A bronze hawk by Oisin Kelly RHA, cast in the Dublin Art Foundry during the 1970’s, comes up at de Veres sale of outstanding Irish art and sculpture which runs until July 23. Estimated at 4,000-6,000 it is one of an issue of seven. The artist derived many of his themes from the natural world and had a particular fondness for birds. His earliest major public work was his ‘Children of Lir’ in the Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square, Dublin, which was dedicated by An Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, in August 1971.
Oisin Kelly RHA, 1915 – 1981 HAWK. UPDATE: THIS MADE 5,500 AT HAMMER
A sensational diamond necklace suspending a pear-shaped diamond of 115.83 carats, F color, VVS1 clarity will lead Christie’s sale of magnificent jewels in New York on July 29. It is estimated at $5,000,000-7,000,000. Coloured diamonds also lead the sale, with a fancy intense blue diamond ring of 7.16 carats, internally flawless ($3,500,000-5,000,000); and a fancy intense yellow diamond ring of 33.65 carats, VS2 clarity ($525,000-625,000). Coloured gemstones are also strongly represented with a Burma sapphire ring of 42.45 carats ($350,000–550,000); Colombian emerald ring of 35.77 carats ($300,000-500,000); and superb Art Deco sapphire and diamond sautoir, by Bulgari ($650,000–850,000).
The Jewels Online sale which runs from July 22 to August 6/7 features a broad selection of fine jewels and iconic designs by Bulgari, Cartier, David Webb, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels.
A SENSATIONAL DIAMOND NECKLACE WITH PENDANT OF 115.83 CARATS, F COLOR, VVS1 CLARITY. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $6,290,500
A crayon on pencil drawing by Louis le Brocquy entitled Children Playing, Parish (1948) is among the lots at Morgan O’Driscoll’s online sale of Irish and International art on July 20. It is estimated at 3,000-5,000. The catalogue is online and lists 273 lots on offer.
LOUIS LE BROCQUY (1916-2012) Children Playing, Paris (1948). UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,200 AT HAMMER
Taylor Galleries has announced the death artist Michael Cullen. Acknowledged as one of the pre-eminent Irish painters of his generation, he was born in Kilcool, Co. Wicklow in 1946 and studied painting at the Central School of Art and Design, London and Brighton School of Art before returning to Ireland to complete his education at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin in the early 1970s. He moved abroad for several years and travel remained an enduring passion: the vibrant palette he employed reveals the influence of time spent in hotter climes, particularly Mexico, North Africa and Spain. His use of bright, clean, saturated colour is emphasised by accents of brilliant white, and his paintings and prints populated by an eclectic crew of cowboys, elephants, circus performers, bullfighters, infantas and camels. Michael Cullen exhibited in Ireland and further afield and has been represented by Taylor Galleries since the mid-1990s. A member of Aosdána and the Royal Hibernian Academy his work is included in many notable private collections, as well as the public collections of the National Gallery of Ireland; the Hugh Lane Gallery; IMMA; The Arts Council; Trinity College Dublin; The Ulster Museum, Belfast; Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI); AIB; Bank of Ireland and the Berlin Senate.
Cool Edge by Bridget Riley from 1982 from the British Airways collection comes up at Sotheby’s later this month. They will offer 17 paintings, prints and works on paper from the collection across two auctions in London. Riley’s stripe painting comes up at the cross-category Evening Sale, “Rembrandt to Richter”, on July 28 with an estimate of £800,000-1.2 million.
There will be seven further screen prints by Riley Sotheby’s including five works from her Elongated Triangles series of 1971 at Sotheby’s sale of Modern and Post War British Art from July 20-23. These will be offered alongside paintings by Terry Frost, Patrick Heron and George Shaw. The remainder of the collection includes prints by Damien Hirst, Marc Quinn and Julian Opie from 2000, and Peter Doig’s Grasshopper Portfolio, a series of ten etchings drawn from the ground-level perspective of a grasshopper.
Bridget Riley. Cool Edge. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £1,850,000 at hammer.
A selection of marine items such as a vintage sextant, a brass ships clock and a mariners compass will come up at the online only sale at Woodwards in Cork on July 18. Estimates for antique furniture like a Georgian Irish sideboard (€400-€600), a Victorian davenport (€300-€500) and a Georgian longcase clock (€200-€400) are low. The sale is online at Easy Live Auctions.
Walker’s Excelsior ships log. UPDATE: THIS MADE 190 AT HAMMER
The combined total for Sotheby’s flagship summer sales in Paris, Geneva, New York and Hong Kong has reached almost US$900 million. In Hong Kong last week 3,794 lots sold across 17 auctions in seven days. The re-scheduled spring sales brought in US$411 million with global participation from nearly 40 countries and 90% of lots sold over the phone, on the internet or through absentee bids. Sanyu’s Quatre Nus was sold fr US$33.3 million after a four-way ten-minute bidding battle.
Even though the realm of public sculpture in Ireland has improved vastly in latter decades it remains true that we do not appreciate our sculptors enough. The summer sculpture show now in full swing on the grounds at Ballymaloe in east Cork showcases the work of 27 Irish sculptors in 45 works. The Richard Scott Sculpture Gallery has orchestrated a show of great diversity both in terms of subject matter and materials used. These vary from stone, bronze and stainless steel to marble and wood. Among the artists involved are Michael Quane, Nuala Early, Jason Ellis, Eileen McDonagh, Adam Pomeroy, Martha Quinn, Mick Wilkins, Sonia Caldwell, Joseph Fogerty and Helen O’Connell. There are free guided tours of with Richard Scott and Hazel Allen every Thursday evening and Friday afternoon. The show uniquely lends itself to social distancing and the exhibition is open from 9 am to 9 pm daily until August 31. Pictured is a bronze by Adam Pomeroy entitled Raven.
A landmark of Irish printed literature, a fine collection of Cork silhouettes and a print of a sorry massacre at Rathcormac, Co. Cork in 1834 are among the lots at Fonsie Mealy’s timed online collectors sale which runs until July 15. An Incunabula – a book printed before 1501 – is always a rarity. This first edition of the first book by an Irish author to write for a printing press rather than the scriptorum dates to November 1497 and was printed in Venice. The author is Archbishop Maurice O’Fihely of Tuam, a native of Baltimore in west Cork. O’Fihely, a Franciscan, provided major commentary on the investigation of Scottish Franciscan Blessed John Duns, known as Duns Scotus, into Aristotle’s metaphysical problems. Together with Thomas Aquinas and William of Ockham, Duns Scotus is regarded as one of the three most important philosopher theologians of Western Europe in the High Middle Ages. O’Fihely, taught in Milan and Padua and became censor of the press in Venice. He is probably the first Irishman to play a major role in the new world of printing. Appointed Archbishop of Tuam by Pope Julius II in 1506, he returned to Ireland in 1512 and died the following year. This first edition is lot 311 of the sale and is estimated at €8,000-€12,000.
The first book by an Irish author to write for a printing press. UPDATE: THIS MADE 20,000 AT HAMMER
The estimate of €400-€600 on three caricature silhouettes of Parnell and Kitty O’Shea may turn out to be conservative given the epic nature of the scandal of an affair which led to his downfall as leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. The silhouettes by Cork lithographer and silhouettist Stephen O’Driscoll (c1825-1895) depict the pair at Brighton in the sunshine, on a moonlight tryst and showing Parnell trying to climb up to her balcony unaware that her husband is watching.Lot 458 is a collection of 18 O’Driscoll silhouettes highlighting local celebrities and events. Most are captioned and some have pencilled notes identifying various individuals. Among them are a pair of Cork butter merchants, Sir John Arnott, brewer at Fitton St. and 91 South Mall, B.J. Alcock, grocer 75 Patrick St., Charles K.D. Tanner M.D. Lapps Quay, William J. Cummins M.D, 11 South Mall, Matthew P. Bolster, grocer, 79 Patrick St., Edward G. Ashe, vet, 36 Georges St., Paul Madden, grocer and wine merchant, Bridge St., Richard O’Callaghan M.D. 40 South Mall and Sir George Colthurst, 6th Bart (1850-1925). The set is estimated at €1,000-€1,500.Lot 478 is an Irish tithe print entitled The Massacre at Gortroe. The hand coloured lithographic print after a drawing by Fr. Mat Horgan depicts one of the most infamous battles of the Tithe wars in Ireland between 1830-36. This was mostly a campaign of civil disobedience because of the imposition of tithes on the mostly catholic population for the upkeep of the Church of Ireland. There was sporadic violence. On December 18, 1834 the massacre at Gortroe, otherwise known as the Rathcormac massacre, took place when a force of 100 soldiers fired on 250 locals on the order of Archdeacon William Ryder who was attempting to collect his tithes. This resulted in the deaths of 20 residents. The litho is estimated at €200-€300.There are sporting programmes including the All-Ireland Hurling Finals of 1946, ’49, ’50, ’52, ’56, ’58, ’60 and ’63, cinema posters, banknotes, cheques, literature, coins, whiskeys and a variety of other collectibles among 632 lots. The timed auction ends from 2 pm on July 15.
Stephen O’Driscoll (c1825-1895) Parnell and Kitty O’Shea UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,400 AT HAMMER
Roy Lichtenstein’s Nude with Joyous Painting was the top lot at Christie’s global sale of the 20th century today. It made $46,242,500 in a worldwide auction that realised $420,941,042. The live streamed sale kicked off in Hong Kong before moving on to Paris, London and finally New York.
Guillaume Cerutti, Chief Executive Officer, Christie’s remarked: “Today’s sale sends three important messages for now and for the future: despite a challenging economic environment, the demand for works of art of great quality remains very strong; the market is more global than ever, with significant activity from the Americas but also from Europe and Asia; and innovation and adaptability is key – our clients have embraced our creative presentation and sale format combining live and online experiences.”
