antiquesandartireland.com

Information about Art, Antiques and Auctions in Ireland and around the world
  • ABOUT
  • About Des
  • Contact
  • Archive for August, 2016

    GROUSE SHOOTING ANYONE? THE SEASON SOON GETS UNDERWAY

    Thursday, August 11th, 2016

    A 12 bore Royal de Luxe sidelock ejector gun by Holland and Holland, produced for grouse shooting, comes up at Gavin Gardiner‘s sale of fine modern and vintage sporting guns and rifles at the Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire in Scotland on August 29, just two weeks into the grouse shooting season. Ordered in July 1972 and delivered in June 1976 the original cost was £2,050. The recently serviced gun now comes to market with an estimate of £14,000-18,000. The sale, which is now in its 49th year, includes over 200 lots by leading European gun makers.

    A 12 bore Royal de Luxe ejector gun by Holland and Holland (£14,000-18,000)

    A 12 bore Royal de Luxe ejector gun by Holland and Holland (£14,000-18,000)

    A pair of  12 bore round action ejector guns by Johh Dickson and Sons, 1902 (£10,000-15,000)

    A pair of 12 bore round action ejector guns by Johh Dickson and Sons, 1902 (£10,000-15,000)

    SOTHEBY’S HONG KONG AUTUMN SALES TO TEMPT COLLECTORS

    Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

    From Ming furniture and Chateau Petrus to exceptional Chinese ceramics and classical Asian art the autumn sale series at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong from October 1-5 offers much to tempt the collector.  In the weeks leading up to the sales selected highlights will travel to Jakarta, Singaport, Seoul and Taipei.  Here is a selection of some highlights:

    A Qing Dynasty Qianlong white jade  Mandarin Ducks and Rockwork group

    A Qing Dynasty Qianlong white jade Mandarin Ducks and Rockwork group

    Harry Winston diamond necklace

    Harry Winston diamond necklace

    Shiy De Jinn (1923-1981) - Young girl

    Shiy De Jinn (1923-1981) – Young girl

    Li Keran (1907-1989) - Buffaloes under autumn tree

    Li Keran (1907-1989) – Buffaloes under autumn tree

    Part of a selection of 99 lots and 11 vintages of Chateau Petrus

    Part of a selection of 99 lots and 11 vintages of Chateau Petrus

    THE COLLECTION OF FRANK AND GAIL ZAPPA AT JULIEN’S AUCTIONS

    Tuesday, August 9th, 2016

    Property from the estate of  innovative musical genius Frank Zappa (1940-1993) and his trailblazer wife Gail will come up in a live and online auction at Julien’s Auctions next November 4. As a music composer, producer, director and guitarist Frank Zappa would fuse musical genres and incorporate diverse musical techniques and sounds, some often politically charged and intentionally shocking.  Often described as a genius, Frank Zappa was undeniably one of the most innovative musicians of the 20th century. He led the sixties California freak movement, composed classical compositions throughout his career, was a hero of free speech and spoke out against censorship often in public.  In 1967, Frank married Gail Zappa and purchased a home in Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles. During the Zappas’ decades of touring the globe, they amassed a collection of exotic furnishings, fine antiques, salvaged architectural pieces, unique collectibles and whimsical items that appealed to their panache for colorful and non-conformist eye. The auction will include many of the personal treasures that found their home at the fabled compound in California.

    A Venetian gilt metal chandelier ($10,000-$15,000)

    A Venetian gilt metal chandelier ($10,000-$15,000)

    A large painting by Ashley Laurence titled “Angel Pig,” painting, name given by Gail Zappa. ($3,000-$5,000).

    A large painting by Ashley Laurence titled “Angel Pig,” painting, name given by Gail Zappa. ($3,000-$5,000).

    The catalogue cover image of Frank and Gail Zappa

    The catalogue cover image of Frank and Gail Zappa

    A clay Thing-Fish model, a ukulele featured on the Thing-Fish album cover

    A clay Thing-Fish model, a ukulele featured on the Thing-Fish album cover

    Zappa's Grammy nomination.

    Zappa’s Grammy nomination.

    THE ULTIMATE BEATLES COLLECTIBLE AT MEALY’S

    Sunday, August 7th, 2016
    The original cover from The Beatles US release Yesterday and Today in the original sealed and notoriously banned Butcher cover is the highlight of an online auction of 300 lots of vinyl records at Mealy’s through The Saleroom until August 22.  For fans this is the ultimate Beatles collectible. It was withdrawn from circulation almost immediately after the album’s release in 1966 with a destruction order. Many copies were replaced by the more acceptable Trunk Cover version. It is estimated at 3,000-5,000.
    Otherwise estimates are from just one euro up.  From Wishbone Ash to Ry Cooder, Dire Straits to U2 the collection encompasses much to bring baby boomers back in time and interest millennial collectors with specialist taste.  There are records by The Carpenters, Jose Feliciano, Genesis, Roxy Music, Jethro Tull, Christopher Cross, Madonna, Mary Coughlan, John McCormack, Val Doonican, Clannad, Na Fili, Planxty, The Bothy Band, Cat Stevens, Barry White, Blondie, Elton John and The Boomtown Rats.  Simon and Garfunkel, Bing Crosby, Kate Bush, Shirley Bassey and Rod Stewart are there as well as an array of popular music over the decades.

    The Beatles - Yesterday and Today, the Butcher cover.

    The Beatles – Yesterday and Today, the Butcher cover.

    Van Morrisson - Wavelength, 1978

    Van Morrisson – Wavelength, 1978

    AN ONLINE AUCTION OF AFFORDABLE IRISH ART

    Friday, August 5th, 2016

    An online auction of affordable Irish art by Morgan O’Driscoll continues until August 8.  There is an interesting selection of work on offer in a sale which follows a successful online sale which ended last Tuesday.  The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:

    Fergal Flanagan - Ballinaboy, Connemara (300-500)

    Fergal Flanagan – Ballinaboy, Connemara (300-500)  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    Stella Steyn (1907-1987) - Still Life with Fruit

    Stella Steyn (1907-1987) – Still Life with Fruit  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 280

    Sean O'Sullivan (1906-1964) - A Coastal Path (250-350)

    Sean O’Sullivan (1906-1964) – A Coastal Path (250-350)  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 120

    Maurice Henderson - After the Catch, Allihies (800-1,200)

    Maurice Henderson – After the Catch, Allihies (800-1,200)  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    Peter Knuttel - Portrait of Markey Robinson (200-300)

    Peter Knuttel – Portrait of Markey Robinson (200-300)  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 500 AT HAMMER

    BRITISH AND IRISH ART MARKET ON THE UP AT BONHAMS

    Thursday, August 4th, 2016
    Paul Henry  (1876-1958) - The Cottage by the Lake (£30,000-50,000)

    Paul Henry (1876-1958) – The Cottage by the Lake (£30,000-50,000) sold for £79,300

    A mid year British and Irish art market report by Bonhams shows an increase of 22% in the year so far. They say that bullish conditions were evident at the June auction which totalled £8.3 million and was the company’s most successful to date. The sale was 86% sold by lot and 46% of lots sold above their high estimates.

    Irish art was 100% sold with strong prices for stalwarts like Sir John Lavery and Jack B. Yeats. The welcome surprise of the day, according to Bonhams, was the £79,300 paid for an 8″ x 10″ painting by Paul Henry. Bonhams say that work from the 1930’s and 40’s  experienced a particular surge and that right now there  is an overall hunger for quality.  The next major sale of British and Irish art is on November 23 and the closing date for entries is October 7.

    (See post on antiquesandartireland.com for June 13, 2016)

    GEORGIAN CLOCK USED AT DAWN OF METEOROLOGICAL SCIENCE

    Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016
    The barograph clock. Copyright the Board of theTrustees of the Science Museum, London.

    The barograph clock. Copyright the Board of theTrustees of the Science Museum, London.

    A rare Georgian clock, capable of recording changes in air pressure and used at the dawn of climate science, has been acquired by the Science Museum in London. Dated 1766, the barograph clock is one of only four of its type that highly-regarded London clockmaker Alexander Cumming is known to have constructed. It was used by renowned meteorologist Luke Howard to conduct some of the world’s first urban climate studies.  After Cumming’s death in 1814, Luke Howard purchased the clock and used it for observations of atmospheric pressure at his homes in London and Ackworth, a crucial project in the emergence of climate science. The data from the barograph traces, accompanied by notes on global weather events and descriptions of the clock, were published in the book Barometrographia in 1847. Howard’s life’s work has earned him the nickname ‘the father of scientific meteorology’.

    A fine example of the technical innovations of the Georgian period, the clock was designed by Cumming using ideas first outlined by Royal Society founding member Robert Hooke. It has featured in previous exhibitions at the Science Museum as a loan, and curators are now planning a permanent display.  The case, thought to be made by famed London cabinet maker Thomas Chippendale, contains a barograph mechanism used for measuring air pressure. This comprises two tubes of mercury in which a float rises and falls as atmospheric pressure changes. This data is recorded on the clock dial, which rotates once a year. The acquisition was made possible by a grant from Art Fund and it was purchased through Sotheby’s.

    During the Georgian period, scientific practice was often presented in public as a high-status activity expressed through ornately decorated and very finely constructed instruments such as this. The first barograph clock Cumming constructed was commissioned by King George III as a prime example of his pursuit of Enlightenment.

    ADRIAEN van den VELDE AT THE RIJKSMUSEUM

    Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016

    This summer the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is staging the first ever major retrospective of work by Adriaen van de Velde (1636-1672), one of the greatest landscape painters of the Golden Age. The exhibition features sixty paintings, preliminary studies and drawings by the talented artist, who died tragically young. They come from private collections and from museums including the Louvre, the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Kassel, Museo Thyssen Bornemisza Madrid, the Mauritshuis and the British Museum.  Here is a small selection:

    A Recumbent Cow and Three Sheep, Adriaen van de Velde, c. 1671

    A Recumbent Cow and Three Sheep, Adriaen van de Velde, c. 1671

    The beach at Scheveningen, Adriaen van de Velde, 1658.

    The beach at Scheveningen, Adriaen van de Velde, 1658.

    Couple in a Landscape, Adriaen van de Velde, 1667.

    Couple in a Landscape, Adriaen van de Velde, 1667.