William Scott CBE, RA, 1913-1989 AN ORCHARD OF PEARS NO.1 (1976)
This 1976 work by William Scott comes up at de Veres current sale of Outstanding Irish Art and Sculpture, which runs until June 13. The English summer of 1976 was marked by a heatwave that resulted in an abundant harvest in the apple and pear growing area around Scott’s Sommerset studio. A flourishing pear tree growing against the studio wall prompted him to do an extensive series of 17 paintings, collectively called ‘An Orchard of Pears’, throughout the autumn and winter of 1976/77. They were shown at Gallery Kasahara in Osaka, appealing to the Japanese taste for understatement. This painting was the first of these and it is estimated at €150,000-€200,000.
The pears are carefully placed, huddled around a central point emphasised by the circular plate while simultaneously drawing your eyes away from it. Notice the way the outward tilt of the pears pulls away from the centre, and how the pear at the right edge further unsettles the composition’s stability. Scott is a master of animating empty space by creating subtle visual tension between objects. His genius is that, as a viewer, we’re never conscious of this.
JACK BUTLER YEATS RHA (1871-1957) NEAR THE DOCKS (1945)
Near the Docks, a small oil on panel by Jack B. Yeats, made a hammer price of €110,000 at the James Adam sale of Important Irish Art in Dublin this evening. An oil on board by Gerard Dillon, Norah and Johnny Conneely restirng, made €95,000 on the hammer, Girl with a Ruff Collar by Dan O’Neill made €40,000, Morning by John Shinnors made €38,000, Portrait of Paddy Moloney by Edward McGuire made €35,000, Gantries on a Sunday, Belfast by Harry Kernoff made €28,000, Peace II by Rowan Gillespie made €28,000, Sleeper in Spare Room by Gerard Dillon made €24,000, Dargle, Moonlight and Ruin by James Arthur O’Connor made €22,000 and Valley Walk II by Donald Teskey made €17,000.
A first signed limited edition of Ulysses by James Joyce made €18,500 at hammer at the opening day of Fonsie Mealy’s rare book and collectors sale in Dublin today. Published by The Bodley Head in 1936 it was No. 20 in a limited edition of 100 copies in a cover designed by Eric Gill. It had been estimated at €8,000-€12,000. A group of original watercolours of the West Indies c1792 by Sir William Young, inherited by the Day family of Cork and on the market for the first time in 230 years, made a hammer price of €12,000. The auction continues tomorrow.
First Ever All-Ireland Football Medal, 1887 Won by Limerick Commercials
The first ever All-Ireland Football medal from 1887 made a hammer price of 32,000 on May 31. The medal was won by Jeremiah Kennedy of Limerick Commercials, Limerick, who beat Young Irelands of Louth, on a score line of 1-4 to 0-3. The match was played on a field in Clonskeagh, Dublin known as ‘The Big Bank’ on April 28, 1888. The Limerick team of 1887, were not photographed on the occasion of their win, they received no trophy, and really no recognition until they were issued with this medal in 1910. The Mick Darcy Tipperary and Dublin GAA medal collection made €8,800 and All Ireland hurling final programmes for 1941 and 1944 each made €3,000.
Paddy Moloney (Piper) by Edward McGuire at Adams. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 35,000 AT HAMMER
The way Edward McGuire paints portraits, Patrick Hennessy captures the essential essence of a red rose or William Conor evokes atmosphere can be overlooked in art auction catalogues where the big guns dominate. You can’t blame Yeats, Orpen, Henry, le Brocquy et al – all of whom loom large in major Irish art sales at Whyte’s and Adams in Dublin next week – for stealing the attention. There is a great selection of scorching works by these artists at the upcoming sales. Yeats, in particular, dominates this time around for the sheer number and quality of his works on offer.
Nevertheless it is heartening to see estimates on the up for artists who, though not exactly overlooked, might have been somewhat eclipsed. This is a rising market and the tide has lifted many boats. Edward McGuire’s portrait of legendary musician Paddy Moloney dates to 1982 and depicts Moloney seated, uileann pipes in hand, with a faraway look as if waiting to perform. It is estimated at €20,000-€30,000 at Adams evening sale on May 31. No less arresting is a small 1964 oil on canvas of a bouquet of roses by the Cork artist Patrick Hennessy. You can practically savour their scent. It comes up at Whyte’s evening sale on May 29 with an estimate of €3,500-€4,500. With an Indian ink and colour wash William Conor evokes the festive atmosphere of race days of yore like no one else in two works at Adams. These small drawings are each estimated at just €800-€1,200. Art is for everyone and estimates like this show that art auctions – even major sales – can be for everyone too even if the sales in the hundreds of thousands or more grab the headlines. You don’t need to be a millionaire, you do need to really look and see what is waiting there ready to enhance your home, your life, your world.
Bouquet of Roses by Patrick Hennessy at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,600 AT HAMMER
If money is no object then a trio of magnificent oils by Yeats at Whyte’s is worthy of the attention of any well heeled collector. Glory to the Brave Singer is a late visionary work and shows a reclining woman pointing to a songbird. The estimate is €300,000-€400,000. This sale offers 122 lots with major works by Paul Henry, Mary Swanzy, Roderic O’Conor, Camille Souter, Louis le Brocquy, Francis Bacon, Sidney Nolan, Patrick Collins, Evie Hone, Tony O’Malley and many more.There are wonderful examples of the best Irish 19th, 20th and 21st century Irish art and sculpture among the 180 lots at Adams. A 1945 oil on panel by Yeats, Near the Docks, is estimated at €100,000-€150,000 and there are eight works on paper by the artist from a private Irish collection at estimates of from €1,500 to €15,000. There is art by Gerard Dillon, Daniel O’Neill, William Conor, Colin Middleton and Frank McKelvey, John Shinnors, Hughie O’Donoghue, Philip Flanagan, Basil Blackshaw, Camille Souter, Rowan Gillespie and others in a sale which will appeal to a wide variety of tastes. Both auctions are on view over this weekend and the catalogues are online.
Le Loing at Sundown by Roderic O’Conor at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
View of Louisdor House and estate in Tobago, 1792 by Sir William Young, who became governor of Tobago in 1807. UPDATE: THIS MADE 12,000 AT HAMMER
Rare GAA medals, colonial watercolours inherited by the Day family in Co. Cork, a first 1873 edition of The Birds of Great Britain by John Gould from the Birr Castle Estate, George O’Reilly’s collection of records signed by Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Roy Rogers and Frankie Laine and a 1936 first limited English edition of Ulysses signed by James Joyce are among the treasures at Fonsie Mealy’s rare book and collectors sale next week. A total of 1,136 lots will come under the hammer at two days of sales at the Talbot Hotel, Stillorgan on May 30 and 31. The catalogue is online and there will be viewing on tomorrow and Monday. There is a selection from the library at Birr Castle, the Andrew Sharkey fishing collection and a private collection of Seamus Heaney material.
Top lots include a 9 carat gold medal to commemorate the first ever All-Ireland Football Championships, 1887 won by Jeremiah Kennedy of Limerick Commercials (€15,000-€20,000) and a group of original watercolours of the West Indies c1792 by Sir William Young (€10,000-€15,000). Inherited by the Day family of Co. Cork they are on the market for the first time in more than 230 years.Sir William Young inherited four plantations in the West Indies and owned 896 enslaved Africans in 1788 at the time of this inheritance. He was opposed to the abolition of the slave trade and preached Christianity to his slaves. Appointed governor of Tobago in 1807 he was entrusted to supply an in depth report on the condition and treatment of slaves. At the time of the report the free population of Tobago was around 959 people, there was a 333 strong militia and 16,671 slaves.
The Frank McPartlin (GPO Garrison) collection of medals and artefacts. UPDATE: THESE MADE 4,200 AT HAMMER
Windbreak by John Morris. UPDATE: THIS MADE 700 AT HAMMER
Windbreak by John Morris from Morgan O’Driscoll’s current off the wall online art auction which runs until May 30 is a reminder, if one is needed, that beaches can be chilly on sunny days in Ireland. Maybe not so much in the midst of the sunny spell we are all enjoying right now. Lot 14, an oil on board, is estimated at just 400-600. The auction offers a good across the board selection of affordable art. The catalogue is online.
JACK BUTLER YEATS RHA (1871-1957) – GLORY TO THE BRAVE SINGER, 1950 UPDATE: THIS MADE 290,000 AT HAMMER
Glory to the Brave Singer by Jack B. Yeats will lead Whyte’s sale of Irish and International Art in Dublin on May 29. It depicts a woman reclining in the landscape. She raises herself from the ground and extends her right arm in an exaggerated manner pointing towards a songbird which stands on the topmost branch of a tree, its neck extended and its beak open skywards as it fills the air with its music. Her closed eyes convey an expression of complete rapture as she listens to the singing of the thrush. The estimate is €300,000-€400,000. Included in the sale are major works by Jack Butler Yeats, Paul Henry, Roderic O’Conor, Camille Souter, Mary Swanzy, George (Æ) Russell, Louis le Brocquy, Francis Bacon, Patrick Collins, Sir Sidney Robert Nolan, Arthur Armstrong, Evie Hone and others. ?Viewing is underway at Molesworth St. and the catalogue is online.
Mark O’Neill – The Linen Basket. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,900 AT HAMMER
A timed online auction of Irish art, whiskeys and antiques by Dolan’s runs until May 29. There is a selection of rare Midleton whiskeys, for which demand is very strong. Lot 2 – a numbered Midleton Very Rare 1986, Irish whiskey in its original box – is estimated at €6,000-€8,000. There are Irish Paintings by artists including Sir William Orpen, Cecil Maguire, Arthur Maderson, Charles Harper RHA, Flora Mitchell, John C. Brobbel, Ernest Hayes RHA, Christopher Campbell RHA and others and some antique furniture. The Linen Basket by Mark O’Neill, illustrated here, is estimated at €3,800-€4,500.
LARGE 19TH CENTURY MEISSEN PAINTED PORCELAIN FIGURE OF A STANDING HERON IN BULLRUSHES. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This Meissen heron leads the James Adam sale in Dublin on May 24. Chaffinches, thrushes, sparrow hawks, partridges, starlings, bullfinches, magpies, eagles, pheasants, wrens et al abound in the afternoon sale, colourfully titled A Meissen Aviary. There are 93 lots in total. The exceptionally large heron here is estimated at €8,000-€10,000. Viewing for the auction continues today and the catalogue is online.
This c1820 sideboard at Lynes and Lynes was at Midleton College and originated at one of the great houses of East Cork.
With everything from a 12′ long c1820 sideboard once at Midleton College, a carved oak pulpit, the Journals of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society and an old Hornby train collection the sale by Lynes and Lynes in Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork on May 27 has much to interest all sorts of collectors. Included in the auction is the collection of the late Craig and Mary McKechnie, removed from Lynwood, their residence overlooking Cork Harbour at Rushbrooke. There is a large 19th century mahogany server by Maple and Co. (€600-€1,000), a set of Cork 11-bar dining chairs (€2,500-€3,500) and a selection of Cork furniture including side tables and chests of drawers.
A chemist shop display cabinet
An attractive Regency inlaid linen press (€400-€600) and a pair of Georgian demi-lune side tables with satinwood crossbanding (€600-€800) will generate much interest. A large collection of 19th century lithographs of Egypt and the Holy Land by David Roberts RA (1796-1864) is to be sold in lots of two with estimates from €100-€300. Lot 59 is a large model of a sailing boat on stand which sat on a marble topped table in the drawing room (€200-€300). Books include Journals of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, an old 1895 Cork Almanack including an advertisement for R. & J. McKechnie, books of Cork interest together with a collection of yachting and gardening books. A silver cream jug and sugar bowl by William Egan dates from 1921-22. The large sideboard from Midleton College would originally have been in one of the great houses of East Cork. The estimate is €1,000-€1,500. There should also be significant interest in a fine old chemist shop display cabinet (€200-€300). The oak pulpit by Thomas Manning, Bagnalstown, is estimated at €500-€800. Lot 85 is a collection of First Period Belleek ware (€100-€200). An old Hornby train collection was last sold by Lynes and Lynes a number of years ago. This time around the estimate is €500-€800. The catalogue is online and viewing is underway.
