ALICIA BOYLE (Irish 1908 – 1997) ‘A Boat (ashore) in a West of Ireland landscape’. UPDATE: THIS MADE 150 AT HAMMER
This 1950 mixed media work by Alicia Boyle is lot 56 at the modern and contemporary art online auction at O’Reilly’s of Francis St., Dublin which runs from August 7-14. The estimate is 150-250. Boyle’s work is in numerous collections including Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Crawford Gallery, Ulster Museum, Nottingham Castle Museum, National Gallery of Ireland and the National Self Portrait Collection. The catalogue for the sale is online.
Marina Abramovic – Performance for the OceansPhotograph by Marco Anelli
Performance for the Oceans (2024) is the result of a collaboration between the Serbian conceptual and performance artist Marina Abramovic and Blue Marine, a charity dedicated to protecting the ocean and tackling overfishing. The work, filmed on Fire Island in New York, depicts Abramovic giving her unconditional love and energy to our oceans, stressing the urgent need for their preservation.
The charity has partnered with Christie’s on Blue: Art for the Ocean. More than 20 world leading artists are donating works to be auctioned within Christie’s 20th/21st Century Marquee Week sales next October to coincide with Frieze Art Fair in London to benefit Blue Marine’s projects around the world. Blue Marine’s mission is to combat overfishing, in order to help life in the ocean perform its vital function of stabilising the Earth’s climate. Among other artists involved are Yoshitomo Nara, Edmund de Waal, Lydia Blakeley, and Jonas Burgert.
IVAN SUTTON (B.1944) – FASTNET ROCK LIGHTHOUSE. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,000 AT HAMMER
This oil on canvas board of Fastnet Rock Lighthouse off the coast of Cork is at Morgan O’Driscoll’s current off the wall art auction, which ends this evening. Estimated at 1,500-2,000 it is a popular lot and has already achieved 25 bids. The sale offers a wide variety of art and artists and includes works by Annemarie Bourke, Mike Fitzharris, William Conor, James Humbert Craig, Paula Rego, Tony O’Malley, Blaithin O Ciobhain, Norah McGuinness, Cecil King, Evie Hone and many others. The catalogue is online.
A 17th century Tibeto Chinese meteorite iron phurba, or dagger.
Irish auctioneers Sheppards of Durrow are likely to be propelled into tv stardom thanks to the Country House Auction, a series of four one hour programmes on Channel 4. The show, which is about to be broadcast, captures all the suspense and excitement of a live sale Sheppards conducted at Castle Durrow early last November.
While Sheppards, Durrow and its castle are the stars of the show a sacred Tibetan meteorite iron Phurba, which made €140,000 at hammer over an estimate of €20,000-€30,000, is the star of the auction and the opening episode. There is much excitement around a Neoclassical chimneypiece in Carrara marble, a gold Cartier collar, a guitar signed by the Rolling Stones and a five stone diamond ring. There is focus too on the owners of 18th century Castle Durrow opening their doors to a public auction for the first time in an opening episode gorgeously narrated by Hattie Morahan which show Durrow and its world renowned auction house in a most beautiful light. The first episode is on August 13 at 9 pm.
ROBERT CHAILLOUX (1913-2006) FRENCH – Still Life with Red Apples. UPDATE: THIS MADE 850 AT HAMMER
This still life by Robert Chailloux is lot 9 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s current off the wall online art auction which runs until August 6. The estimate is 700-1,000. The auction offers more than 400 lots of highly affordable art with estimates from as little s 100 euro. The catalogue is online and the sale is on view in Skibbereen on August 1, 2 and 6.
This White 2-135 Field Boss Tractor made a hammer price of 27,000 at H J Pugh’s sale in Cashel on July 31. It was the top lot in an auction of 452 lots which included the Phil Breen private collection of vintage and classic tractors, engines, signs, cast iron seats, motor cycles and other collectibles. White produced tractors, combines, outdoor equipment like lawn tractors, corn planters and tillage equipment.
COMPOSITION BY MAINIE JELLETT (1897-1944) MADE 16,000 AT HAMMER
Composition, a gouache on paper by Mainie Jellett, made a hammer price of 16,000 over a top estimate of 5,000 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s Irish art online auction this evening. Among other top hammer prices were: Poplars in the Jura Valley by Letitia Marion Hamilton (10,500); On a Run by Montague Dawson (8,000); Cradle by Sean Scully (7,500); Woman of Aran by Sean Keating (6,600); Yellow Rabbit II by Basil Blackshaw (6,200): An Irish Village by Markey Robinson (6,200) and Painting by Evie Hone (6,000).
18TH CENTURY CORK GEORGE III SILVER SAUCE BOAT, BY JOHN SHEEHAN. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,550 AT HAMMER
This c 1770 heavy silver sauce boat by John Sheehan, Cork comes up at Hegarty’s online sale in Bandon on July 31. With punch mark details to the rim, triple scroll handle and tripod legs it weighs 262 grams. The estimate is 1,500-2,000. The auction offers a selection of garden furniture, art, antiques, silver and collectibles including an Edwardian secretaire bookcase, a vintage cast iron garden seat, a pair of Cantonese double gourd vases and a vintage iron armillary spear on corinthian column base.
The US-European shipping archive of The Widow Bermingham & Sons. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
A lock of Michael Collins hair, a large Tara brooch, the first edition of the 1843-44 Ordnance Survey Atlas of Co. Limerick, a Historic Guide to the White House, 1963 signed by John F. Kennedy, a 1912 Louth All Ireland football winners medal, a first printing of de Valera’s new Constitution signed by the cabinet and a rare lady’s blue shirt uniform all feature at Fonsie Mealy’s rare book and collectors sale in Castlecomer on July 28 and 29.
Sales like this offer all kinds of everything, from Jack B Yeats illustrations to rare Harry Potter editions, a heavy Webley .44 revolver believed to have belonged to John MacBride, an Irish 20 pence trial piece coin from 1985 and a collection of long playing records signed by Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Roy Rogers and Frankie Laine.
A lock of Michael Collins’s hair. UPDATE: THIS MADE 4,400
The early US/European 19th century maritime shipping papers of the St. Sebastian Basque trading company for The Widow Bermingham & Sons is, at €7,000-€10,000, the most expensively estimated lot. The Berminghams were a prominent Galway family, some of whom emigrated to San Sebastian to establish a shipping agency. These original, unresearched papers from 1800-14 provide details of the issues faced by early shipping entrepreneurs during the Napoleonic Wars and the Barbary War.
The Blueshirts – the paramilitary organisation of the Irish Free State many of whose members went on to fight for the nationalists in Spain – did not have women on board. Membership was subsequently opened to those who had not served in the armed forces but the woman’s blue shirt with elasticated waist, Fine Gael badge and Army Comrades insignia is an extremely rare item (€3,000-€4,000).
The lock of hair was given after the death of Michael Collins to his friend Felix Cronin and is estimated at €5,000-€7,000. A veteran of the War of Independence and the Civil War he married Kitty Kiernan three years after the death of Collins in 1922. Lot 634 is a collection of eight Irish army brass uniform buttons complete with a letter from Michael Collins Powell to General O’Duffy dated 27/1/33 asking for a receipt for the enclosed: “found in Michael’s pocket, August 22nd, 1922”. Mary Collins Powell was a sister of Michael Collins. The estimate is €7,000-€10,000.
A large Tara Brooch in 18 carat gold UPDATE: THIS MADE 6,000
A large Tara brooch in 18 carat gold by Hopkins and Hopkins, Dublin is estimated at €5,000-€6,000. It belonged to Alice Milligan, poet and playwright and founder of the influential Shan Van Vhoct periodical.
A copy of Some Experiences of an Irish R M and other books by Edith Somerville and signed by her in 1948 are estimated at €120-€180. Collectors interested in travel will be interested in an 1825 book entitled The Pleasure Tours in Ireland (€160-€220), an 1812 book of Illustrations of the Scenery of Killarney and the Surrounding Country (€150-€200), Vanishing Dublin by Flora Mitchell (€200-€300), Life in the West of Ireland by Jack B. Yeats (€400-€600) and a good album of 300 original postcards of Cork city, Bandon, Queenstown, Crosshaven and Ballycotton (€600-€800).
The catalogue with 831 lots is online and there will be viewing in Castlecomer from 1 pm to 5 pm tomorrow and from 10 am to 5 pm on Monday. Sales are at 11 am sharp on Tuesday and Wednesday.
A first Australian edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,150 AT HAMMER
19th century Irish yew wood centre table. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This 19th century Irish centre table in yew wood is at Sean Eacrett’s July fine art and antiques sale which gets underway at 10 am on July 27. Complete with brass inlaid top and rectangular platform base the auctioneer reckons it was probably made in Killarney. The estimate is 1,000-1,500 and this is the most expensively estimated piece in an auction of more than 800 lots including 264 lots of traditional and contemporary furniture. The catalogue is online.
