c. 12000 – 18000 B.C., approx. 262 cms (8’9”) long x 7’5” (226 cms) high with 18 points (some repairs). UPDATE: THESE MADE 23,000 AT HAMMER
This set of Irish Elk antlers comes up at Fonsie Mealy’s two day sale of contents from Howth Castle on September 8 and 9. Irish Elk is the common name for a giant, extinct deer, Megaloceros Giganteus, characterized by enormous antlers. This is the largest deer known to have ever lived. Megaloceros Giganteus appeared for the first time about 400,000 years ago and disappeared about 11,000 years ago. It ranged from Ireland and Great Britain in Western Europe and as far as the Far East as China and Siberia during the Late Pleistocene period. Elk Antlers are a statement item and were placed in many of the big country houses around Ireland. This set is estimated at €12,000-18,000. UPDATE: THESE SOLD FOR 23,000 AT HAMMER.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for August 12, 2021)