 |
 |
This Irish George II carved and figTCeramics which closes in New York on October 16. The estimate is $5,000-$7,000. A c1760 Irish silver soup tureen and cover in the same sale is estimated at $4,000-$6,000. UPDATE: The table and the tureen were unsold
A Second War St. Nazaire raid and Colditz “home-run” D.S.C. and Bar group of seven awarded to Commander W. L. “Billie” Stephens of Northern Ireland sold for a hammer price of £48,000 at Noonans latest sale of Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria.
Christopher Mellor-Hill, Head of Client Liaison at Noonans, said: Medals relating to Colditz and the heroic stories of those who tried to escape always attract strong interest. The story of William Lawson “Billie” Stephens, who was born in Holywood, Northern Ireland in August 1911 into a prominent Ulster family is no different. His Second War Distinguished Service Cross was awarded for his gallantry during both the St. Nazaire raid and Colditz. He had been taken prisoner after his own launch was set on fire, however he endeavoured to make a successful bid for freedom with three others from the infamous Colditz Castle in October 1942 during a breakout conducted by Douglas Bader that culminated with the four men squeezing naked through a narrow vent! It was being sold as part of a deceased estate.”
A pair of Irish George II style carved console tables with hairy paw feet UPDATE; THESE WERE UNSOLD
Silver dinner plates from a grand house on Sackville St., a commode decorated in the neo-classical manner of Angelica Kauffman, a Wyndham family portrait from Adare Manor, an Irish Regency chiffonier almost certainly made in Cork, a very rare Huguenot silver beer mug and even a disgraced cardinal feature at Adam’s spectacular Country House Collection auction next week.
Viewing starts today for this annual auction mostly drawn from country houses in Ireland such as Doneraile, Hamwood and Mount Stewart in the splendid surroundings of Townley Hall, a Georgian country house near Drogheda. The auction will take place over two days, with an online sale on Monday October 14 and a live sale at Adams at St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin on the following day.
This extra special sale is a highlight of the annual antique and fine art calendar in Ireland. With estimates from €100 to €40,000 the emphasis is on quality and rarity which underlines something always re-enforced on these pages; quality is by no means the exclusive preserve of the super rich, it is for anyone with a discriminating eye.
A 1727 Irish beer jug in the Huguenot style UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Among various highlights on offer is a set of 12 George II silver dinner plates from Drogheda House, Sackville St., Dublin made around 1737 by one of the most celebrated silversmiths of the day Robert Calderwood (€15,000-€20,000). The same estimate is on a George I Irish beer mug made by Matthew Walker c1727. The elegant style of this silver mug was introduced into Ireland by the Huguenots and there is a similar example in the Smithsonian Institution.
A 19th century demi-lune commode complete with painted roundels in the manner of Angelica Kauffman is estimated at €10,000-€15,000. So is a pair of Irish George II style marble top console tables with rectangular marble tops and terminating in block mounted hairy paw feet.
A 1671 portrait of Sir Francis Wyndham, 1st Baronet of Trent in a suit of armour by John Michael Wright (1617-1694) is estimated at €20,000-€30,000. He is associated with Adare and the Quin and Wyndham families and this painting was in the Adare Manor sale in the 1980’s. In the early 19th century the Pain brothers James and George were commissioned to begin redesigning the house into a manor. Their lasting legacy is the spectacular gallery at Adare, then considered to be the largest domestic room in Ireland.
Samuel West – Cardinal Wolsey leaving London after his Disgrace UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Cardinal Wolsey leaving London after his Disgrace by the Cork artist Samuel West (1810-1867) was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1841, the British Institution in 1842 and the Cork Art Union in 1843. Samuel West was born in Cork in 1810 to a bookseller father who had moved from London and is thought to have started his art education in Cork before moving to Rome to study. The rise of the English statesman and Catholic cardinal Thomas Wolsey coincided with the accession of Henry VIII. He fell out of favour after failing to negotiate an annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, retreated to York and died of natural causes following an accident when returning to London to answer charges of treason.
Wolsey lived at the Palace of Whitehall. This was taken over by Henry as his principal residence in the capital and served as seat of English monarchs until destroyed by fire in 1698. Cardinal Wolsey was in a non canonical marriage with Joan Larke of Yarmouth and they had two children. A woman and two children are featured in the painting, now estimated at €20,000-€30,000.
An Irish Regency rosewood and brass inlaid chiffonier has a Dublin trade label but is thought likely to be a Cork piece because of features characteristic of Cork workshops in the 18th and 29th centuries. These include shaped rope twist sides, spiral reeded columns, reeded edge and bun feet. The estimate is €8,000-€12,000. A pair of Waterford oval cut glass mirrors with blue and clear glass border is also estimated at €8,000-€12,000.
If you are unable to make it to Townley Hall the catalogue for this large and impressive sale is online.
An Irish Regency chiffonier, probably made in Cork. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Gem set and diamond bracelet, Eugène Fontenay, circa 1870. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR CHF156,000
Royal jewellery from the collection of Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria (1861-1948) will highlight Sotheby’s Royal and Noble jewels sale in Geneva on November 13. With 114 lots, spanning nearly a century in the history of the family of Tsar Ferdinand of Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha, the collection is testimony to Tsar Ferdinand’s exquisite taste, nurtured by his mother, Princess Clementine of Orleans, daughter of the last French King Louis Philippe – herself an avid jewellery collector.
Along with pieces owned by Tsar Ferdinand and heirlooms from his mother there ius jewellery passed down through generations of the Tsar’s immediate lineage as well as pieces made for his children – especially his daughters Princesses Eudoxia and Nadezha.
The top lot is a yellow gold tie pin with a fleur-de-lis motif set with a 2.08 carat pear-shaped Fancy Gray-Blue diamond and four coloured diamonds, including a 0.65 carat Fancy Pink diamond, a 0.52 Fancy Green diamond, a 0.47 carat Fancy Deep Brown-Orange diamond and a 0.13 carat Fancy Intense Green-Yellow diamond. The estimate is US$500,000$700,000. The bracelet illustrated above is estimated at $40,000-$60,000.
Fancy Gray-Blue diamond and coloured diamond tie pin, early 20th century. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR CHF516,000
A pair of mid 18th century card tables. UPDATE: THESE WERE UNSOLD
A pair of mid 18th century folding top card tables one of which was in the renowned collection of Simon Sainsbury – scion of the famous retailing family who died in 2006 – and a c1750 Irish side table will lead Adams annual Country House Collections at Townley Hall sale on October 14 and 15. Each lot is estimated at €30,000-€40,000.
With portraits, hard to come by collectible silver, beautiful furniture and collectibles this annual extravaganza of a sale abounds with rare and rich lots and is a magnet for collectors in Ireland and beyond. Two 18th century Irish School views of the Barne Estate between Clonmel and Cahir, a commanding presence to this day, carry an estimate of €10,000-€15,000. The online catalogue is brimful of items of interest. Viewing gets underway at Townley Hall near Drogheda on October 12. An online only sale with 245 lots gets underway on October 14 and there will be a live auction of 460 lots at Adams headquarters at St. Stephen’s Green in Dublin at 11 am the following day.
Two 18th century Irish School views of the Barne Estate, Co. Tipperary. UPDATE: THE PAIR MADE 9,500 AT HAMMER
The cover of the BBC’s new Rory Gallagher boxset.
The Rory Gallagher Collection headed by his legendary 1961 Fender Stratocaster guitar will be exhibited at Bonhams, New Bond St., London from October 12-17, when it will be auctioned. The incredible musical legacy of the legendary blues rock guitarist is celebrated by the release on October 11 of a new boxset of his recorded performances at the BBC.
Rory Gallagher The BBC Collection is a 20 disc set that includes 18 CD’s of radio concerts and sessions from 1971 to 1986 and two Blu Ray discs of BBC TV concerts and studio performances from 1973 to 1984. Though possibly the most recorded musician by the BBC in the 1970’s more than three quarters of the audio recordings have not been released before. Two CD and triple LP sets – The Best of Rory Gallagher at the BBC – will also be released.
Rory Gallagher’s iconic 1961 Fender Stratocaster. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £700,000
In Cork a crowdfunding campaign has been underway since July to bring his iconic Fender Stratocaster back home. This treasured instrument became synonymous with Gallagher and its wear and worn finish have made it one of the world’s most instantly recognisable electric guitars. It has featured in a number of landmark exhibitions, appeared on the cover of countless guitar magazines, and has been played by the likes of Johnny Marr and Joe Bonamassa.
The crowdfunder was initiated by Sheena Crowley of Crowleys Music Shop where Rory bought the guitar for £100 on an instalment plan in 1963. Sheena’s dream is that it might become the centrepiece of a new music museum on the banks of the River Lee.
Rory Gallagher’s Fender Esquire electric guitar (1959). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £95,650
The auction consists of guitars, amps and accessories from Rory Gallagher’s life and career. It will include a Fender Player Stratocaster HSS electric guitar donated by Fender to benefit the Music Venue Trust, a charity chosen by the Gallagher family dedicated to protecting, securing and improving grassroots music venues. This has been signed by a number of musicians who cite Rory as an influence, including David Gilmour, Johnny Marr, Ed O’Brien, Nile Rodgers and James Bay.
Highlights include a Fender Telecaster electric guitar (1966), a 1958 Fender Stratocaster known as Rory’s backup strat, a Fender Esquire electic guitar (1959), a Martin D-35 flat top acoustic guitar (1968), a Martin mandolin (1942), a Gibson Les Paul junior electric guitar (1958), a National Triolian resonator guitar (1930) and a Gretsch Corvette electric guitar (1963).
Rory’s brother and former manager Donal commented: ““After nearly thirty years since my brother Rory’s passing, I now believe it’s time for other people to cherish Rory’s ‘orphaned’ 1961 Fender Stratocaster and the rest of his incredible instrument collection. Since 1995, I have always felt that there was a mission to be fulfilled to cement Rory’s legacy and widen the knowledge of his music”.
The live auction on October 17, now open for bidding, consists of 94 lots. A timed online sale with 91 lots with guitars, amps, pedals, instruments, flight cases and accessories runs from October 7-18.
A rare Tychobrahe Octavia 1976/77 from the Rory Gallagher collection. This is an effects pedal designed for Jimi Hendrix and made by the Tychobrahe Sound Company in California. UPDATE: THIS MADE £3,840.
VICTORIAN WALNUT TULIPWOOD AND MARQUETRY INLAID CREDENZA. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This fine Victorian credenza comes up on day one of the James Adam annual Country House Collections sale at Townley Hall on October 14. Bidding is now open for day one of the sale, a timed online auction of 245 lots. The credenza is lot number 237 and is estimated at €3,000-€5,000. There will be a live auction with 460 lots at St. Stephen’s Green on the following day. Viewing gets underway at Townley Hall near Drogheda on October 12. The carefully curated sale is drawn from country houses right around Ireland and the vast majority of lots have been sourced from Irish private collections. This annual auction has become one of the highlights of the antique and fine arts calendar in Ireland.
A late 17th/early 18th century Aubusson silk and wool tapestry UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
An antique Aubusson tapestry or an Irish 18th carved giltwood mirror? The choice is yours at Victor Mee’s Escape from the Chateau sale with more than 1,900 lots on October 1, 2, 3 and 4 from 6.30 pm each day. The primary vendor is an Irish antique dealer who is moving home from his chateau in the Charente region.
With an estimate of €6,000-€12,000 the tapestry is one of the top lots from his collection which features antique, interior and decorative lots including an Irish mahogany side table (€4,000-€6,000), a Sheraton four poster bed (€3,000-€6,000), an 18th century Dublin pier mirror, a c1765 giltwood mirror with C scroll carving (€3,000-€6,000 each), Middle Eastern decorative items including coffee tables, lanterns, chargers and coffee pots (€50 to €100) and even a 19th century Dublin pawnbrokers sign from Queen St. (€600-€1,200). The auction is on view in Co. Cavan and the catalogue is online.
Irish 18th century carved giltwood pier mirror. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,900 AT HAMMER
A collection of items from McGill’s Bar at Powerscourt Hotel Resort and Spa will feature at Aidan Foley’s online sale in Limerick next Tuesday and Wednesday. The sale will be on view at Cleeve’s warehouse in Limerick on September 28, 29 and 30 and the catalogue is online. Lot 731 (pictured here) is the entrance to McGill’s Bar including doors and side cabinets. Lot 340 is a gigantic model of The Yeti, the ape like creature reputed to inhabit the Himalayas and among 847 lots there are vintage collectibles, memorabilia, decor, lighting and furniture.
A rare Irish mether, possibly 14th-15th century.
This very rare Irish mether is a highlight at Bonhams Vernacular Furniture, Folk and Naïve Art and Textiles sale online from October 4-22. Irish methers, or ‘maeddhers’, are rare and this example is thought to be from the 14th or 15th century, crafted from willow. It is illustrated in Owen Evan-Thomas’ book ‘Domestic Utensils of Wood’ and was once a part of the author’s own private collection which he amassed over 40 years, although in this time he rarely came across any similar examples. The mether would have been used during a celebration or ceremony, when ‘medd’ or ‘mead’ would be consumed from a corner of the vessel’s quadrangular rim, before being passed hand-to-hand using its large and striking handles. From a private collection in Penrith, Cumbria it is estimated at £3,000-35,000. It will be on view at Bonhams, Knightsbridge from October 20-22.
