A Louis Quinze marquetry commode and a pair of Sevres ormolu mounted urns anyone? They don’t come cheap but they would definitely add a certain je ne sais quoi to any stylish home. Or how about a pair of 19th century mahogany framed long club seats? You could organise a licit rave for two here in times of pandemic, with a socially distant get together and ample room to stretch out and sleep it off afterwards. These precious items are among the rich pickings at the annual James Adam Country House Collections sale on October 13. Because 2020 is 2020 the annual Townley Hall auction takes place at the Adams saleroom at St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin, not at the stately home near Drogheda designed by Francis Johnston. The plus is that it is online, so you can partake from your computer, by telephone or by absentee bid. And there is a separate timed online Townley auction which runs to around 3 pm on October 12. The 400 lots on offer on Tuesday range from a Moorish door panel to marble portrait busts, a large Black Forest linden wood bear, Chinese rain drums and an Irish George II rococo wall mirror. There are tables, chairs, portraits, landscapes, marble pillars, globes, maps, porcelain, silver and some very fine items of antique furniture. Two 18th century portraits of Henry VIII, in youth and age, are among a number of lots from Bearforest House in Mallow.Pembroke tables can be plain and functional but the example in this auction is a George III satinwood, rosewood banded and marquetry inlaid piece with an estimate of €6,000-€10,000. An Irish George III side table, complete with shaped apron and scallop shell motif, has an estimate of €15,000-€20,000. The estimate for a pair of George III carved giltwood wall girandoles in the Chinoiserie taste is €10,000-€15,000. A large 19th century giltwood overmantle in the Chinoiserie style comes with an estimate of €30,000-€50,000. The highest estimated item, at €40,000-€60,000,, is a portrait of William III and the Duke of Portland attributed to Caspar Netscher (1639-1684).The Louis Quinze commode is a wonderful bombe piece with shaped marble top. The estimate is €6,000-€10,000. The Sevres urns are estimated at €2,000-€3,000 and Adams estimated the Victorian club seats at €1,500-€2,000.
