon’s buckskin jacket from the film The Missouri Breaks.
A GEORGE IV PARCEL GILT OAK HALF-TESTER BED
CIRCA 1830, IN THE MANNER OF WILLIAM PORDEN (£4,000-6,000) Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014
MARLON BRANDO’S BUFF BUCKSKIN JACKET FROM THE MISSOURI BREAKS
1976 (£1,500-2,500). Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014.
A PAIR OF FRENCH ORMOLU WALL TROPHIES
OF LOUIS XV STYLE, LATE 19TH CENTURY (£2,500-4,000). Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014.