An engraved facsimile copy of the American Declaration of Independence at Fonsie Mealy. UPDATE: THIS MADE 48,000 AT HAMMER
An original engraved facsimile copy of the American Declaration of Independence comes up at Fonsie Mealy’s Christmas Book and Collectors sale in Dublin on December 7 and 8. It was issued by Order of Congress in 1823 when it was noted that the ink on the original document was fading. The limited edition of 200 copies on fine parchment was executed by engraver William J. Stone. The copy at Fonsie Mealy’s has direct provenance by family descent to Charles O’Connor, the Irish American Democratic lawyer who in 1872 became the first catholic to be nominated for the US Presidency. It is estimated at €20,000-€30,000.
WALTER FREDERICK OSBORNE (1859-1903) – The Hurdy-Gurdy Player. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
THIS c1887 work by Walter Osborne is lot 25 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s current sale of Important Irish Art which runs to the evening of November 30. It is possible that this work was painted in Newbury, Berkshire as Orpen spent much of the 1880’s dividing his time between Ireland and England. In 1887 he was in Berkshire and Hampshire. It is estimated at 40,000-60,000.
SIR WILLIAM ORPEN – THE ROSCOMMON FUSILIER. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Among the lots at Dolans auction on November 29 are a drawing by Sir William Orpen of The Roscommon Fusilier. The drawing depicts a young woman, with hand on hip, wearing a militia uniform, complete with military hat and plume. It is sketched on ‘Metropolitan School of Art, Kildare Street, Dublin’ paper. Orpen taught there in the early years of the 20th century. The sitter was Vera Hone and it is estimated at 9,000-12,500. A charcoal study of The Men of Aran by Sean Keating is estimated at 16,000-20,000. UPDATE: THE KEATING MADE €16,000 AT HAMMER.
The timed online sale features a selection of fine Irish whiskeys as well as antique furniture, silver and rugs.
Before settling in Rosscarbery in 1971 the late Anthony Bartley was one of the few to whom so much was owed by so many. The medals of the Battle of Britain fighter ace, once married to the Hollywood actress Deborah Kerr, are to be sold by Dix Noonan Webb in London on December 8. Squadron Leader Bartley, one of the founder members of 92 Squadron, is credited with at least 12 victories, eight damaged, a number of probables and possibles, and countless unclaimed.He cut his teeth over the beaches of Dunkirk, shooting down two enemy aircraft after his first dogfight on May 23, 1940.
On September 15, 1940 at the height of the Battle of Britain he survived against the odds. His description of what happened that day makes exciting reading. ‘I heard a cannon shell explode behind my armour-plated seat back, a bullet whizzed through my helmet, grazing the top of my head and shattering my gun sight, while others punctured my oil and glycol tanks. A 109 flashed by. Fumes then started to fill my cockpit, and I knew without doubt that I had had it, so I threw open my hood, undid my straps and started to climb over the side. As I braced myself to bale out, I saw my enemy preparing for another attack, and knew it meant suicide to jump with him around. Escaping airmen over their own territory were fair game in some combatants’ log book, and a friend of mine had been shot down in his parachute. So, I decided to bluff it out, climbed back into my aircraft, and turned on my attacker.My ruse worked; he didn’t know how hard he’d hit me, but he did know that a Spitfire could turn inside a Messerschmitt, and I fired a random burst to remind him, whereupon he fled for home. By this time I was too low to jump, so I headed for a field and prayed. At a hundred feet, my engine blew up, and I was blinded by oil. I hit the ground, was catapulted out, and landed in a haystack, unharmed”. The seven medals he was awarded come up with an estimate of £100,000-£140,000. After moving to Hollywood he formed European American Productions. He wrote and produced television films for Fireside Theatre, MCA and Douglas Fairbanks Presents. He moved to Rosscarbery in 1971 with his second wife Victoria. Born in India Bartley’s father was Sir Charles Bartley, an Irish judge who served in the Calcutta High Court.
THE 1947 WEDDING BETWEEN ANTHONY BARTLEY AND DEBORAH KERR. image courtesy Dix Noonan Webb
JACK B YEATS – SHOUTING UPDATE: THIS MADE €1.4 MILLION AT HAMMER
Viewing gets underway at the RDS today for Whyte’s sale of Important Irish art on November 29. The most expensively estimated Irish artwork ever to come to auction is the leading lot at the sale. Shouting, an epic large scale work by Jack B Yeats, is estimated at €1.5 million – €2 million. Painted in 1950 it was described by Hilary Pyle, author of the Yeats Catalogue Raisonne, as one of the artists finest achievements in these late visionary paintings. With three boisterous companions, a seaman, a jockey and a ballad singer, on an open bogland it brings together diverse memories and motifs from earlier paintings and illustrations.
There is art by Dan O’Neill, Grace Henry, Percy French, Letitia Hamilton, Cecil Maguire, Patrick Collins, Louis le Brocquy, Evie Hone, Tony O’Malley and John Shinnors among the 154 lots on offer. The catalogue is online.
Meantime bidding on Morgan O’Driscoll’s current online auction of Irish art runs until next Tuesday at 6.30 pm. The sale is on view in Skibbereen today and on Monday and Tuesday. There is art by Donald Teskey, Cecil Maguire, Yeats, Arthur Maderson, Kenneth Webb and many more.
PAULINE BEWICK RHA (b.1953), “PUT INTO ACTION AND FILL US WITH GLEE. THE PUNISHMENT SET BY THE QUEEN OF CRAGLEE”,
This limited edition print by Pauline Bewick comes up at Hegarty’s timed online art auction which runs from November24 to November 28. It is from her series The Midnight Court and numbered 39/250. The estimate is 650-850. UPDATE: THIS WAS BID TO 550 AND WAS WITHDRAWN
An original copy of the Irish Proclamation. UPDATE: THIS MADE 130,000 AT HAMMER
An original copy of the Proclamation of Independence comes up as lot 937 at Matthews sale of a single owner collection on the evening of November 30. This rare survivor – the most important document in the history of the Irish Nation – was issued by the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army and read by Padraig Pearse from the steps of the GPO on O Connell Street, Dublin on Easter Monday 1916. This copy was last sold at Adams in Dublin in 2006. It is estimated at 120,000-€180,000.
Should it make or exceed the top estimate Shouting, an epic large scale 1950 work by Jack B. Yeats at Whyte’s on November 29, will become the most expensive Irish painting ever sold at auction. Already the estimate of €1.5-€2 million makes this late work the most expensively estimated Irish artwork ever to appear in the saleroom. It has been on loan to the University of Limerick Art Gallery since 2009.
JACK B YEATS – SHOUTING. UPDATE: THIS MADE €1.4 MILLION AT HAMMER
There is art by Daniel O’Neill, Grace Henry, Percy French, Letitia Hamilton, Cecil Maguire, Patrick Collins, Louis le Brocquy, Evie Hone, Tony O’Malley, John Shinnors, Anthony Scott and others. The venue for this evening sale is the RDS, and viewing is from 10 am to 5 pm daily from November 27.
A dispute over ownership has led to the withdrawal of the works for Youghal’s Clock Gate Tower from the sale by Lynes and Lynes in Carrigtwohill on November 27. Auctioneer Denis Lynes has now sourced another historic clock instead. On offer are the clockworks for a turret clock made by James Mosley in Waterford. It was originally in the tower of St. Anne’s Church in Cappoquin. It comes up with an estimate of 1,500-2,000. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,200 AT HAMMER
EVA HENRIETTA HAMILTON (1876-1960) – Fair Day Clifden. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,900 AT HAMMER
Fair Day, Clifden by Eva Hamilton is lot 5 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s sale of Important Irish Art which runs until November 30. It is estimated at 800-1,200. There is art by Donald Teskey, Percy French, Kenneth Webb, Jack Butler Yeats, Dan O’Neill, Patrick Collins, Louis le Brocquy, Walter Osborne, Hughie O’Donoghue, William Conor and many other artists on offer among 251.
