The Enigma black diamond, weighing in at 555.55 carats, sold at Sotheby’s for £3.16 million. The buyer paid in cryptocurrency. The origins of the billion year old carbonado stone are shrouded in mystery and one theory is that it was carried to earth by an asteroid.
Sotheby’s did not identify the purchaser but after the auction cryptocurrency entrepreneur Richard Heart took to social media to claim that he was the buyer of The Enigma. He told his more than 180,000 Twitter followers that “as soon as the payment’s gone through and possession’s been taken” the gem would be renamed the “HEX.com diamond”, in reference to the blockchain platform he founded.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for January 18, 2022)
THE THIRD LARGEST PIECE OF MARS ON EARTH. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
The third largest piece of Mars on Earth is available to buy at Christie’s Deep Impact: Martian, Lunar and other Meteorites online sale which runs to February 23. It is estimated at $500,000-800,000. Specimens of Mars are by far among the rarest substances on our planet with less than 600 lbs (275 kg) known to exist. These samples arrived here after having been blasted off Mars following an asteroid impact and are identified by their mineralogical, chemical and isotopic signatures. NWA 12690, the third largest piece of Mars on Earth, weighs 20 pounds (9.1 kilograms). Following an analysis by a panel of scientists, this meteorite joined the official registry of scientific record, the Meteoritical Bulletin. Highlights at this auction of 66 lots include meteorites containing the oldest matter humankind can touch and others with gemstones from outer space. Estimates range from $400 to $800,000 and 62 lots are offered with no reserve.
19TH CENTURY WALNUT AND MARQUETRY FOLD OVER CARD TABLE: UPDATE: THE CLOSING BIG WAS 600.
This 19th century foldover card table is lot 26 at Mullen’s online timed classic and contemporary interiors evening sale at Laurel Park, Bray on February 13. It is estimated at 600-800. A total of 601 lots, including antique furniture, garden furniture, art, bronzes, lighting, militaria and rugs will come under the hammer.
Fergus O’Ryan – Clifden from Errislannen. UPDATE: THIS MADE 300 AT HAMMER
The first 97 lots at the current online art sale at James Adam in Dublin, which runs until February 8 come from the studio of the late Fergus O’Ryan, RHA. All proceeds from these lots – in storage since his death in 1989 – will be donated to Our Lady’s Hospice at Harold’s Cross, Dublin through the generosity of the late May O’Ryan. Estimates on works based on Fergus O’Ryans travels to Paris, the Cote d’Azur, Spain and the Balearic and Greek Islands range from €60 to €800. All lots will be sold without reserve. The catalogue features art by Peter Collis, John Skelton, Liam Treacy, Eva O’Connell, Barbara Warren, Dermod O’Brien, Henry Healy, Harry Kernoff, Rose Connolly, Michael Cullen, Sonia Shiel, William Crozier, Barbara Warren, Nevil Johnson, Ruth Brandt, John Luke, Patrick Collins, Pauline Bewick, Gerard Dillon and many other artists. There are 295 affordable lots in total.
Mahogany breakfront sideboard possibly made in Cork UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,000 AT HAMMER
House sales are always a draw and Woodwards sale of contents from Millboro House, Lee Road, Cork on February 12 will be no exception. The auction of 348 lots will be online and viewing gets underway at the house from today. The auction had been previously postponed due to Covid restrictions. From a Victorian gilt overmantle to two four poster beds, antique longcase clock dials and an economy three section dining table the selection of antique furniture from Millboro House is brimful of interest.
The late consultant anaesthetist Dr. Don Coleman, who died in 2016 at the age of 94, was an avid collector. Contents from this imposing period house include bureau bookcases, sideboards, lamps and chandeliers, tables, chairs, butlers trays, garden statuary, crystal glass, silver and all the items that emerged from the cupboards, nooks and crannies at a large family home. There is an estimate of €2,500-€5,000 on both a Georgian inlaid cylinder bureau bookcase and the economy dining table. A Regency style mahogany breakfront sideboard, possibly made in Cork, is estimated at €1,500-€3,000. In Georgian and Victorian times clockmakers flourished around James St. and Washington St in Cork city centre. Among the more unusual collectibles are antique longcase clock faces, three in brass and one painted. The brass examples are by James Aickin, Cork, Mark Kirkpatrick, Dublin and “McCarthy Corke” and the painted dial is by M Shaughnessy Cork.
An economy three section dining table UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,400 AT HAMMER
DESMOND TURNER RUA (B.1923) Sunset in the West. UPDATE: THIS MADE 460 AT HAMMER
In Dublin viewing opens today for the online art auction which runs at James Adam until February 8. It features a number of lots by the late Fergus O’Ryan and a wide variety of artists. The sale will again be on view at St. Stephen’s Green on Sunday afternoon and on Monday. Pictured here is lot 131, an oil on canvas by Desmond Turner which is estimated at 300-500.
George Chinnery – A Tanka boat dwelling with Tanka boatwomen and pigs, Macau,
The peripatetic life of the 19th century Irish painter George Chinnery (1774-1852) took him from the Tipperary of his birth to London, then to Serampore in West Bengal via Madras, Calcutta and Dacca. Fleeing his creditors, he arrived in Macau in 1825 and made the island his home until his death in 1852. He became fascinated by the artistic possibilities of Macau’s shoreline and the local tradespeople going about their everyday lives. One of his paintings on this theme, A Tanka boat dwelling with Tanka boatwomen and pigs, Macau highlights Bonhams Travel and Exploration sale in Knightsbridge on March 2. It is estimated at £15,000-20,000.
Rhyanon Demery, Bonhams senior picture specialist, said: “A Tanka boat dwelling with Tanka boatwomen and pigs, Macau vividly depicts members of the Tanka people – a distinct and ancient ethnic group who lived along the shore of Macau. Often viewed as outcasts by the Chinese authorities Tankas lived on junks, tankbeing the Cantonese word for boat and ka the word for family. Today they are more usually known as Boat People and, although many have now built lives on dry land, they preserve the unique culture that so captivated George Chinnery nearly 200 years ago.”
ORIGINAL PLAYERS PLEASE ADVERTISING POSTER. UPDATE: THIS MADE 110 AT HAMMER
Advertising posters for various brands of cigarette were once a common sight throughout Ireland. They have vanished in the 21st century. This one comes up as lot 38 with an estimate of 60-100 at R.J. Keighery’s online sale of the contents of the Munster Bar, The Mall, Waterford on February 9. A total of 196 lots will be offered.
Topaz and Diamond Ring Mounted on 18 Carat Yellow Gold Band. UPDATE: THIS MADE 670 AT HAMMER
This topaz and diamond ring comes up at Matthews online auction of jewellery, gold, silver, antiques and collectibles on February 8. Lot 23 in this sale of 752 lots is estimated at 600-900. The sale offers lots from executor and solicitor instructions, private clients and unredeemed pawnbrokers pledges.
Paris, Hôtel d’Orrouer and an interior view by Pierre Bergian Le Salon Vert à Hôtel d’Orrouer, 2021
Christie’s has announced the sale of the exceptional fine and decorative arts collection of legendary fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy (1927-2018), featuring more than 1,200 lots of French and European Furniture and works of art, including sculpture and paintings from Old Masters to Modern and Contemporary works. Each object was chosen with Hubert de Givenchy’s meticulous eye and reflects his exquisite taste. Drawn from two of de Givenchy’s most iconic and elegant homes—the Hôtel d’Orrouer in Paris and the Château du Jonchet in the Loire Valley—the collection includes many exceptional objects unseen on the market for decades as well as more recent works acquired towards the end of his collecting journey. Christie’s will offer this extraordinary collection at auction in Paris from June 14 to 17 (live sales) and from June 8 to 23 in a dedicated online sale. The timing of the announcement of the sale coincides with the 70th anniversary of the first haute couture collection Hubert de Givenchy presented in Paris on February 2, 1952, which was a resounding international success.
His family stated: “Through this sale, we are very pleased to be able to celebrate the exceptional taste of Hubert de Givenchy and his lifelong companion Philippe Venet. We wish to share the elegance and aesthetic heritage that they have passed on to us in order to inscribe their vision in the history of art and interior design in a universal way.”
Loire Valley, Chateau du Jonchet and an interior view by Pierre Bergian L’atelier au Jonchet, 2021
