antiquesandartireland.com

Celtic Torc

A c1200-500 BC Celtic gold torc was the top lot at Whyte’s sale of history, literature and collectibles in Dublin on November 8.  It made 8,000.  The dress uniforms of General Sir J.G. Maxwell, who command the British troops in Dublin after the 1916 Rising, sold for 6,600.  An Iron Age stone head made 6,000.

A c1770 Ibane and Barryroe Infantry cross belt plate made 1.400 at hammer.

A 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic sold for 5,600, a 1916 Service Medal awarded to William Partridge made 4,800 and the duty log of the Dublin fire brigade ambulance  service for the period from January to May 1916, covering the Rising, sold for 3,800. It went to an institutional archive. A series for letters from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle pleading for clemency for Sir Roger Casement sold for 2,400.  The auction realized 230,000 and was 84 per cent sold.

(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for September 1 and October 27, 2014)

Titanic in Belfast at Whyte’s auction.  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 250

A c1960 Aer Lingus Dublin Horse Show poster (100-150).  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 200

A set of seven celluloid photographic transparencies of the Titanic in Belfast is one of the highly collectible lots at Whyte’s in Dublin on November 8.  There are celluloid transparencies of the Titanic at Harland and Wolff shipyard together with prints of each photograph.   The estimate for the lot is 120-180.

Another nostalgic lot is a c1960 Aer Lingus Dublin Horse Show poster estimated at 100-150. The sale offers an enormous cross section of lots with everything from a fist edition of Brendan Behan’s The Borstal Boy (80-120) to a large collection of German World War II photographs (500-700), from ancient Celtic carved heads to a letter from Michael Collins to signed poetry books by Seamus Heaney.  The catalogue, with 494 lots, is online.

The Ricketts Apple-1 pc. UPDATE: IT MADE  $365,000

Discovered at a storage locker auction in Virginia the only known surviving Apple-1 documented to have been sold directly by Steve Jobs to an individual from his parents’ garage comes up at Christie’s in New York on December 11.  The American cultural icon The Ricketts’ Apple-1 Personal Computer will come up as part of Christie’s  inaugural Exceptional Sale at Rockefeller Center. It is named after its first owner Charles Ricketts.  The estimate is $400,000 – 600,000, the highest estimate yet for an original Apple-1 offered at auction.

It is fully operational.  23 years after Ricketts bought the Apple-1 from Jobs in Los Altos, it was acquired by Bruce Waldack, a freshly minted entrepreneur who’d just sold his company DigitalNation. The Ricketts Apple-1 was auctioned at a sheriff’s sale of Waldack’s property at a self-storage facility in Virginia in 2004, and won by the present consigner, the American collector, Bob Luther.

UPDATE: IT FELL SHORT OF ITS ESTIMATE TO SELL FOR $365,000.

The Graff Ruby.  UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR $8.6 MILLION US, A WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR A RUBY

A landmark single-owner sale of beautiful and highly important jewels from the collection of Dimitri Mavrommatis will come up at Sotheby’s in Geneva on November 12.  It is led by the exquisite “Graff Ruby”, weighing 8.62 carats which is estimated at 6.5-8.5 million Swiss francs.  The cushion shaped Burmese stone possesses the rare vivid red hue known as “pigeons blood”. This fine collection brings together very rare precious stones and avant-garde jewellery designs reflecting the unerring instinct of this consummate collector, and placing it among the most important ensembles of jewels and gemstones.  The sixteen treasures, to be presented on the occasion of Sotheby’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale on 12 November 2014, are estimated to bring more than 17 million Swiss francs.

“This outstanding collection presents exquisite gemstones, such as the sensational Graff Ruby, alongside stunning jewellery creations by JAR.  It is a testament to Dimitri Mavrommatis’ discerning eye and impeccable taste, and presents a rare opportunity to acquire gems and jewels of exceptional quality” said David Bennett, chairman, Sotheby’s jewellery division, Europe and the Middle East.

UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR $8.6 MILLION US, A WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR A RUBY

Rare and beautiful porcelain from France and Germany will feature in a sale in London on Novcmber 25.  John Shearer (1924-2010) began forming his collection in the late 1960’s, successfully placing Meissen porcelain alongside pieces of Vincennes and Sèvres. With an eye for exceptional quality, impeccable condition and important provenance, the Shearer Collection unites both the French and German porcelain worlds.  The 49 lot sale is expected to realise around £500,000 at Christie’s.

A SEVRES BLEU CELESTE-GROUND SOUP-PLATE FROM THE CATHERINE THE GREAT SERVICE
1778 (£70,000-100,000). Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014.

A MEISSEN SLOP-BOWL
CIRCA 1723-24 (£15,000-20,000). Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2014

A VINCENNES BALUSTER POT AND A COVER (POT ‘A BOUILLON’ OR ‘MARMITE’)
CIRCA 1746-49, THE CONTEMPORARY COVER POSSIBLY MATCHED (£50,000-80,000). Courtesy Christie’s Images ltd., 2014

A MEISSEN CHINOISERIE SCENT-FLASK AND COVER
CIRCA 1730 (£40,000-60,000). Courtesy, Christies Images Ltd., 2014.

A late 19th century sapphire and diamond brooch leads Christie’s sale of Important Jewels in London on November 26. The sale includes an array of both antique and modern jewellery, signed pieces by the great houses such as Cartier, Chaumet, Dior, Graff, Mauboussin, Tiffany and Van Cleef & Arpels, together with some exceptional coloured stones and diamonds.  The exceptional brooch was once owned by the Hon Evelina Rothschild, and could well have been a wedding present when she married Clive Behrens on December 5, 1899. What makes this brooch so special is the sapphire of Kashmir origin at over 14 carats which bears no indications of heating and is rare in its finely proportioned cut and richly saturated colour. It is estimated at £400,000-500,000.

The sale of 444 lots is expected to achieve in excess of £9 million.

THE 14 CARAT KASHMIRE SAPPHIRE FROM THE BROOCH.

THE LATE 19TH CENTURY SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND BROOCH (£400,000-500,000).

AN ART DECO NATURAL PEARL AND DIAMOND NECKLACE/CLIP BROOCH (£80,000-100,000).

Two Iron Age carved stone heads will feature at Whyte’s History and Literature auction in Dublin on November 8. Carved respectively from limestone and granite they are representative of the Celts.  Stone carved heads like these are found throughout Europe in areas inhabited by the Celts and are particularly associated with Ireland and Britain.  Each of these heads dates to 500 BC – 500 AD.

A Celtic twisted gold torc, discovered almost a century ago on the banks of the Danube, by a family who subsequently moved to Ireland, will also feature. It dates to between 1200 and 500 BC.  It is being sold by a descendant of the person who discovered it and is estimated at 8,000-10,000.

Celtic Irish stone head, limestone (6,000-8,000). UPDATE: THIS MADE 6,000

Celtic Irish stone head, granite (5,000-7,000).  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

Celtic Torc (8,000-10,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 8,000