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A GATHERING OF TRIBAL ART IN LONDON

Monday, August 14th, 2017

Tribal Art London runs from September 6-9 with 23 exhibitors, the biggest in its ten year history. There will be a diverse range of works with prices from the low hundreds to over £20,000. Taking place a week prior to Parcours des Mondes Paris, the biggest tribal art event in the world which runs this year from September 12-17 the event attracts many international specialist dealers and museum curators.

Well-known tribal art collectors who attend the fair include Mark Blackburn (based in Hawaii, focusing on Oceanic art), collectors of Aboriginal and Oceanic art Sam and Sharon Singer (U.S.A.), Antonio Lunari (Italy), and African art collector Jonathan Lowen (UK). Institutions are always in attendance, such as Quai Branly, the British Museum and the Royal Academy. Here is a small selection:

An early Douala chief’s stool, Cameroon at Adam Prout

Male statuette attributed to the Tabwa at David Malik

Highlands Shield, Papua New Guinea at Bryan Reeves/Tribal Gathering

Tags: PAPUA NEW GUINEA, TRIBAL ART LONDON
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SPORTING GUNS ONCE OWNED BY VINCENT O’BRIEN AT GLENEAGLES

Sunday, August 13th, 2017

A pair of 12 bore sporting guns once owned by legendary racehorse trainer Vincent O’Brien (1917-2009) will be among the highlights at 50th annual sporting sale in the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland on August 28. They are included in Gavin Gardiner’s sale of around 200 lots of fine modern and vintage sporting guns, rifles and accessories from 1860 to the present day.

In 2003 Vincent O’Brien was voted the greatest trainer in horse racing history in a worldwide poll hosted by The Racing Post. His six Derby winners included Nijinsky and Sir Ivor and he trained three Grand National winners in succession. “The Premier Quality” sidelock ejector guns by E.J. Churchill were built in 1928. They were subsequently owned by Vincent O’Brien and the case bears his initials. They are estimated at £8,000-12,000.

The Premier Quality” sidelock ejector guns by E. J. Churchill once owned by Vincent O’Brien. UPDATE: THEY MADE £9,375

A close up of the pair of 12 bore ejector guns

Tags: Gavin Gardiner, Sporting Guns, Vincent O'Brien
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A RANGE OF WORK AT DOLANS BANK HOLIDAY SALE IN CONNEMARA

Saturday, August 5th, 2017

With work from artists as diverse as Sean Keating and John Shinnors, sculpture by John Behan as well antique furniture, collectibles and fashion, Dolan’s main summer sale at Balyconneely village in Connemara on Bank Holiday Monday and on Tuesday, is of interest to a wide range of collectors.

Viewing is now underway for this auction of 550 lots to be spread over two days. Along with Keating and Shinnors there is art by George Russell, Donald Teskey, Charles Harrper, Patrick Hennessy, Sir William Orpen, Mark O’Neill, Cecil Maguire and Norah McGuinness.

Among the more contemporary art are paintings by Sean McSweeney, Henry Morgan and Carina Scott. The sale includes work by Kenneth Webb, who is 90 this year and whose view of The Fish Market, Roundstone, was the top lot at Fonsie Mealy’s sale last week. It made 15,000 at hammer. There is work by Arthur Maderson, George Campbell, Gerard Dillon, Arthur Armstrong and Robert Egginton.

Lot 112, The 12 Bens from Inishnee, is by Sian Maguire whose work art features alongside that of her father Cecil. There is a collection of Connemara paintings by Rosemary Carr and a flower study by Philippe Grisel (1930-1998).

A long case clock with brass dial and a French tortoiseshell and pewter mantle clock will be included as well as some 19th century Irish silver. Outdoor pieces include a pair of garden lions, a griffin, a pair of ornamental cannon and a ships anchor. There are designer handbags by Chanel, Cartier, Fendi and Dior and a Rolex watch in its original case. Here is a small selection:

A 19th century inlaid French mantle clock

Na Fir on Oilean by Sean Keating (1889-1977) UPDATE: THIS MADE 17,000

Child in interior by John Shinnors UPDATE: THIS MADE 21,500

Tags: DOLANS CONNEMARA, John Shinnors, Sean Keating
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ART DECO AND COALBROOKEDALE AT MEALY’S SUMMER SALE

Sunday, July 30th, 2017

Gothic style cast iron garden benches, a set of Art Deco dining chairs made in Paris around 1927, a pair of brass bound peat buckets and a Sevres style porcelain writing slope all feature at Mealy’s sale in Castlecomer on July 31. Irish brass bound peat buckets are always in demand by collectors and there are two in this sale, estimated respectively at 2,000-2,200 and 2,000-2,500.

The top furniture lot is an oblong French Art Deco macassar ebony dining table (c1925-30) by Dominique Andre Domin and Marcel Genevriere. It is estimated at 8,000-12,000. There is a set of eight Art Deco dining chairs by Andre Arbus (3,000-5,000) and a heavily carved Chinese side table (2,000-3,000) among a furniture offering which includes side tables, chairs, sideboards, breakfast and dining tables and a pair of satinwood demi lune commodes (2,800-3,500).

Art includes a large bronze study of a wounded stag by Holme Cardwell (1813-1897) (2,500-3,500), a coastal scene by George Drummond Fish (250-300) and a number of Irish and English School works. There is porcelain, rugs, a set of four pewter tankards, a scale model of the Titanic, clocks and miniatures on offer.

French Art Deco macassar ebony dining table. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

A large brass bound mahogany peat bucket UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,200 AT HAMMER

A Sevres style porcelain top writing slope. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,600 AT HAMMER

One of a pair of gothic style cast iron benches: UPDATE: THIS LOT MADE 2,000 AT HAMMER

Tags: Coalbrookedale, mealy's, Sevres
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MID SUMMER SALE AT MEALY’S ON JULY 31

Friday, July 28th, 2017

Unusual antique composition group with Daniel O’Connell UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,500 AT HAMMER

An unusual composition group of Daniel O’Connell meeting a group of catholics clad in local costume is the catalogue cover lot for for Mealy’s mid-summer sale in Castlecomer on July 31 at 11 am. On an oval base under a glass dome it is estimated at 500-800.

Among the other collectible items on offer is a scale painted wooden model of the Titanic in red, white and black (500-550) and a heavy copper and brass mounted divers helmet on a wooden base (380-450).

A set of French Art Deco dining chairs is estimated at 3,000-5,000 and an Art Deco macassar ebony dining table with two extension leaves has an estimate of 8,000-15,000.

Viewing gets underway in Castlecomer today for this one day auction of over 600 lots. It will include fine and decorative art, antique furniture, garden furniture and interiors from a variety of private estates and collections. The catalogue is online.

Tags: Daniel O'Connell, Mealy's Castlecomer
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WEBB’S ROUNDSTONE THE TOP LOT AT FONSIE MEALY

Thursday, July 27th, 2017

The Crouching Venus

A painting by Kenneth Webb was the top lot at Fonsie Mealy’s summer art sale in Castlecomer this year. The Fish Market at Roundstone sold for a hammer price of 15,000. A set of four stained glass panels of saints from The Earley Studios in Dublin sold for 11,000 at hammer. A 17th century Italian School of Moses Striking the Rock attributed to Bernardo Cavilling made 10,500 at hammer and The Crouching Venus, a white marble Italian School c1800 sculpture originally at Powerscourt sold for 8,000 at hammer.

Other top hammer prices included a pair of Irish duelling pistols (8,000), a 12 bore Purdey shotgun (5,600), a stained glass panel of St. Patrick (5,500), an oval enamel plaque portrait by J. Sadler, Liverpool (5,200), two Carrara marble statues of The Blessed Virgin and The Sacred Heart (5,000) and an Irish George III period bookcase (5,000).

(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for July 25 and July 22, 2017)

Tags: Fonsie Mealy, Kenneth Webb
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DUELLING PISTOLS MAKE 8,000 AT FONSIE MEALY

Tuesday, July 25th, 2017

A cased pair of early 19th century Irish flintlock duelling pistols by McDermot, Dublin sold for 8,000 at the opening day of Fonsie Mealy’s two day sale in Castlecomer today. A late 18th century Irish George III flintlock blunderbuss by Rigby, Dublin sold for 2,100 at hammer and a similar vintage blunderbuss by G. Pepper, Dublin made 1,600.

A large oval enamel plaque portrait of Frederick III, King of Prussia estimated at 150-200 sold for a hammer price of 5,200. It was from the collection of Senator George Sigerson from his dispersal sale by Battersby and Co. in July 1925 and thence by descent through the Humphries family. The sale continues tomorrow.

A cased pair of Irish flintlock duelling pistols by McDermot, Dublin

J. Sadler – Liverpool, enamel portrait of Frederick III, King of Prussia

Tags: Fonsie Mealy, IRISH FLINTLOCK DUELLING PISTOLS
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HISTORIC STAINED GLASS PANELS AT FONSIE MEALY

Saturday, July 22nd, 2017

Historic stained glass from the Convent of Mercy in Castletownbere, Ernest Bewley’s desk and a white marble crouching Venus once at Powerscourt House are among the lots to tempt collectors at Fonsie Mealy’s two day sale in Castlecomer on July 25 and 26.

The prime piece from among eight stained glass panels is entitled St. Patrick Our National Apostle. Estimated at 4,000-6,000 it depicts King Loegaire, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, King of Pagans and Barbarians, being baptised and received into the catholic church. It was made by Earley and Company (1861-1975), one of the largest ecclesiastical decorators in Ireland and the UK. The rest of the eight panels depict various saints, Our Lady and the Sacred Heart with estimates from 700 to 6,000.

Lot 550 is a late 19th century Chinese export wooden desk owned and used by Ernest Bewley, founder of the eponymous oriental cafes. It is estimated at 2,000-3,000. The catalogue cover lot is an Italian crouching Venus which was in the Great Salon at Powerscourt in the 1800’s. Powerscourt and most of its contents were destroyed by fire in 1974. It is estimated at 7,000-9,000.

The auction will feature a collection of more than 70 lots of militaria built up over the past 40 years. Among these is a pair of Irish flintlock duelling pistols by McDermot (Dublin) estimated at 5,000-7,000. There is a selection of Georgian and Victorian furniture form Kevin Castle in Co. Cavan. Lot 183, Lord Nelson’s shoe buckle was formerly in the Bridgeport collection and the vendor believes it to have been originally held by Nelson’s brother William. Art includes a group of five original watercolours relating to the 1798 rebellion by Arthur David McCormick for a London book marking the centenary of the rebellion in 1898. This is estimated at 4,500-5,500. A depiction of The Fish Market at Roundstone by Kenneth Webb is estimated at 10,000-15,000. The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:

St. Patrick, Our National Apostle from the Mercy Convent, Castletownbere UPDATE: THIS MADE 5,500 AT HAMMER

Chinese export desk owned by Ernest Bewley UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

The Fish Market at Roundstone by Kenneth Webb UPDATE: THIS MADE 15,000 AT HAMMER

Tags: EARLEY AND COMPANY, Fonsie Mealy
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BAG USED TO COLLECT MOON SAMPLES SELLS FOR $1.8 MILLION

Friday, July 21st, 2017

A bag once nearly thrown out with the rubbish sold for $1.8 million at Sotheby’s in New York. It was the one Neil Armstrong used to collect the first ever samples of the moon.

The outer decontamination bag, which was flown to the moon on Apollo 11 and still carries traces of moon dust and small rock, was sold on the 48th anniversary of the first moon landing in 1969.

Auctioneer Joe Dunning introduced the lot as “an exceptionally rare artifact from mankind’s greatest achievement.” It sold to an anonymous buyer on the telephone following a sluggish five-minute bidding war. Its previous owner was an Illinois lawyer, who bought it in 2015 for $995.

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for June 1, 2017)

Tags: MOON DUST, NEIL ARMSTRONG, sotheby's
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MEDAL AWARDED TO DUBLIN CORPORAL MAKES £72,000

Thursday, July 20th, 2017

The Zulu War medal awarded to Dublin Corporal James Bushe made £72,000 at Dix Noonan Webb in London today. It went to an internet bidder. The estimate was £40,000-50,000 and it was knocked down for a hammer price of £60,000. This becomes £72,000 with commission.

Cpl Bushe was one of 16 Irishmen known to have taken part in the defence of Rorke’s Drift – the former trading post of Irish merchant James Rorke – when a 150 strong garrison held off an advance by 4,000 Zulu’s in 1879. He suffered a nose wound from a bullet that killed one of his comrades, but later served in the Mediterranean, India and Burma.

A tailor by trade he enlisted in 1870 at the age of 18. He was discharged from the army in 1891 and his later history is unknown.

The Zulu War medal awarded to another Irishman, Michael Minihan, made £84,000 at Dix Noonan Webb last December. This was a record for a Rorke’s Drift defender who was not awarded the VC.

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for July 8, 2017)

Tags: Dix Noonan Webb, Rorke's Drift, Zulu War
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Archive for the ‘COLLECTIBLES’ Category

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