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  • Archive for February, 2016

    ART BY FRANCIS BACON AND TONY O’MALLEY REUNITED ON SAME CANVAS AT CHRISTIE’S

    Monday, February 29th, 2016
    The O'Malley paintings with Bacon on the back.

    The O’Malley paintings with Bacon on the back.

    A lost unfinished nude by Francis Bacon on the back of two early paintings by Tony O’Malley surfaces at The Modern British & Irish Art sale at Christie’s South Kensington on March 17.  Bacon started Figure when working in St Ives, Cornwall in the late 1950’s, but when the artist cut short his visit following an argument with his partner he abandoned the work, among many others. It was divided into two by Tony O’Malley who worked and lived at St. Ives for many years. He went on to paint two scenes on the opposite sides: Currach, Clare Island and Evening Landscape Tehidy Hospital.  

    The works were separated in different collections – the O’Malley family and the Fallon family – for many years.  They have now been reunited and will be offered with an estimate of £20,000-30,000.  Given the amount of interest generated this could be conservative.

    UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR £434,000

    Here is a video about the reunited Bacon:

    COLLECTING COLLECTORS AT TEFAF

    Thursday, February 25th, 2016

    Collecting Collectors is the title of the loan exhibition at TEFAF (The European Fine Art Fair) which runs from March 11-20 at Maastricht in The Netherlands.  It will feature a small but choice selection of master drawings and prints from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam.

    Works by Fra Bartolommeo (1473-1517), numbering 400 sheets with 500 drawings assembled in two luxury albums by Florentine collector Niccolò Gabburri in 1729, are a particular highlight of the collection. One of the albums will be included in the selection at TEFAF Maastricht 2016, as a prelude to the forthcoming large Fra Bartolommeo exhibition in Rotterdam in the autumn of 2016.

    The museum collection of around 17,000 drawings and 65,000 prints provides an overview of western art history from the Middle Ages.  There are works by old masters like Albrecht Dürer, Lucas van Leyden and Rembrandt van Rijn and modern and contemporary artists like Paul Cézanne, Salvador Dalí, René Magritte and Yayoi Kusama. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is named after two collectors who both were essential in the establishment of the museum’s international reputation – Frans Boijmans (1767-1847) and D.G. van Beuningen (1877-1955). Boijmans’ bequest founded the museum in 1849 and in 1940 Van Beuningen acquired and then donated the majority of the Franz Koenigs collection of master drawings.

    Fra Bartelommeo - Young man leaning on pedestal.

    Fra Bartelommeo – Young man leaning on pedestal.

    Rembrandt van Rijn - Seated woman with open book on her lap.

    Rembrandt van Rijn – Seated woman with open book on her lap.

    STING’S STEINWAY SELLS FOR £116,500 AT CHRISTIE’S

    Wednesday, February 24th, 2016
    A GERMAN EBONISED ‘MODEL B’ GRAND PIANO STEINWAY & SONS (EST. 1853), HAMBURG, 1909, RESTORED IN 2002. Courtesy Christie's Images Ltd., 2013.

    A GERMAN EBONISED ‘MODEL B’ GRAND PIANO
    STEINWAY & SONS (EST. 1853), HAMBURG, 1909, RESTORED IN 2002. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2016.

    Sting’s Steinway Grand Piano sold for £116,500 at Christie’s sale in London today. The piano on which Sting worked on for a decade aroused international interest.  It was sold in the Queen Anne’s Gate: Works from the Art Collection of Sting & Trudie Styler sale at which it had been estimated at £30,000-50,000.

    Sting’s Steinway grand piano occupied pride of place in the music room at Queen Anne’s Gate. He worked extensively with this piano specifically on three albums: Songs from the LabyrinthIf on a Winter’s Night…, and The Last Ship. The world renowned Steinway & Sons was established in New York, and this model B-137185 grand piano was registered and produced by Steinway Hamburg in 1909. The piano was restored, ebonised and subsequently purchased by Sting & Trudie Styler in 2002.  The sale realized £3,006,812.

    (See post on antiquesandartireland.com for October 28, 2015)

    ANTIQUE FURNITURE AT SHEPPARDS IN DURROW NEXT WEEK

    Wednesday, February 24th, 2016

    Antique and designer furniture is a feature at Sheppards two day sale in Durrow, County Laois on March 1 and 2.  The auction, entitled Classical Convergences, Antique, Art and Accent, features fine art, paintings and prints and decorative art and collectibles among more than 1,230 lots on offer. The catalogue is on-line. Here is a small selection:

    Edwardian mahogany and satinwood cross banded two tier circular revolving bookcase (1,500-2,500).

    Edwardian mahogany and satinwood cross banded two tier circular revolving bookcase (1,500-2,500).

    Monumental Irish carved overdoor c1776 (5,000-7,500).

    Monumental Irish carved overdoor c1776 (5,000-7,500).

    Early 20th century lacquered cabinet on stand (2,500-3,500).

    Early 20th century lacquered cabinet on stand (2,500-3,500).

    An Irish 18th century mahogany console table (4,000-6,000).

    An Irish 18th century mahogany console table (4,000-6,000).

    A George II parcel gilt and painted pier mirror (2,500-3,500).

    A George II parcel gilt and painted pier mirror (2,500-3,500).

    THE PELHAM GALLERIES SALE AT SOTHEBY’S

    Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016

    Fascinating acquisitions made by two generations of antiques dealers will come up at Sotheby’s in London on March 8.  An exceptional sale of furniture form the public and private collections of Alan Rubin of Pelham Galleries will come under the hammer  For almost 90 years, Pelham Galleries has been a mecca for international collectors, dealers and museums curators. The galleries in London and Paris have been instrumental in helping form some of today’s greatest collections. Treasures discovered by Alan Rubin, his father and uncle can be found in many of the world’s greatest museums including the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Metropolitan Museum, New York and the Louvre.

    The sale will offer 180 lots with outstanding examples of English and European furniture, an exceptionally rich group of Italian decorative arts, chinoiserie masterpieces and a number of items reflecting Alan Rubin’s passion for early music. Alan Rubin said: “This sale marks a new chapter for Pelham Galleries which will now be run from our Paris gallery. The sale includes a number of pieces never previously offered to the public, some acquired by my family over sixty years ago. I hope they will give as much pleasure to their new owners as they have given to me.”

    The flight en montgolfiere of Pilatre do Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes over Paris November 1783 (£12,000-18,000).

    The flight en montgolfiere of Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis d’Arlandes over Paris November 1783 (£12,000-18,000).

    Early George III mahogany hall bench, c1760, attributed to William an John Linnell.

    Early George III mahogany hall bench, c1760, attributed to William and John Linnell.

    A consulat armchair c1796-1803 similar to the one in the Chateau de Malmaison where Napolean lived with Josephine.

    A consulat armchair c1796-1803 similar to the one in the Chateau de Malmaison where Napolean lived with Josephine(£30,000-50,000).

    A pair of George III painted and parcel gilt satinwood pier tables c1795 which adorned the Blue Room of the White House between 1972 and 2002 (£100,000-150,000).

    A pair of George III painted and parcel gilt satinwood pier tables c1795 which adorned the Blue Room of the White House between 1972 and 2002 (£100,000-150,000).

    One of a pair of micro mosaics by Giacomo Raffaelli (1753-1856) from the Hamilton Palace Collection (£50,000-100,000).

    One of a pair of micro mosaics by Giacomo Raffaelli (1753-1856) from the Hamilton Palace Collection (£50,000-100,000).

     

    FINE MING FURNITURE AT SOTHEBY’S IN HONG KONG

    Monday, February 22nd, 2016

    An Asian private collection of Ming furniture comes up at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong on April 6.  Every item in the collection was purchased from world-renowned Ming furniture dealer Grace Wu Bruce, revered as “the Queen of Huanghuali” in the world of Chinese furniture.  Rarer still, most of the pieces offered have been widely published, their quality rivaling similar pieces in the world’s leading museums. Eight pieces of furniture and ten table-top pieces will be offered in a dedicated sale.  Ming Furniture – An Asian Private Collection is in the Chinese Works of Art Spring Sale series.  Here is a selection:

    Couch bed luohan chuang.

    Couch bed luohan chuang.

    High yoke-back armchair

    High yoke-back armchair

    One of a pair of large horseshoe armchairs.

    One of a pair of large horseshoe armchairs.

    Pingtouan Table.

    Pingtouan Table.

     

    HENRY, YEATS HIGHLIGHT WHYTE’S UPCOMING ART AUCTION

    Sunday, February 21st, 2016
    Art by Paul Henry and Jack Butler Yeats will highlight Whyte’s sale at the RDS in Dublin on February 29.  Whyte’s is approaching this sale with a sense of marked optimism fuelled by what they describe as enormously encouraging results for sales of Irish art in 2015. The inaugural 2016 sale at Whyte’s will include Irish art stalwarts and international offerings with work by Joan Miro, Tracey Emin, David Hockney and Damien Hirst included.
    Paul Henry was enchanted with Kerry, telling a friend in New York of its loveliness and saying that he felt that if he spent a lifetime there he would never exhaust all the possible subjects.  A Kerry Bog in this sale dates to 1934-35 and is estimated at 60,000-80,000.  There is a similar estimate on The Quay Worker’s Home by Jack B. Yeats, a rare depiction of urban life in 1920’s Ireland.
    A Study of Dustman Reilly for The Key Men c1958-60 by Sean Keating features a well known Dublin character and bin man who was chairman of the George Bernard Shaw branch of the Irish Labour Party in Dublin.  It is estimated at 20,000-30,000.

    An untitled work by Joan Miro is estimated at 18,000-20,000 and there are examples of work by Dame Elisabeth Frink and other British artists. Henry St. Dublin during the 1916 Rising by Flemish artist Edmond Delrenne has an estimate of 8,000-10,000.  There is work by Patrick Hennessy, Basil Blackshaw, Percy French, Nathanial Hone, Harry Kernoff, Frank McKelvey, George Campbell, Markey Robinson, Tony O’Malley and Patrick Scott.

    Jack B. Yeats - The Quay Workers Home, 1927 (60,000-80,000).

    Jack B. Yeats – The Quay Workers Home, 1927 (60,000-80,000).  UPDATE: THIS WAS WITHDRAWN AT 52,000 AND IS UNDER NEGOTIATION FOR A FIGURE CLOSER TO THE LOW ESTIMATE.

    A Kerry Bog by Paul Henry (60,000-80,000).

    A Kerry Bog by Paul Henry (60,000-80,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 66,000 AT HAMMER

    Joan Miro Sin Titulo (Untitled) 1973 (18,000-20,000).

    Joan Miro Sin Titulo (Untitled) 1973 (18,000-20,000).  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 20,000 AT HAMMER

    BOND’S ASTON MARTIN MAKES £2.43 MILLION

    Friday, February 19th, 2016
    The Aston Martin DB10 with Daniel Craig.

    The Aston Martin DB10 with Daniel Craig.

    The top lot at the first part of Christie’s sale of James Bond Spectre Memorabilia in London last night was Bond’s Aston Martin which made £2,434,500.  The sale realised £2,785,500.  All profitable proceeds are for charity.  The auction of ten lots was to celebrate the Home Entertainment release of Spectre on Blu-ray™ and DVD on February  22.  Proceeds are for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), other charitable organisations and the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS).  Registered bidders from 25 countries across four continents took part.   Afterwards producer Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli commented that they were truly delighted that the money raised will help vital medical projects in South Sudan, Syria and Yemen and thanked Aston Martin for donating the Aston Martin DB10.  It is one of a series designed and engineered exclusively for James Bond Spectre. The Day of the Dead costume worn by Daniel Craig made £98,500.  Spectre is the 24th film in the James Bond series.

    The online-only auction of 14 lots, James Bond Spectre: Online, remains open for bidding until February 23 at www.christies.com/spectreonline  Estimates are from £1,000 to £7,000.

    (See post on antiquesandartireland.com for January 21, 2016)

    THE EVANGELISTS – A QUARTET OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

    Thursday, February 18th, 2016

    The Evangelists, a unique quartet of musical instruments, will be offered at auction by Ingles and Hayday in London in March.  Attached is a video of the Ruisi Quartet playing these exceptional instruments.  Between 1863 and 1872 the famous French luthier Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume made a number of instruments dedicated to saints. It is believed that he produced around a dozen instruments, of which nine survive. They are known as ‘The Apostles’. The first four, and the most celebrated, date from 1863, when Vuillaume made the quartet known as ‘The Evangelists’. Made from matching wood it is the only one of Vuillaume’s celebrated quartets still together as a set today.   Each has a carved tailpiece, depicting one of the Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  The set has been in private European collections since about 1970, immaculately preserved and played only occasionally.  The estimate is £600,000-800,000 and the auction is on March 15.

    A PAINTING OF QUEEN VICTORIA’S YACHT ESCORT AT CORK HARBOUR

    Thursday, February 18th, 2016
    George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson - The Royal Yacht squadron bringing Queen Victoria to Cork Harbour, August 1849.

    George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson (1806-1884) – The Royal Yacht Squadron bringing Queen Victoria to Cork Harbour, August 1849.  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR A HAMMER PRICE OF 28,000

    A rare painting of the Royal Yacht Squadron escorting Queen Victoria to Cork Harbour in August 1849 will highlight the sale at Woodwards  on March 12.  Visual records of this event – for which the harbour town of Cove was renamed Queenstown  which remained its name until the late 1920’s when it reverted to the Irish name Cobh (pronounced cove) – are very rare.  It was as Queenstown that it achieved worldwide fame as the last port of call of the Titanic and the place to where bodies recovered from the Lusitania were taken and eventually buried.   Queenstown provided hundreds of thousands of Irish emigrants with a last heartbreaking glimpse of their home country.

    The Cobh based painter George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson provided one of the rare visual records of this event. He made several paintings of  the Royal Squadron in the harbour and the landing of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Woodwards say that apart from a lithograph based on a drawing by one of the ship’s officers published in aid of the female orphan asylum in Cork  and some wood engravings in the Illustrated London News  that Atkinson’s paintings appear to be the only visual records to have survived. A one time ship’s carpenter, inspector of shipping and self taught marine painter, George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson was one of a family of Cobh painters. Now estimated at 25,000-25,000 it was last sold for 40,000 a couple of decades ago.