Like so many auctioneers de Veres in Dublin postponed their Irish art sale scheduled for April 7. But the catalogue had been published online and the auction house is continuing to receive plenty of inquiries about the works it contains. So they have taken the unusual decision to open the catalogue to offers. These will be relayed to vendors, who will be advised accordingly. No bids below estimate will be considered at this point. And all bids should be made by e-mail to roryguthrie@deveres.ie
UPDATE: The open to offers sale closed with the sale of 60 lots and brought in more than €100,000. The Gerard Dillon below received an offer at the low reserve which was not accepted and it will feature at an auction in the future.
Lot 79 is The Space Circus by Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) (15,000-20,000)
The show must go on but not in all circumstances. At home and abroad many sales are being postponed and rescheduled. Among the postponements last week was Sotheby’s much vaunted London sale of the Patrick Kelly Collection from 44 Fitzwilliam Square in Dublin. This was a loss and the sense of disappointment was palpable but the auction will no doubt eventually go ahead.The sale of Important Irish Art at James Adam was postponed last week and among the auctions not going ahead in the coming week are sales at Lynes and Lynes in Carrigtwohill, Mullen’s Collectors Cabinet sale at Laurel Park in Bray and a planned sale of pub memorabilia at Victor Mee’s in Co. Cavan. These auctions are set up and ready to go at a moments notice whenever the all clear is given. Even where an auction is scheduled to go ahead right now it is advisable to check at the last minute before travelling. All sales at Bonhams are postponed until April 21, there is a revised schedule at Christie’s, Sotheby’s has reduced the schedule, all auctions at James Adam in Dublin are temporarily postponed and Fonsie Mealy is open by appointment only. Whyte’s offices are closed but business continues behind closed doors and this is the case with many leading auctioneering firms right now.
Salvador Dali’s Rhinocerous dressed in lace from 1981 comes up at Morgan O’Driscoll’s online sale of Irish and International Art on April 14. The signed bronze is number 238 from an edition of 499. Dali’s interest in the rhinoceros stemmed from Durer’s celebrated etching of the animal. Dali claimed a connection between the growth pattern of the rhinoceros’s horn, the pattern sewn in Vermeer’s The Lacemaker and the growth pattern of the sunflower. All of these speculative connections come into play in his sculpture of rhinoceros dressed in lace. It is estimated at 4,000-6,000. The catalogue is online.
Auctioneers Herman and Wilkinson, based in Rathmines in Dublin, will continue with weekly household auctions using their timed online platform. A fully illustrated catalogue becomes available at 3:00 pm every Wednesday, and bidding commences at that point. Bidding will close at one minute intervals per lot from noon each Thursday. Weekly auction feature entire house contents sold in individual and group lots, including sitting room, dining room and bedroom furnishings, mirrors, works of art, ornaments, collectibles and garden tools. Around 2,000 items in 600 – 800 lots are sold.
A profile by Daniel O’Neill sold for a hammer price of 8,500 over a top estimate of 6,000 at Sheppards sale of The O’Mahony Collection in Durrow on March 24. The auction of a diverse range of works from across the globe moved to an online only sale and proved to be highly successful with no shortage of internet bidders. On Tuesday Sheppards repeated the experience of auctioneers Matthews of Oldcastle, Aidan Foley of Doneraile and Hegarty’s of Bandon, all of whom held successful sales over last weekend. All these auctions changed to online only at the eleventh hour.
This diamond and sapphire cluster bracelet is Lot 51 at O’Reilly’s March auction of fine jewellery, watches and silver. The Francis St., Dublin auctioneers have changed this a timed only sale and the catalogue is online. It runs from 1 p.m. on March 25 until 1 p.m. on March 27. The bracelet consists of pear shaped sapphires to brilliant cut diamond surrounds and is mounted in 18 carat white gold. The estimated weight of sapphires is 20 carats and diamonds five carats. It is estimated at 8,000-12,000. UPDATE: THE CLOSING HAMMER BID WAS 8,000
The sale of the private collection of Tim O’Mahony in Kilkenny at Sheppards on March 24 is accessible online. Absentee bidding is available, along with telephone bids. This is an auction of 592 lots of decorative arts, paintings and fine furniture. There is everything from malachite postal scales, a shagreen compact and Mughal School miniatures to an 18th century mahogany snap top table, a 19th century specimen table, Staffordshire ware, antique Irish glass and an Iznik octagonal centrepiece.
This silver gilt Viennese enamelled cup is estimated at 300-500. UPDATE: THIS MADE 400 AT HAMMER
Tonight Bonhams announced the postponement and rescheduling of all auctions until April 21. This is effective immediately. UK salerooms at New Bond St. and Knightsbridge in London, Edinburgh, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong are all closed.
Bonhams remains open via its website and specialists, who are working remotely, are happy to assist with queries. The Digital Consignment Hub – Sell with Bonhams – is available on the website for any consignments to future sales. The situation is being monitored re auctions after April 21 and updates will be issued.
The Made in Britain auction at Sotheby’s in London went ahead as planned on March 18 and saw strong results. There was an increased number of bids online, rising to more than 50% of the lots sold, with a final result of £2,113,500, significantly above the pre-sale estimate. Sotheby’s say the result demonstrates a buoyant and positive market, as well as the continued appetite for exceptional property delivered to clients with ease, wherever they may be in the world.
A number of sales are to be held behind closed doors at Bonhams, which will temporarily close their offices to the general public on March 20. Among the sales going ahead in the near future in Knightsbridge in London are British and European Art on March 24, Modern British and Irish art on March 25 and Decorative Art and Design on April 1. There is to be a Home and Interiors sale in Edinburgh on April 1.
The following sales due to be held at New Bond Street and New York will be rescheduled: Impressionist and Modern Art, Islamic and Indian Art,The Greek Sale and Photographs. Bonhams remains open for business remotely via its Digital Consignment Hub for consigners, and for clients wishing to register for sales.
Summer Storm by William Crozier (1930-2011) (£5,00-7,000) at the Modern British and Irish Art sale on March 25.
