Roderic O’Conor (1860-1940) – Reclining Nude (1921). UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Reclining Nude by Roderic O’Conor leads the evening sale of Important Irish Art at James Adam in Dublin on May 28. Painted in 1921 the oil on canvas is estimated at €40,000-€60,000. A total of 100 lots will come under the hammer including work by Tony O’Malley, Basil Blackshaw, John Shinnors, Letitia Marion Hamilton, Barrie Cooke, Oisin Kelly, John Behan and Nathaniel Hone will come under the hammer. The catalogue is online.
JACK B YEATS – CROSSING THE CITY (€120,000-€170,000)
A exhibition showcasing highlights from upcoming sales at Bonhams in Dublin runs from May 22-28. It displays works by Paul Henry, Jack B. Yeats, Roderic O’Conor, Sir John Lavery and Norah McGuinness, prints by Andy Warhol, Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, David Hockney, Sybil Andrews and Roy Lichtenstein, furniture by George Nakashima and José Zanine, glass and metal sculpture by Alessandro Pianon and a Martin Brothers stoneware ‘Wally Bird’ tobacco jar. Bonhams sale of Modern British and Irish art is on June 18 in London. The Modern Decorative Design sale is online from June 2-11.
19TH-CENTURY KILLARNEY YEW AND ARBUTUS WOOD MARQUETRY TABLE. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This 19th Killarney centre circular centre table inlaid with yew and arbutus wood is among the highlights at Sheppards Great Irish Interiors sale in Durrow on May 27 and 28. The top is centred by circular marquetry medallions and enclosed within elaborate borders of Celtic strapwork, foliate motifs and symbolic patterns. More than 1200 lots will come under the hammer and the catalogue is online. The estimate on this table, which comes up on May 28, is €6,000-€9,000.
JOHN DOHERTY – HACKETTS – DOUBLE YELLOW. UPDATE: THIS MADE 23,000 AT HAMMER
This work by the photo realist artist John Doherty is at de Veres art and sculpture auction which runs until May 27. The estimate is €15,000-€25,000. The sale offers 142 lots with work by Gerard Dillon, Barry Flanagan, Louis le Brocquy, Callum Innes and Tony O’Malley. The catalogue is online.
Pictured here is one of a rare pair of mid 18th century carved limestone Medici lions which made a hammer price of €42,000 at Adams house to garden sale in Dublin today. The Medici Lion, with its striding pose and paw resting upon a sphere, became a widely adopted sculptural type in eighteenth-century Britain and Ireland, particularly within the context of the Palladian revival. The model derives from a Roman marble of the second century AD and a pendant carved in 1598 by the Roman sculptor Flaminio Vacca (1538–1605), commissioned for the Villa Medici in Rome by Ferdinando I de’ Medici (1549–1609), Grand Duke of Tuscany. By the mid-18th century, British and Irish sculptors and masons were producing carved stone interpretations for architectural and landscape settings, particularly as gate or terrace ornaments. The pair had been estimated at €50,000-€70,000. A monumental neo classical white marble fountain made €18,000, a carved Dublin William IV doorcase made €11,000, a 19th century Scottish terracotta balustrade by Garnkirk made €11,000, a cast lead figure of Orpheus made €9,000, a pair of composite stone figures of seated hounds made €8,500, a large statuary and Sienna marble chimneypiece, an 18th century marble bust of Domitian Caesar and a reconstructed Portland Stone neoclassical doorcase all made €8,000.
William John Leech (1881-1968) – Gardener’s Joy. UPDATE: THIS MADE 28,000 AT HAMMER
This painting by William John Leech is lot 26 at Whyte’s Irish and International art auction in Dublin on May 26. In the 1930’s the Irish artist was greatly influenced by the Bloomsbury painters – Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell and Roger Fry – whose focus was more with private than public concerns and art for art’s sake. In Gardener’s Joy Leech chooses a simple subject and investigates how light at a particular time of day influences it. It is estimated at €15,000-€20,000. The auction is now on view at Whyte’s on Molesworth St., Dublin and the catalogue is online.
JAN DAVIDSZ. DE HEEM (UTRECHT 1606-1684 ANTWERP) – STILL LIFE. UPDATE: THIS MADE £3,670,000
A pie on a pewter plate, a partially peeled lemon and overturned silver spoon on a pewter plate, crayfish and shrimp in a Wanli bowl, fruit, a walnut and an oyster on a pewter plate, a basket of fruit, a fluted glass, a silver-gilt cup, a roemer, an overturned silver tazza on a strong box, a silver ewer and a bread roll all on a partially draped table with a curtain beyond are in this marvellous oil on canvas signed and dated ‘J. De Heem f. A° 1649’. Estimated at £3 million – £5 million it will be a highlight at Christie’s Old Masters Evening Sale on July 1 during Classic Week in London.
This appetising work – painted at a time when De Heem produced some of his finest works – reprises themes from an extraordinary group of four large-scale paintings that the artist executed earlier in the decade, but with greater refinement of execution, perhaps in part due to its more manageable scale. Two of these paintings are today at the Louvre (inv. no. 1321) and Musée des Beaux-Arts, Brussels (inv. no. K 1878/5). A third is in a private collection, and the fourth was sold for a world auction record at Christie’s in London on 15 December 2020.
Stained glass from Birr Castle, the 1851 Plan of Cork by John Tallis, affordable antique furniture, new Irish art and vintage fashion can all be found at the Cork antique fair in Fermoy on May 25.
After an absence of five years Hibernian Antique Fairs will return to a new venue in Cork for a full to the brim event with 40 dealers from around Ireland. It will be held at the Corrin Event Centre three miles from Fermoy and just off exit 15 on the M8. There is ample space and lots of available parking for what promises to be a great day out.
1851 Map of Cork with insets
In a city still waiting for its event centre the ever popular Cork antique fair outgrew its previous locations and came to an end. Finding somewhere to host it has been difficult. In contrast the antique fairs at spacious Limerick Racecourse have repeatedly demonstrated strong demand and an appetite for more which speaks to the resilience of the antique trade in turbulent economic times.
At fairs in Limerick and Kerry organiser Robin O’Donnell is often asked when will he return to Cork. Now that the multi purpose Cork Marts complex has become available the answer should be more often than before. In advance of the first fair at Corrin he is already planning another in October.
Vintage headwear from Eily Henry
The market is continually evolving as collecting habits change. Unusual once off items are highly collectible and Norman Allison of Annamoe Antiques will present two windows in solid oak frames from Birr Castle. These are accompanied by an original 1983 receipt from Mike McGlynn Antiques, Bunratty, Co Clare in which he states that the c1835 stained glass panels were by the Earl of Rosse. The second earl, friend of Wolfe Tone and a critic of absentee landlords, was father of astronomer William Parsons, 3rd Earl, who in 1845 built what was then the world’s largest telescope in Birr.
Collectors will be interested in an 1851 Plan of Cork by John Tallis, a pair of Neoclassical 19th century bronze Medici urns on Siena marble plinths and a 6th century Limoges grisaille enamel plaque of a shepherdess. Treasures of Athlone will bring new art by James Brohan and the Purple Onion Gallery will offer a mix of contemporary art, photography, whiskey, wine and cigars.
Vintage hats to catch the eye can be found at Eily Henry’s stand and Eddie Moylan will bring some affordable gold jewellery. Greenes of Drogheda, Vintage Velvet and Raymond Byrne are among those offering antique furniture and a selection of smaller antique pieces which can be carried home along with everything from vintage toys to bullion to coins and banknotes. It all adds up to a a great day out enhanced by a sense of exploration and inspiration.
Constructs of the Mind by Martin Finnin. UPDATE: THIS MADE 800 AT HAMMER
Evie Hone, Percy French, Arthur Maderson, Charles Harper, Graham Knuttel and Martin Finnin are among the artists featured in Morgan O’Driscoll’s off the wall art auction of affordable Irish art. The catalogue is online and the sale draws to a close from 6.30 pm on May 19. The early summer sales of important Irish art in Dublin at Whyte’s, de Veres and James Adam get underway at Whyte’s on May 26.
Mid 19th century Irish dining table and 12 Cork chairs at Lynes and Lynes. UPDATE: The table made €3,400 at hammer, the chairs were unsold.
Artworks from the estate of Brian Looney, former editor of the Irish Examiner, are included in the Lynes and Lynes sale in Carrigtwohill on May 24. The auction offers boardroom furniture from the Dulux factory in Cork, established in 1885 by the Harrington family. Lot 228 is a folder with correspondence between Michael Collins, then Minister for Finance, and Genoa based Donal Hales, Irish consul for Italy from 1919 and brother of assassinated Cork TD Sean Hales.
Artworks include Meeting of the Currachs by Ciaran Clear and a signed lithograph by the American artist Frank Stella. A mid 19th century dining table is estimated at €4,000-€6,000 and a set of 12 Cork 11-bar chairs at €3,500-€4,500. There is jewellery including a platinum and diamond three stone ring, a 1950’s childs penny farthing bicycle and a church bell made by James Atkins, Cork c1810 believed to be from St. Mary’s Church in Cobh.
The auction by Woodwards in Cork next Saturday offers antique furniture including a Georgian chest on chest, a George II card table, a pair of Edwardian demi-lune tables, an Edwardian parquetry table and a set of Cork chairs. There is a pair of cast iron garden seats by Pierce of Wexford, a model of a three masted schooner and a selection of porcelain, glassware, rugs and mirrors. Both auctions are on view from May 17 and the catalogues are online.
A parquetry inlaid table at Woodwards sale. UPDATE: This made 240 at hammer.
