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  • Archive for October, 2018

    DESIGN AND CONTEMPORARY ART AT DE VERES

    Wednesday, October 10th, 2018

    An auction of modern design furniture and contemporary art takes place at de Veres in Dublin on October 14.  The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:

    Gwen O’Dowd
    CLADACH SERIES (2005) (1,000-2,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,100 AT HAMMER

    A CHROME BAUHAUS DRINKS TROLLEY,
    BY OLIVER BERNARD FOR PEL (300-500) UPDATE: THIS MADE 300 AT HAMMER

    Patrick Scott HRHA, 1921-2014 TABLE FOR MEDITATION (6,000-9,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 5,500 AT HAMMER

    A ROSEWOOD OVAL DINING TABLE, DANISH, 1970s (600-900)  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    A PAIR OF ITALIAN TUB CHAIRS ATTRIBUTED TO GIORGETTI, MILAN (800-1,200)   UPDATE: THESE MADE 1400 AT HAMMER

    VICTORIAN SUIT OF ARMOUR AT WOODWARDS

    Tuesday, October 9th, 2018

    Something you don’t happen across every day – a Victorian suit of armour – comes up at Woodwards in Cork on October 13 with an estimate of 400-800.  Prime lots at the auction include a pair of garden benches by Pierce of Wexford (1,500-2,000), a Victorian dining table (1,000-1,500), a set of ten Regency design dining chairs (600-1,000) and a pair of Art Deco chandeliers (500-1,000).  The catalogue is online. Here is a sample:

    Victorian suit of armour

    Early evening, France by Arthur Maderson

    BANKSY UPLOADS VIDEO ON SHREDDED PAINTING

    Sunday, October 7th, 2018

    Girl With Balloon, a well-known Banksy artwork, was the last lot in an auction at Sotheby’s in London on October 5. Shortly after selling for £1.04m, the canvas went through a secret shredder embedded in the frame.  Sotheby’s says it is in discussion with the purchaser.

    “Balloon Girl,” depicts a young girl reaching for a red heart-shaped balloon that has blown away and first  appeared in London in 2002.  Since then  Bansky has reimagined it for several political causes including support for Syrian refugees and against the Conservative party in the UK’s 2017 election. It was voted the UK’s best-loved work of art in 2017.

    For another Banksy video see post on antiquesandartireland.com for February 28, 2015.

    19th CENTURY CHAIRS WITH O’BRIEN FAMILY CREST AT FONSIE MEALY

    Sunday, October 7th, 2018
    A rare set of 19th century mahogany side chairs at Fonsie Mealy’s sale in Castlecomer at 10.30 am on October 10 is billed by the auctioneer as the most important seated furniture to come to market in recent times.   The 10 chairs bear the crest of the O’Brien family of Dromoland Castle and are estimated at 10,000-15,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s 800 lot sale includes a number of items from Dromoland but the highlight from that collection – a 430 year old table made from wood from the Spanish Armada – will come up as lot 101 at the James Adam Country House Collections sale at Townley Hall, Drogheda on October 16 with an estimate of 100,000-200,000.
    At Fonsie Mealy’s an over sized Killarney wood davenport from the Great  Exhibition of Manufacturers, Machinery and Fine Arts at the RDS in 1864 from the Corcoran family is estimated at 7,000-9,000. Among the artists whose work will feature are Louis le Brocquy, Gerard Dillon, William Crozier, Mildred Anne Butler, Kenneth Webb, George Campbell and Hughie O’Donoghue.
    A full length portrait of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde (1610-1688) from Peter Lely and the studio of Peter Lely is estimated at 25,000-35,000. It was formerly in the collection of the Earls of Shrewsbury. A full length oortrait of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington by John Jackson (1778-1831) is estimated at 15,000-20,000. Among the pieces from Dromoland are an 18th century sundial (4,000-6,000) complete with its original receipt from T. Crowther and Son, London issued to Lady Inchiquin.

    (See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for September 15 and October 5, 2018)

    UPDATE: The auction totalled more than 350,000 on the hammer and was 80% sold.

    19th century chairs with the crest of the O’Brien family of Dromoland Castle  UPDATE: THESE MADE 19,000 AT HAMMER

    An oversized exhibition Killarney davenport  UPDATE: THIS MADE 14,000 AT HAMMER

    18th century sundial  UPDATE: THIS MADE 11,000 AT HAMMER

    NEW AUCTION RECORD FOR A LIVING FEMALE ARTIST

    Friday, October 5th, 2018

    Propped – Jenny Saville

    There was a new auction record for a living female artist when Propped by Jenny Saville sold for £9.5 million at Sotheby’s in London tonight. The self-portrait that shatters canonised representations of female beauty propelled a young Jenny Saville to renown.  Eight bidders vied for the the remarkable painting in a bidding battle lasting more than 10 minutes.

    It is from the collection of visionary collector, patron and museum trustee, the late David Teiger. Proceeds will benefit Teiger Foundation – soon to be one of the world’s largest and most significant contemporary art foundations.

    Painted in 1992, Propped compelled collector Charles Saatchi to acquire every work by the artist that he possibly could, and subsequently included it in the pivotal 1997 exhibition, Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Gallery at the Royal Academy of Art. Sensation truly introduced Saville to the British public and the provocative nature of the exhibition sparked record queues and a media frenzy.

    The auction debut of Saville’s Propped follows the successful sale of the artist’s monumental Shift in June 2016 (est. £1.5-2 million), which tripled the auction record for the artist when it sold for £6.8 million to The Long Museum, Shanghai.

    COLLECTIONS AT THE HEART OF FONSIE MEALY’S AUCTION

    Friday, October 5th, 2018

    Items formerly housed at Dromoland Castle in Co. Clare, former home of the O’Brien family; the bijou collection from Dublin dealer Jane Williams whose corner shop was opposite Dail Eireann and the Corcoran family collection of the Wexford Free Press will be included in Fonsie Mealy’s sale of 800 lots in Castlecomer on October 10.  The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:

    A Hermes crocodile skin handbag (400-500)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,000 AT HAMMER

    William Crozier – Abstract Landscape (7,000-9,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 8,500 AT HAMMER

    Gold medal awarded to Tom Kiely by the Amateur Athletic Union of the US (1888) (4,000-5,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 6,250 AT HAMMER

    Portrait of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde – Sir Peter Lely and Studio (25,000-35,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 23,000 AT HAMMER

    MORE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE WHISKY IN THE WORLD

    Thursday, October 4th, 2018

    The Macallan 1926 painted by Michael Dillon.  UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR £1.2 MILLION, A WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR A BOTTLE OF WHISKY.

    Hard on the heels of the sale of the most expensive bottle of whisky in the world  for £848,000 at Bonhams in Edinburgh this week  a unique bottle of 1926 Macallan painted by the Irish artist Michael Dillon will lead Christie’s sales of finest and rarest wines and spirits in London next November 28-29.

    The Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 60-year-old sold at Bonhams was in a vat for 60 years and then bottled,. It fetched £700,000 plus a £148,000 sales premium. Experts describe it as the holy grail of whiskies, because of the combination of its rarity, vintage and unique artwork. Another bottle of The Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong in May this year for a then world record £814,081. Macallan commissioned pop artists Peter Blake and Valerio Adami to design labels for a limited edition of 24 bottles -12 Adami and 12 of Blake.

    The most collectable single malt of the 20th century at Christie’s,  The Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old, is presented in a unique bottle painted by the Irish artist Michael Dillon. The Macallan distillery located near the river Spey in North East Scotland was founded in 1824 and produces stunning examples of cask-matured single malts, particularly their highly prized and exceedingly rare single-cask, limited edition bottlings and Fine & Rare Collection. This is the only bottle of this ultra-rare elixir to be hand-painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon. Considered the ‘Holy Grail’ for collectors, it is poised to set a new world auction record for a bottle of whisky.

    Christie’s International Director of Wine, Tim Triptree commented: “Over the past five years we have seen sell-through rates for whisky offerings increase by over 20% and in recent years, along with the consistent interest from US and European collectors, clients from Asia have been highly active in the whisky market.”

    AFFORDABLE ART FROM THE UTV COLLECTION AT ADAMS ONLINE

    Thursday, October 4th, 2018

    An opportunity to invest in affordable works of art from a well -regarded Irish corporate collection arises at Adams with the online sale of the balance of works from the UTV collection.  The main artwork from the collection were sold at Adams in 2016. This sale comprises over 135 works of art including oils, watercolours, illustrations and photographic prints.  It runs at Adams until October 8 at 8 pm.

    The collection was built up over the decades and was curated by art historian, author and collector, Theo Snoddy, together with Amanda Croft and supported by the UTV board. The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:

    Dennis Kelly (20th/21st Century) Innocence and Despair (400-500)

    Rowel Friers (1920-1998)
    The Steeplechase (150-250)

    Wilfred J. Haughton RUA (1921-1999) Farm Pond near Strangford (300-400)

    RING BROOCH FOUND NEAR DINGLE GOES ON LOCAL DISPLAY

    Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018

    Medieval gold ring brooch and stone, Cloosmore, Dingle, Co. Kerry.

    A medieval period gold ring brooch acquired by the National Museum of Ireland in 2016 is to be sent on a short-term loan to Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne, Baile an Fheirtéaraigh, close to where it was found. The curator at the museum in Baile an Fheirtéaraigh, Isabel Bennett, was instrumental in reporting the find. and the National Museum of Ireland is very grateful to her and especially to the finder, Mr Ian Andrew, who found the brooch by chance while walking on the beach at Cloosmore, Dingle.

    Ring brooches were worn in medieval times by both men and women in order to fasten their gowns or cloaks at the neck. They may have been offered as a sign of affection or as betrothal gifts. Approximately 150 ring brooches are known from Ireland, but would usually be of copper alloy. Only a very small number including this example are made of gold.

    The finder Ian Andrew was on a holiday visit to the Dingle peninsula, where he has strong family connections.  While walking along a rocky coastal foreshore, he noticed a bright light shining between some rocks. After taking a closer look, he identified and retrieved this tiny but exquisite gold ring brooch.  It is an example of a rare type of 13th/14th century ring brooch with projecting hands. The brooch has a blue stone setting of tourmaline. The inscription in Gothic style lettering is legible but their meaning is unclear.a

    OUTSTANDING QIANLONG PORCELAIN MAKES THREE TIMES ESTIMATE

    Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018

    The Yamanaka Reticulated Vase – recently discovered in a private Japanese Collection – sold for US$19,009,102  at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong today.  This was almost three times its pre-sale estimate.  Carved and exquisitely painted with four pairs of fish below Rococo-inspired motifs on a yellow sgraffiato ground, the exceptional famille-rose reticulated vase is skilfully modelled with an inner blue-and-white vase. It ranks among the most complex porcelains ever commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795).  It is pair to the Bainbridge vase which made international headlines when it was sold in the UK in 2010.

    An outstanding Falangcai Poppy Bowl sold for US$21,600,158.  Unassuming in its beauty, the bowl is exquisitely enamelled on the exterior with an intricate design of poppies issuing from rockwork, with a butterfly depicted fluttering gracefully overhead, a fourteen-character poem, and the interior with a finger-citron, apple and cherries. The bowl is the only recorded example of this design outside of the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

    (See post on antiquesandartireland.com for August 13, 2018)

    The Yamanaka Reticulated Vase

    The Falangcai Poppy Bowl