Michael Collins bible, with him when he died. UPDATE: THIS MADE 12,500 AT HAMMER
The pocket bible carried by Michael Collins, with him when he died, comes up at Whyte’s Eclectic Collector timed online auction in Dublin today. Collins would have received a copy of this Protestant version of the scriptures when working as a post office clerk in London from 1907-1910. Lot 269 is estimated at €3,000-€5,000. The sale, which ends from 2 pm, has a wide variety of political, sporting and historic collecibles from ancient Celtic stone heads to a signed Beatles photograph and a Rory Gallagher archive.
This diamond dress ring by Castlebar based master jeweller Nigel O’Reilly will come up as lot 177 at Adams fine jewellery and watches online sale on May 16. With a central rose cut diamond of 3.28 carats and a mount setting with pave diamonds it is estimated at €8,000-€12,000. O’Reilly’s work has been included at exhibitions in Los Angeles and at Bergdorf Goodman in New York. He is the first Irish high jewellery master to have work featured at Sotheby’s Important Jewels sale in New York and is included in Sotheby’s haute joaillerie collection. Viewing is underway in Dublin and the catalogue features a number of pieces selected and modelled by Sarah Greene. The Cork actress has just completed filming Sexy Beasts for Paramount Plus, plays in the upcoming Irish thriller In the Land of Saints and Sinners with Liam Neeson, Ciaran Hinds and Kerry Condon and in Terrence Malicks new film The Last Planet. UPDATE: THIS MADE 9,000 AT HAMMER
An Empire design centre table. UPDATE: THIS MADE 500 AT HAMMER
Temptation beckons in a live online sale of ecclesiastical and decorative items from the Franciscan Community in Ireland and some other clients on May 16-17 at 5 pm on each day. A variety of paintings, Oriental rugs, statues, garden seating, pedestals, desks, candlesticks and antique furniture among 874 lots. Leading the auction is a 19th century oil on canvas titled The Inquisition, an inlaid marble fire surround in the manner of Pietro Bossi and a marble statue of St. Joseph and Child. All are estimated at €2,000-€4,000. Collectibles include an early carved wood Penal cross (€800-€1,200), a baroque oak dome top chest (€600-€1,000), an outdoor limestone font with inscription (€500-€1,000) and a finely made model of a church complete with oak furnishings (€400-€800). There is a Georgian brass dial long case clock, an early Victorian d-end dining table, a pair of Chippendale style wingback armchairs and an Empire centre table with an amboyna and macassar top and ebonised supports among a good selection of furniture. The auction will be conducted by Aidan Foley in co-ordination with Niall Mullen. It is on view at Cook St., Dublin 8 today, tomorrow and Monday and the catalogue is online.
An inlaid fire surround in the manner of Pietro Bossi UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,900 AT HAMMER
Masterpieces from the S.I. Newhouse collection and the 20th century evening sale brought in $506,571,600 at Christie’s in New York last night. The evening began with 16 works from the collection of S.I. Newhouse, which achieved a total of $177,792,000, selling 100% by lot, and 105.6% by low estimate. With this sale, the Collection of S.I. Newhouse is now established as the sixth highest collection total of all time, combined with a total of $237,975,000 made during sales in 2018 and 2019. Highlights included Francis Bacon’s 1969 Self-Portrait, which made $34,622,500, and Willem de Kooning’s Orestes, which brought $30,885,000.
The 20th Century Evening Sale offered works from a strong group of estates and private collections. The top lot was Henri Rousseau’s, Les Flamants, which made $43,535,000. Les Flamants – a rare example with impeccable provenance – soared past the artists’ previous record of $4,400,000 set in 1993, bringing $43,535,000. Other highlights included, Pablo Picasso’s Nature morte à la fenêtre, which sold for $41,810,000; Ed Ruscha’s Burning Gas Station, which made $22,260,000; Georgia O’Keeffe’s Black Iris VI, which sold for $21,110,000, and David Hockney’s The Gate, which realised $19,385,000.
Norah Allison McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) – The Garden at Rockbrook. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,800 AT HAMMER
This gouache on paper by Norah McGuinness comes up as lot 28 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s current online Irish art auction. The online catalogue for this sale – which runs until May 22 – includes work by Sean McSweeney, Nano Reid, Tony O’Malley, Hughie O’Donoghue, Basil Blackshaw, Charles Tyrrell and many others. The McGuinness is estimated at €2,000-3,000.
A letter handwritten in 1971 by Lord Mountbatten from Classiebawn Castle on the subject of security comes up as lot 336 at Whyte’s timed online Eclectic Collector sale in Dublin on May 13. It was sent to Garda Superintendent Long. Written on Classiebawn Castle crested notepaper Mountbatten thanks Superintendent Long for ‘coming here to see me about the question of security and for the admirable arrangements you made for my protection’. He mentions enclosing a paperback edition of The Life And Times Of Lord Mountbatten by John Terraine. The book is with this lot, inscribed ‘Pauline Long, October 1971’.
Lord Mountbatten was assassinated by the IRA on 27 August 1979, by a bomb in his boat. The letter is estimated at €800-€1,200. Viewing for the sale gets underway at Whyte’s Galleries at Molesworth St., Dublin today. UPDATE: THIS MADE 750 AT HAMMER
PERCY FRENCH (1854 – 1920) – On the road to Falcarragh
This watercolour by Percy French made a hammer price of €5,000 at the opening day of Sheppards four day sale in Durrow, Co. Laois this week. A set of Royal letters patent from King Charles II dated 1667 made €6,500, a 19th century walnut and marquetry longcase clock made €5,500, a George III automaton striking bracket clock made €4,300, a 19th century Chinese hardwood cabinet on cabinet made €4,200, a pair of 18th century Ottoman flintlock pistols made €2,200, a pair of hide upholstered wingback armchairs made €2,300, an 18th century Irish settee made €2,000, a Killarney cabinet made €1,800, a George III side table made €2,400, a George III inlaid breakfront bookcase made €4,400 and a Chinese archaic bronze bell made €28,000.
This Chinese archaic bronze bell made €28,000 at hammer.
Alpha, a cast and fabricated unique bronze by renowned Irish sculptor Eilis O’Connell made a hammer price of €2,400 at the James Adam timed online Mid-Century Modern sale in Dublin today. It had been estimated at €1,200-1,600. The sculpture was used as the invitation image for the 2015 exhibition Eilis O’Connell: Khôra at Hillsboro Fine Art, Dublin, An armchair by Eileen Gray made €3,400, a set of four rosewood chairs by Nils Otto Muller made €2,600, a 2003 oil on canvas, Transverse by Mark Francis, made €13,000, Interior with Wine Jar by Stephen McKenna made €11,000 and a chaise longue by le Corbusier made €2,400.
Corban Walker – UNTITLED VUSD 006, 2005. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This unique pigment inkjet print by Corban Walker comes up as lot 74 at de Veres contemporary art auction for Pallas Projects which runs until May 11. Walker represented Ireland at the 54th Venice International Art Biennale, 2011. He received the Pollock Krasner Award in 2015. His work is in the collections of Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Mitsubishi Estate Co. Tokyo and other important collections. The Crawford Art Gallery in Cork presented a survey of his work in 2022. The fourth Pallas Projects/Studios have run since 2014, will help the cutting-edge arts organisation continue their mission to support grassroots arts initiatives, emerging artists and maintaining artists studios. The sale features work by over 80 established and up and coming Irish artists. The catalogue is online and works are on view at the City Assembly House at South William St. in Dublin.
Come on the dawn by Jack B. Yeats. UPDATE: THIS MADE €241,300
What could be better. Springtime in Paris is again enlivened this year with a feast of Irish art at Sotheby’s. Come on the dawn, a 1951 work by Jack B. Yeats (€200,000-€300,000) leads a sale supported by a global marketing campaign with Sotheby’s displaying Irish art to Paris and the world. This second edition celebrating cultural links between Ireland and France follows on from the success of an inaugural sale in 2022 which saw strong international bidding and a new world record for a work on paper by Mainie Jellett. Artists from the 19th century to the present day feature in the 2023 selection which includes Irish painters abroad and contemporary artworks. Paintings by Roderic O’Conor, Sir William Orpen and Sir John Lavery are on view alongside art and sculpture by Sean Scully, Louis le Brocquy, Rowan Gillespie, Orla de Bri, Peter Curling, Maser, Melissa O’Flaherty, Richard Hearns and Jack Coulter. The catalogue, with 50 lots, is online. The sale, now on view at Sotheby’s Paris headquarters on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, takes place on May 10.
Feeling the grass by Peter Curling. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
