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    CHOICES BETWEEN HOME AND GARDEN AT ADAMS AND VICTOR MEE

    Saturday, June 7th, 2025

    A Regency oval beaded mirror at James Adam. UPDATE: THIS MADE 4,200 AT HAMMER

    Home or garden?  The choice is yours at two appetising sales next week, the At Home online sale at Adams in Dublin on June 11 and the two day summer garden sale by Victor Mee in Cavan on the evenings of next June 10 and 11.

    Top lots at Adams range from Playing in the sand, a lovely summer scene by Dorothea Sharp (1874-1955) (€4,000-€6,000) through a Louis Quinze ormolu mounted longcase clock (€3,000-€5,000), an Irish Regency oval beaded wall mirror (€3,000-€5,000) and a Milkmaid pattern Irish silver tea set (€2,500-€3,500).

    A wrought iron glasshouse in Victorian style complete with modern accoutrements like remote control glass and automated vents (€18,000-€22,000) leads the offerings at Victor Mee.   Lifesize bronze sculptures of a horse and jockey and a galloping horse are estimated at €10,000-€20,000 each, while bronze effect statues on pedestals of The Four Seasons, a bronze fountain with Mercury and a pair of 19th century wrought iron entrance gates are all estimated at €8,000-€12,000.

    A bleached timber library table at Adams. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    One of the more unusual At Home lots – for use when away – is a complete set of early 20th century 40 nautical signal flags. Originally drafted in 1855 the code is an international system of signals used by ships to convey important information on safety and navigation. The flags are in a fitted timber case with brass carrying handles and estimated at €400-€600.

    With more than 500 lots the last At Home sale before the summer covers multiple objects for the home from a pair of brass framed circular hall lanterns to an Edwardian club fender and a pair of 19th century Sitzendorf porcelain wall sconces.  There are lots of chairs like sofas and Chesterfields, a set of eight Windsor style  oak and elmwood kitchen chairs, a pair of French 19th century two seater settees, a pair of red leather wingback armchairs, a George II walnut armchair, a pair of library armchairs, green leather button back chairs, a sent of c1820’s provincial Irish dining chairs along with Victorian and Edwardian dining chair sets. 

    Among the artworks on offer are two botanical watercolours by Wendy Walsh and Cattle Watering by Thomas Sydney Cooper.  A  pair of giltwood and marble figural console tables, a bleached timber library table, Georgian and Regency dining tables, side tables and card tables feature along with collectibles like silver, clock sets and a Baccarat three light candelabra.

    An obelisk gifted by the Chinese government at Victor Mee. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    At Victor Mee’s sale you will find exceptional urns and planters, a private collection of antique stone troughs and an obelisk gifted by the Chinese government to the Hely Hutchinson family at Knocklofty House in Clonmel.  The two day sale features over 850 lots of garden statuary, furniture and architectural features.

    There is a focus too on animal garden statuary with an emphasis on native irish wildlife. This is an area of collection which the team at Victor Mee has noted is growing in popularity as animal sculptures are increasingly used to add character and whimsy to Irish gardens. Among the offerings are hares dancing, a lifesize bronze sheep, bronze pigs, a cast iron red squirrel and a pair of boxing hares.   More exotic creatures include a bronze elephant with a Dali style decoration and a bronze velociraptor.  As always there is a good selection of antique and vintage outdoor furniture.  Catalogues for both sales are online.

    A raptor for your garden at Victor Mee. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,350 AT HAMMER

    ANYONE FOR A PAIR OF BRONZE STORKS?

    Thursday, June 5th, 2025

    BRONZE STORKS. UPDATE: THESE MADE 650 AT HAMMER

    This pair of bronze storks come up at Victor Mee’s summer garden sale on June 10 and 11. A total of 955 lots will come under the hammer. The storks come up as lot 58 with an estimate of €600-1,200. The catalogue is online.

    ATTRACTIVE SHERATON REVIVAL CABINET AT ADAMS

    Wednesday, June 4th, 2025

    SHERATON REVIVAL SIDE CABINET. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    This attractive Sheraton Revival inlaid satinwood side cabinet is lot 404 at Adams online only At Home sale on June 11. The rectangular breakfront form has a central panelled door inset with a circular painted plaque decorated with a mother and child. It is flanked by a pair of astragal glazed panel doors and turned independent columns and turned legs. The estimate is €2,000-3,000. More than 500 lots will come under the hammer. Viewing is at St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin from June 7 – 10 and the catalogue is online.

    UNION JACK FROM THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR AT CHRISTIE’S

    Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025

    A UNION JACK FLOWN FROM HMS SPARTIATE AT THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR, OCTOBER 21, 1805 UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £1,068,500

    A Union Jack flag from the Battle of Trafalgar will come up at Christie’s Exceptional Sale in London on July 1 with an estimate of £500,000-800,000. One of the most spectacular and consequential naval victories in history, The Battle of Trafalgar ended the threat of an invasion of Britain by Napoleon, setting the scene for a century or more of British dominance of the seas. The flag shows signs of battle damage. Analysis by the Zaricor Flag Collection – from which it is being offered for sale – revealed shards of metal embedded in the fabric in several places, notably in the half-moon shaped loss to one edge, suggesting that this is the ‘footprint’ of a cannon ball. Fragments of wood splinters were also found throughout.

    It is one of only three intact Union Jacks known to survive from the Battle of Trafalgar. It has been offered on the market just once before in its 220 year history, having been preserved by Captain James Clephan R .N . (1768-1851) who was the Spartiate‘s second lieutenant and then passed by descent until it was acquired in 2009 by Benjamin Reed Zaricor (1947-2022) for the Zaricor Flag Collection. The design was introduced in 1801 after the Act of Union with Ireland. HMS Spartiate fought at the Battle of Trafalgar under Francis Laforey. With Minotaur, she forced the surrender of the Spanish ship Neptuno, of 80 guns. She was was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line captured from the French at the Battle of the Nile in 1798.

    FLYING START TO GREAT IRISH INTERIORS SALE AT SHEPPARDS

    Tuesday, May 27th, 2025

    One of a pair of hide upholstered Chesterfield settees which made a hammer price of €11,500

    The two day Great Irish Interiors sale at Sheppards in Durrow got off to a flying start today when a pair of hide upholstered roll back Chesterfield settees sold for a hammer price of €11,500. Estimated at €2,500-€3,500 they were the subject of a bidding battle between a buyer in the room and another on the internet. The auction continues today and tomorrow.

    A 19TH CENTURY HARP IN THE GOTHIC REVIVAL STYLE

    Monday, May 26th, 2025

    19TH-CENTURY GOTHIC REVIVAL GILT HARP BY ERARD. UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,000 AT HAMMER

    This imposing 19th-century pedal harp by Erard, in the Gothic Revival style, richly decorated with giltwood ornamentation, is lot 227 at Sheppards Great Irish Interiors sale on May 27 and 28. The column is adorned with pierced gothic arches and tracery above a fluted shaft, leading to a finely carved neck with the maker’s inscription: Sebastian Erard, London. It is estimated at €2,500-€3,500. The sale is now on view in Durrow and the catalogue is online.

    THE TRAPPINGS OF A GREAT COUNTRY HOUSE AT SHEPPARDS

    Saturday, May 24th, 2025

    A pair of Irish giltwood console tables. UPDATE: THESE MADE 10,000 AT HAMMER

    A pair of Irish giltwood console tables, a Cork shipwreck by Richard Peterson Atkinson, 19th century porcelain birds, possibly Meissen and a Donegal carpet attributed to C F A Voysey – trappings typical of a grand Irish country house –  feature at the Great Irish Interiors sale at Sheppards in Durrow on May 27-28. 

    More than 1,300 lots showcase the rich history of antiques, art and decorative objects rooted in the grand tour, the Enlightenment and trade links with China and the Middle East that once abounded in the houses of Ireland.  Lots like a large French tapestry, a Sevres style mantel clock, a bronze sculpture of a Roman charioteer on a marble plinth attest to a past which focused both on collection from abroad and  promotion of local skills.  The latter resulted in lots on offer like an exceptional Killarney davenport, fine Irish silver and antique furniture made by skilled craftspeople in Ireland.  The auction is on view in Durrow from today and the catalogue is online.

    City of New York aground on Daunt Rock, 1864, a watercolour by Richard Peterson Atkinson. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,700 AT HAMMER

    RARE IRISH FLORIN COULD MAKE £10,000 AT NOONANS IN LONDON

    Thursday, May 22nd, 2025

    A rare Irish Free State pattern florin dating from 1927 discovered in an antiques market in Italy over 40 years ago by an Italian collector could fetch up to £10,000 when it is offered at Noonans Mayfair in a sale of Coins, Historical Medals and Numismatic Books on May 29. UPDATE: THIS MADE £10,000 AT HAMMER

    Oliver Hepburn of Noonans explained: “This rare copper florin was designed by Publio Morbiducci (1889 -1963) a leading Italian sculptor, medalist and painter in the early and mid-1900s. Morbiducci was among
    a group of international artists who were asked to submit designs for Ireland’s first coinage. The competition was won by the British engraver Percy Metcalfe.”

    “It is very exciting that this particular example was discovered in a market in Morbiducci’s home country, and these patterns only come up for auction once in a blue moon. Fewer than a dozen examples have sold in the last 20 years. This penny was never put into circulation and obviously the dealer in the market, didn’t quite appreciate its rarity. It is decorated with a harp on one side and a salmon on the other and officially only two sets were minted for presentation to the Irish Currency Commission. However, after the competition, it is thought that Morbiducci minted several more sets for private use, though exact figures are unknown.”

    KILLARNEY CENTRE TABLE AT SHEPPARDS GREAT IRISH INTERIORS SALE

    Wednesday, May 21st, 2025

    19TH-CENTURY KILLARNEY YEW AND ARBUTUS WOOD MARQUETRY TABLE. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    This 19th Killarney centre circular centre table inlaid with yew and arbutus wood is among the highlights at Sheppards Great Irish Interiors sale in Durrow on May 27 and 28.  The top is centred by circular marquetry medallions and enclosed within elaborate borders of Celtic strapwork, foliate motifs and symbolic patterns. More than 1200 lots will come under the hammer and the catalogue is online. The estimate on this table, which comes up on May 28, is €6,000-€9,000.

    PAIR OF MEDICI LIONS SELL FOR €42,000 AT ADAMS

    Tuesday, May 20th, 2025

    Pictured here is one of a rare pair of mid 18th century carved limestone Medici lions which made a hammer price of €42,000 at Adams house to garden sale in Dublin today. The Medici Lion, with its striding pose and paw resting upon a sphere, became a widely adopted sculptural type in eighteenth-century Britain and Ireland, particularly within the context of the Palladian revival. The model derives from a Roman marble of the second century AD and a pendant carved in 1598 by the Roman sculptor Flaminio Vacca (1538–1605), commissioned for the Villa Medici in Rome by Ferdinando I de’ Medici (1549–1609), Grand Duke of Tuscany. By the mid-18th century, British and Irish sculptors and masons were producing carved stone interpretations for architectural and landscape settings, particularly as gate or terrace ornaments. The pair had been estimated at €50,000-€70,000. A monumental neo classical white marble fountain made €18,000, a carved Dublin William IV doorcase made €11,000, a 19th century Scottish terracotta balustrade by Garnkirk made €11,000, a cast lead figure of Orpheus made €9,000, a pair of composite stone figures of seated hounds made €8,500, a large statuary and Sienna marble chimneypiece, an 18th century marble bust of Domitian Caesar and a reconstructed Portland Stone neoclassical doorcase all made €8,000.