In the Scorsese film The Irishman hitman Frank Sheehan, played by Robert de Niro, says he “paints houses”. This is Mafia slang for killing people. The phrase was also used by the IRA in Ireland’s War of Independence. One of their favourite weapons was a Mauser pistol nicknamed “Peter the Painter”. A fine example of this deadly weapon, now deactivated, comes up at Whyte’s timed online Eclectic Collector sale on May 15 and 16. Bidding is now open. The Mauser at Whyte’s has a history of ownership going back to an IRA Volunteer in Co. Kildare. Lot 168 is estimated at €4,000-€6,000.
This annual sale, which attracts collectors from around the world, offers a mix of historical artefacts, manuscripts, books, maps, militaria, coins, banknotes, tribal objects and even rare whiskies.
