A c1765 Irish George III giltwood mirror from Hamwood
Marvellous mirrors, fabulous furniture, super silver and a furious fight are among the alliterative delights at Adam’s annual Country House Collections at Townley Hall sale on October 13.
The annual event – one of the highlights of the Irish auction year – this year offers 604 carefully curated lots. It is on view from today and for the next three days at Townley Hall near Drogheda.
The fairest mirror on the wall comes with a price tag of around €40,000-€60,000. This is the estimate for an Irish George III giltwood pier mirror in the manner of Matthias Lock originally owned by the Hamilton family of Hamwood, Co. Meath. It is illustrated in Irish Furniture by The Knight of Glin and James Peill published by Yale University Press in 2007 and in Country Life in 2006. Hamwood was the childhood home of celebrated artist sisters Letitia (1878-1964) and Eva (1876-1960) Hamilton.
A large 18th century Irish giltwood mirror attributed to John and Francis Booker is estimated at €15,000-€20,000. A carved and stone painted pier mirror in the manner of William Kent has the same estimate.
18th century Irish mahogany side table.
An 18th century Irish mahogany side table, similar to one illustrated in Irish Furniture, is estimated at €40,000-€60,000. A pair of 19th century carved mahogany side tables (€30,000-€40,000), a four pillar D end dining table in the manner of Gillows (€20,000-€30,000), an Irish George II architects table and bureau cabinet (€15,000-€20,000), a pair of satinwood inlaid card tables (€15,000-€20,000), a pair of 19th century Irish satinwood, harewood and marquetry commodes (€10,000-€15,000) and a pair of Irish George III carved armchairs (€10,000-€15,000) are among many lots of seriously fine furniture worthy of attention.
A pair of Irish George II silver soup tureens and covers in the rococo style by Robert Holmes, Dublin 1755 (€20,000-€30,000), a set of four Irish silver candlesticks by Jacob West, Dublin c1780 (15,000-€20,000), a c1901 Sheffield surtout de table (€10,000-€15,000) and a fine Victorian silver tea service (€8,000-€10,000) owned by Maud Gonne and a c1770 Cork silver coffee pot by John Warner (€5,000-€7,000) are not the sort of silver lots that you might happen across every day.
The most expensively estimated lot of the auction is a carved George IV white marble chimney piece and polished steel grate (€50,000-€80,000).
The Cork artist Nathanial Grogan (c1740-1807) is regarded as one of the most important Irish genre painters of the late 18th century. An oil on board by Grogan – “Fight at the Inn” – is inspired by a scene from Tom Jones by Henry Fielding published in 1749 in which a furious man hunting Mrs. Fitzpatrick has been wrongly directed to a room at an inn where Tom is entertaining Mrs. Waters. The estimate for this highly charged and comical oil on board is €4,000-€6,000.
A pair of c1755 Dublin silver soup tureens and covers by Robert Holmes.
The auction offers a variety of collectibles from a pair of monumental timber doric columns and green painted obelisk garden planters to portrait miniatures, a sketchbook by George Petrie, a c1830 Worcester Flight Barr and Barr dessert service, a 17th century Antwerp tortoiseshell and marquetry table cabinet and a 19th century giltwood and pietra dura Florentine circular table.
This is not just an auction for the super rich. Among a plentiful selection of lots for under €500 is a Victorian brass postal scales, a Georgian library chair, a lion’s mask door knocker, a stick barometer, a Victorian papier maché tea caddy, Edwardian steamer trunks and a set of five Victorian copper and brass pans.
The live and online sale gets underway at 11 am on October 13 at Adam’s at St. Stephen’s Green in Dublin.
A pair of green painted obelisk garden planters.