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  • Archive for October, 2014

    JEWELLERY AT O’REILLY’S AUCTION ON FRANCIS ST., DUBLIN

    Friday, October 17th, 2014

    In Francis St., centre of the Dublin antique trade, O’Reillys will offer a variety of mostly Art Deco, Edwardian, Georgian and Victorian jewellery with some  silver at auction at auction on October 22.  The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:

    A pink diamond and sapphire cluster pendant (12,000-14,000).

    A pink diamond and sapphire cluster pendant (12,000-14,000).

    A diamond and tanzanite cluster ring (4,000-5,000).

    A diamond and tanzanite cluster ring (4,000-5,000).

    ONLINE AUCTION OF LALIQUE AT CHRISTIE’S THIS MONTH

    Friday, October 17th, 2014

    An autumn online auction dedicated to the master French glass-maker René Lalique is up and running at Christie’s from now until October 30.  The sale comprises 73 lots and offers an array of vases – in clear and frosted, opalescent, bold colours and subtle hues – alongside iconic lighting, table wares, perfume bottles and jewellery. Starting bids range from just £700 up to £12,000 and highlights include a vivid amber Archers Vase (starting at £6,000) and an electric blue Poissons Vase (starting at £6,000).

    ARCHERS VASE, NO. 893 designed 1921, Courtesy Christie's Images Ltd., 2014.

    ARCHERS VASE, NO. 893
    designed 1921, Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014.

    POISSONS VASE, NO. 925 designed 1921, electric blue. Courtesy Christie's Images Ltd., 2014

    POISSONS VASE, NO. 925
    designed 1921, electric blue. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014

    DANS LA NUIT, WORTH  designed 1924, clear and blue painted. Courtesy Christie's Images Ltd., 2014

    DANS LA NUIT, WORTH
    designed 1924, clear and blue painted. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014

    SUZANNE STATUETT E, NO. 833 designed 1925, opalescent, with illuminating patinated bronze base. Courtesy Christie's Images Ltd., 2014.

    SUZANNE STATUETT E, NO. 833
    designed 1925, opalescent, with illuminating patinated bronze base. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014.

    IRISH TRIBAL ART AT MEALY’S IN CASTLECOMER

    Friday, October 17th, 2014

    Lots 191 to 199 at Mealy’s three day sale in Castlecomer on October 21, 22 and 23 comprise contemporary Irish Tribal Art by Patrick Coffey, gilder, woodcarver and artist. The Cork based artist uses native woods.  Having completed his apprenticeship in carving and gilding in London he worked predominantly for dealers in antiques and art around Bond St. and carved patterns for gold and silversmiths like Aspreys, Garrards and Mappin and Webb. He returned to Ireland in the 1990’s.  Estimates for the pieces at Mealy’s range from 150 to 2,500 and more pieces are available at Mealy’s private online art gallery.  Here are some examples:

    The Wren Boy costume for Samhain (1,500-2,500).

    The Wren Boy costume for Samhain (1,500-2,500).

    St. Patrick (800-1,200).

    St. Patrick (800-1,200).

    A Cyclops mask used at Halloween to scare off evil spirits (150-250).

    A Cyclops mask used at Halloween to scare off evil spirits (150-250).

    RICHTER’S ABSTRAKTES BILD (774-4) AT CHRISTIE’S

    Thursday, October 16th, 2014
    Gerhard Richter (b. 1932) Abstraktes Bild (774-4) Courtesy Christie's Images Ltd., 2014.

    Gerhard Richter (b. 1932)
    Abstraktes Bild (774-4) Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014.  UPDATE: IT MADE $31,525,000

    Gerhard Richter’s beautiful and luminous Abstraktes Bild (774-4), a seminal example of his multi-layered style, comes up at Christie’s in New York on November 12. Painted in 1982 and first exhibited in Rome that year, this particular example explores the stunning effect of the vertical grid.  The masterpiece from the greatest abstract painter working today is estimated at $14-18 million.

    Consigned by the Linda Pace Foundation of San Antonio, Texas funds from the sale will be used to establish a board designated fund to realise an art campus that will include a David Adjaye designed building in San Antonio to exhibit the foundation’s growing collection. Linda Pace (1945-2007) was driven by the idea that art is a vital social force. She established ArtPace San Antonio in her home town. It offers artists from all over the world an environment that fosters experimentation and growth and has awarded nearly $9 million in Foundation grants to artists and contemporary arts organisations around the world.

    Christie’s anticipate that the demand for this masterpiece will be global.

     

    UPDATE: IT MADE $31,525,000

    MAJOR BACON PAPAL SERIES WORK AT CHRISTIE’S IN NOVEMBER

    Thursday, October 16th, 2014
    Francis Bacon (1909-1992) Seated Figure (Red Cardinal)

    Francis Bacon (1909-1992)
    Seated Figure (Red Cardinal) Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014.  UPDATE: IT MADE $44,965,000

    A major work by Francis Bacon based on his obsession with the Velazquez Portrait of Pope Innocent X will highlight Christie’s  evening sale of Post War and Contemporary art in New York on November 12.  Seated Figure (Red Cardinal) is an exceptional example of Bacon’s painterly practice and a rare outing at auction for a major painting from his Papal Series. Painted in 1960 it is estimated at $40-60 million. All of Bacon’s pope figures stem from his obsession with the 1650 portrait of Pope Innocent X by Diego Velazquez.  He is quoted as saying that he was overwhelmed by the image and by reproductions of it.

    In this work Bacon presents the pope  as a tragic hero brought low by the external forces around him.

    In New York last November Christie’s sold Bacon’s Three Studies for Lucian Freud for $142,405,000, setting a new world record for any work of art ever sold at auction.

    UPDATE: IT MADE $44,965,000

    LUXURY DESIGNER FURNITURE AT CHRISTIE’S IN LONDON

    Wednesday, October 15th, 2014

    A varied selection of luxury designer furniture from Italy, France, Brazil, Scandinavia as well as an important private collection of mid-century French design will come up at Christie’s London sales of 20/21 Design this year.  There will be an inaugural evening sale at King St. on November 4 and a day auction in South Kensington on October 28.

    Jeremy Morrison, Senior Director, 20/21 Design, London comments: ‘Our two Design sales are targeted to reflect our global market leadership in 20th century decorative art & design auctions over the last 40 years. The King Street sale offers a selected group of Post War and Contemporary Design, complemented by Pre-War avant-garde works, by the main proponents of 20th and 21st Century Design which will appeal to international collectors and private clients. Our South Kensington sale has a wider remit, also covering earlier 20th Century Design periods, with prices from £1,000, and is therefore ideal for those new to our field or auctions more generally, as well as our established international base of collectors’.

    Here are some examples:

    HUMBERTO (B. 1953) & FERNARNDO (B. 1961) CAMPANA A UNIQUE 'PEIXE' BENCH, 1989  cut and welded steel (£80,000-120,000).  Courtesy Christie's Images Ltd., 2014.

    HUMBERTO (B. 1953) & FERNARNDO (B. 1961) CAMPANA
    A UNIQUE ‘PEIXE’ BENCH, 1989
    cut and welded steel (£80,000-120,000). Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014.

    YOICHI OHIRA (B. 1946) A UNIQUE 'I QUATTRO NASTRI ROSSI' VASE, 2004 executed by Maestro Livio Serena and Maestro Giacomo Barbini, (£10,000-15,000).  Courtesy Christie's Images Ltd., 2014.

    YOICHI OHIRA (B. 1946)
    A UNIQUE ‘I QUATTRO NASTRI ROSSI’ VASE, 2004
    executed by Maestro Livio Serena and Maestro Giacomo Barbini, (£10,000-15,000). Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014.

    CHARLOTTE PERRIAND (1903-1999) A ‘MEXIQUE’ CABINET, CIRCA 1953  designed for the Maison du Méxique, Cité Internationale Universitaire, Paris (£60,000-90,000). Courtesy Christie's Images Ltd., 2014

    CHARLOTTE PERRIAND (1903-1999)
    A ‘MEXIQUE’ CABINET, CIRCA 1953
    designed for the Maison du Méxique, Cité Internationale Universitaire, Paris (£60,000-90,000). Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014

    ALESSANDRO MENDINI (B. 1931) AN EARLY 'POLTRONA DI PROUST' ARMCHAIR, DESIGNED 1978, THIS EXAMPLE EXECUTED EARLY 1980s  produced for Studio Alchimia, painted by Franco Migliaccio (£40,000-60,000) Courtesy Christie's Images Ltd., 2014

    ALESSANDRO MENDINI (B. 1931)
    AN EARLY ‘POLTRONA DI PROUST’ ARMCHAIR, DESIGNED 1978, THIS EXAMPLE EXECUTED EARLY 1980s
    produced for Studio Alchimia, painted by Franco Migliaccio (£40,000-60,000) Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014

    LOTS WITH INTERESTING PROVENANCE AT MEALY’S

    Wednesday, October 15th, 2014

    Lots with interesting provenances will come up at Mealy’s three day sale in Castlecomer on October 21, 22 and 23.   The sale offers period furniture, paintings, fine and decorative art from sources including 200 lots from the collection of the McGrath family, founders of the Irish Hospitals Sweepstake and lots from the Marquess of Ripon Collection inherited by descent. On the third day there is a thrift sale of more affordable pieces.  The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection to whet the appetite:

    An Irish carved gilt wood mirror in the Chinese Chippendale style (2,000-3,000).

    An Irish carved gilt wood mirror in the Chinese Chippendale style (2,000-3,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,800 AT HAMMER

    An Edwardian satinwood Carlton House Desk (1,000-1,500).

    An Edwardian satinwood Carlton House Desk (1,000-1,500).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 900

    John Behan - A bronze study of Dan Breen (2,500-3,500)

    John Behan – A bronze study of Dan Breen (2,500-3,500)

    A white metal inlaid tortoiseshell tea caddy (800-900).

    A white metal inlaid tortoiseshell tea caddy (800-900).  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 800

    A George III oval harewood and satinwood tea caddy (250-350)

    A George III oval harewood and satinwood tea caddy (250-350)  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 240

    MOORE SCULPTURES FROM BACALL’S COLLECTION AT BONHAMS

    Tuesday, October 14th, 2014
    Two bronze sculptures by Henry Moore from the estate of Lauren Bacall will come up at Bonhams  Impressionist & Modern Art auction in New York on November 4. Working Model for Reclining Figure: Bone Skirt ($600,000 – 800,000) is a spectacular figure with rich dark brown patina, cast shortly after Bacall and Moore met for the first time in 1976. The work is a beautiful portrayal of the Reclining Figure, one of Moore’s iconic motifs, and a constant from the early 1920s through to his very last works. It measures 27 inches in length. Maquette for Mother and Child: Arms ($150,000 – 200,000), is eight inches in length and was cast in 1976.
    Lauren Bacall became interested in Henry Moore in California in the 1950’s when she started buying his lithographs.  She did not meet him until 1976, an encounter she described as a high point in her life. These sculptures adorned the drawing room of her home which overlooked Central Park in New York’s Dakota building.

    Henry Moore, Working Model for Reclining Figure: Bone Skirt, 1977-1979  © The Henry Moore Foundation.

    Henry Moore, Working Model for Reclining Figure: Bone Skirt, 1977-1979  UPDATE: THIS MADE $1,061,000
    © The Henry Moore Foundation.

    Henry Moore, Maquette for Mother and Child: Arms, 1976  © The Henry Moore Foundation.

    Henry Moore, Maquette for Mother and Child: Arms, 1976
    © The Henry Moore Foundation.  UPDATE: THIS MADE $281,000

    END OF IRISH AUSTERITY BUDGETS, GROUND TO BE MADE UP

    Monday, October 13th, 2014

    THE budget in the Irish Republic tomorrow is billed as the end of austerity, but there is much ground to be made up after years of financial hardship and increased taxes. This was evident to some extent at the two day Country House Collections auction by James Adam at Slane Castle which ended today.  Private buyers dominated a sale which grossed approximately  1.4 million, making it one of the most successful sales in the country this year.  However there was a degree of nervousness in the antique trade. Trade buyers were in short supply. The Maria Edgeworth table, billed as one of the top lots, remained unsold, but is under negotiation and may change hands in coming days.  Among the top lots were Yachts Racing past the Irish Lights Vessel off Dublin Bay by Samuel Walters (1811-1882), a pair of Library Globes by Newton and Son, London (1840-1841) and a marble bust of Benjamin Lee Guinness by John Henry Foley (1818-1874), each of which sold for a hammer price of 25,000.

    SAMUEL WALTERS (1811-1882) Yachts Racing Past the Irish Light Vessel off Dublin Bay

    SAMUEL WALTERS (1811-1882) Yachts Racing Past the Irish Light Vessel off Dublin Bay

    A PAIR OF ENGLISH 15-INCH LIBRARY GLOBES BY NEWTON & SON, LONDON

    A PAIR OF ENGLISH 15-INCH LIBRARY GLOBES BY NEWTON & SON, LONDON

    John Henry Foley - a portrait of Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness.

    John Henry Foley – a portrait of Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness.

    DE KOONING’S CLAMDIGGER AT CHRISTIE’S IN NOVEMBER

    Monday, October 13th, 2014
    Clamdigger - Willem de Kooning (1904-1997). Copyright credit the Willem de Kooning Foundation Artists Rights Society (ARS).

    Clamdigger – Willem de Kooning (1904-1997). Copyright credit the Willem de Kooning Foundation Artists Rights Society (ARS).

    The most important sculpture of the Abstract Expressionist Movement,  Willem de Kooning’s Clamdigger, will lead Christie’s Post War and Contemporary Art sale in New York on November 12.  Part of de Kooning’s personal collection since it was created in 1972, Clamdigger is widely recognized alongside Giacometti’s Walking Man as a crowning achievement in expressive 20th century sculpture. de Kooning pushed the boundaries of what was possible in sculpture and launched a creative Renaissance of his art in the 1970’s. A rare male subject for an artist famous for his highly expressionistic depiction of monumental women, de Kooning kept this work for himself; several art historians assert it became a surrogate self-portrait, depicting with the most brutal honesty an artist in his sixties conscious of humanity and his mortality.  De Kooning would confront his Clamdigger every day, positioning it with pride of place by the entrance to his studio.

    The majority of the ten casts belong to major institutions and foundations around the world, including The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Glenstone Foundation in Potomac, Maryland, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Daros Foundation in Switzerland and the Centre George Pompidou in Paris. Clamdigger was also a highlight of the highly celebrated De Kooning: A Retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, New York in 2011.

    The sale is on behalf of the Lisa de Kooning Trust.  She was his only child and Clamdigger is being sold by his three grand daughters  to fulfil the tax obligations of their mother’s estate.  It is estimated at $25-35 million.