A GEM-SET BIRD BROOCH, FRENCH, CIRCA 1950 AT ADAMS. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
The Jewellery Box, a timed online auction at James Adam in Dublin, runs until October 2 and is now on view in Dublin. It offers over 200 lots of affordable jewellery including cluster rings, pendants, bracelets, necklaces and ear studs. Meantime Matthews will hold an evening sale of jewellery, gold and silver in Kells, Co. Meath on October 3. It features over 490 lots of executor and solicitor instructions and pawnbrokers unredeemed pledges. Lot 488 is a Faberge brooch set with Russian sapphire and diamonds. Catalogues for both sales are online.
The Blessington Commode UPDATE: THIS WAS BOUGHT PRIOR TO THE SALE BY THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IRELAND
THE Blessington Commode – created by a refugee and asylum seeker and arguably the single most important piece of mid 18th century Irish furniture at auction in decades – comes up at the annual Country House Collections sale by James Adam at Townley Hall in Co. Louth on October 9 and 10.
Attributed to John Kirkhoffer the commode has been linked directly to a signed 1732 piece dated 1732 by the same maker in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The Kirkhoffers were Protestant asylum seekers who arrived in Ireland as refugees from the Rhineland Palatinate area. They were in counties Kerry and Limerick before settling in Dublin. The influx of asylum seekers then – including silversmiths, clock and furniture makers from Germany, Holland and France – gave Irish craft and skill an enormous shot in the arm. John Kirkhoffer is recorded in Dublin in the early 18th century and founded a cabinet making business that lasted into the 19th century. His father Franz Ludwig arrived in Ireland in 1709. The walnut and seaweed marquetry chest was originally made for William Stewart, 1st Earl of Blessington. He had a house at Henrietta St. in Dublin and a mansion at Blessington, Co. Wicklow which was burned down in the 1798 Rebellion. The attribution to Kirkhoffer was made by Desmond Fitzgerald, the late Knight of Glin and it is estimated at €100,000-€150,000. Earlier this year a George I secretaire by Kirkhoffer was donated by benefactor David Boles to the Irish Museum of Time in Waterford.
A mid 19th century Killarney wood davenport UPDATE: THIS MADE 13,000 AT HAMMER
Adams 757 lot auction draws together period furniture, paintings, silverware anddecorative objects from some of Ireland’s finest country houses and more modest collections with an emphasis on quality and rarity. Among the main furniture lots are a pair of c1776 elliptical side tables to a design by architect James Wyatt (€60,000-€100,000), a pair of c1785 Irish side tables with inlaid marble tops attributed to Pietro Bossi and a c 1740 Irish hall table each estimated at €50,000-€80,000. An Irish giltwood rectangular mirror is estimated at €20,000-€30,000, as is a pair of Irish red walnut and parcel gilt mirrors attributed to John Booker once at Adare Manor. They lead a large selection of elegant mirrors in the sale.
A c1740 Irish hall table. UPDATE: THIS MADE 55,000 AT HAMMER
There is a Killarney davenport (€8,000-€12,000), a George II chevron banded walnut bureau (€15,000-€20,000), a pair of Irish marble topped side tables (€15,000-€20,000), a pair of c1790 torcheres (€20,000-€30,000) and a c1770 mahogany cased barometer by John Alment, Dublin set with a hydrometer and a thermometer. Other top lots include a portrait bust of Henry Grattan by Peter Turnerelli, a set of four silver entree dishes by James le Bas, Dublin, four Irish Georgian silver candlesticks and a Cork George III coffee pot by John Nicholson c1770.The Salmon Leap at Leixlip by Thomas Roberts and Lady Nugent’s Hunter by John Ferneley snr. are each estimated at €30,000-€50,000. The first 281 lots will be sold in a timed online sale on October 9. There will be a live auction at Adam’s salerooms in Dublin on the following day. The catalogue is online and there will be viewing at Townley Hall, Drogheda on October 7, 8 and 9.
A c1770 Cork coffee pot by John Nicholson. UPDATE: THIS MADE 11,000 AT HAMMER
THIS decorative card table, described as Irish by Sheppards, made a hammer price of €3,600 at the opening session of the three day Legacy of the Big House sale at Sheppards in Durrow today. It had been estimated at €3,000-€5,000. A platinum five stone ring made €18,000; an Irish brass bound peat bucket made €1,900; a Donegal carpet made €4,200 and a Donegal runner made €1,900; a Mappin and Webb plated oil lamp made €1,700; a pair of 19th century wingback armchairs made €2,400, a 1941 painting of Horses in a Parade Ring by the German artist Otto Dill made €3,200; a 19th century French kingwood commode made €2,800 and an Art Nouveau sterling silver punch bowl made €2,600.
A collection of ten artworks by Percy French sold for various prices from €3,400 to €12,000 (2). A French Empire bronze and gilded mantel clock made €6,500 and a Sevres and ormolu mantel clock made €7,000 and a late 17th century lacquered cabinet on stand made €5,500. The sale of around 1,500 lots, with 500 on offer each day, is continuing.
A Neo Classical marble chimney piece. UPDATE: THIS MADE €4,800 at hammer
The annual Legacy of the Big House sale over three days at Sheppards in Durrow on September 16, 27 and 28 offers 1,496 lots of period furniture, art, militaria, silver, jewellery, Asian art and collectibles including an electric guitar signed by the Rolling Stones. One of a number of rarities is a view of Cobh, Co. Cork before the advent of the railway built in 1860 by the early English lithographer John Brandard (1812-1863). Lot 118, which comes up on Tuesday, is estimated at €150-€200. There are Qing Dynasty hardwood palace cabinets, Limerick silver serving spoons, a punch ladle and a soup ladle, a neo classical marble chimney piece, a Donegal carpet, a platinum five stone diamond ring, art by Percy French and Mark O’Neill, Chinese ceramics and French mantle clocks among the top lots. Around 500 lots are to be sold on each day. Viewing is underway in Durrow and the catalogue is online.
John Brandard (1812-1863) lithograph titled “The Cove of Cork” UPDATE: THIS MADE €220 at hammer
Large Irish Georgian mahogany and brass banded turf bucket with rope twist handle. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,000 AT HAMMER
This good turf bucket with rope twist handle is among the top antique furniture lots at the Lynes and Lynes sale in Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork on September 23. The estimate is €2,000-2,500. Among the other main antique furniture lots are an early Georgian walnut chest on chest (€1,500-2,000), an Irish mahogany bookcase with dentil cornice possibly by Hicks (€1,000-1,500), a pair of Victorian walnut and marquetry inlaid side cabinets (€1,000-1,500) and an antique Irish oval hall mirror with green and clear glass studs. The catalogue is online.
GUITAR SIGNED BY THE ROLLING STONES. UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,600 AT HAMMER
A guitar signed by the Rolling Stones is among the more unusual lots at Sheppards three day Legacy of the Big House sale in Durrow on September 26, 27 and 28. The electric guitar is signed by Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, Ronnie Woods and Keith Richards. Lot 14 in the auction, which comes up on September 26 is estimated at €3,000-5,000. The three day auctions offers a total of 1499 lots of antique furniture, pictures and prints, Asian art, carpets, rugs, boxes, jewellery, musical instruments, arms and armour, silver and plate and various collectibles. Viewing gets underway in Durrow on September 23 and the catalogue is online.
A pair of Victorian brass and leaded lanterns. UPDATE: THESE MADE 850 AT HAMMER
A large Irish Georgian brass banded turf bucket, a watercolour drawing of Fisher’s Quay, Youghal by Norah McGuinness and an early Georgian walnut chest on chest are among the top lots at Lynes and Lynes sale in Carrigtwohill on September 23. With everything from a rare pair of Victorian brass and leaded hall lanterns to an old metal CIE clockwork model double decker bus in need of attention this is a sale with something for everyone. A fine pair of antique cast iron urns on bases, a set of Cork silver tablespoons by Carden Terry and Jane Williams, a pair of Birmingham Corinthian column silver candlesticks, a collection of old oil lamps, a circular dining table, a Victorian oak partners desk, an American longcase clock, a portable blacksmiths forge and The State of the County and City of Cork (1815) by Charles Smith are among the statement pieces.
A mechanical model of an old CIE bus. UPDATE: THIS MADE 380 AT HAMMER
A 19th gold charm featuring Napoleon, courtesy of Dublin jeweller JW Weldon, will be spotlighted at Ireland’s collection of statement pieces, Timeless, the Irish Antique Dealers Fair, which takes place in Dublin’s RDS from September 15-17. Details from timelessfair.ie.
With Timeless in full swing at the RDS in Dublin today and tomorrow and a number of upcoming sales of Important Irish art in prospect the busy autumn season continues on its merry way in Ireland. The annual Irish Antique Dealers’ Fair running for the 56th time offers an eclectic blend of contemporary and antique focused exhibitors and is designed to appeal to both young contemporaries and seasoned collectors. With its eye watering results the Freddie Mercury sales at Sotheby’s this month (his Yamaha grand piano made just over €2 million) demonstrated once again the importance of celebrity and in this respect Timeless does not disappoint. Statement pieces on offer include a rare bookcase favoured both by David Bowie and Karl Lagerfeld and a 400 year old diamond ring that would once have travelled to the UK along the old Silk Road.
The Memphis Milano Carlton bookcase offered by Acquired was designed by Ettore Sottsass and once graced a Florence palazzo. Its ground breaking form challenged existing rules, something immediately recognised by fashion and rock icons Lagerfeld and Bowie, both of whom had one. It is priced at €17,000. J.W. Weldon will offer a 17th century diamond ring crafted in England, the oldest ring they have ever handled. It is priced at €3,950. Among other rarities is a 9th century French charm from a bracelet which features a cannon and a statue of Napoleon and a folding travelling silver chess set designed in 1972 to commemorate the Fischer-Spassky world championship. “The best of the past is also best for the future”, Garret Weldon, president of the IADA remarked. “Our trade is the original sustainable industry and helps the planet through a reduction in manufacturing and waste”.
On a Western Quay by Jack B Yeats at Adams. UPDATE: THIS MADE 110,000 AT HAMMER
Important Irish art sales are in the offing at James Adam on September 27 and at Whytes on October 2. A 1923 oil on panel by Yeats – On a Western Quay – is a highlight at Adams and estimated at €100,000-€150,000. It depicts pilot Michael Gillen, who guided ships along the Garavogue River to the Sligo quayside, and who appears in several paintings and drawings by Yeats. Another top lot with a similar estimate in this auction of 158 lots is Evening by Paul Henry c1924-25. It comes from a private collection in Cork. The sale offers highly collectible art by artists like Louis le Brocquy, Gerard Dillon, William Conor and Rowan Gillespie. Viewing gets underway on September 22 and the catalogue is online.
The Currach, Kilronan by Gerard Dillon at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE 50,000 AT HAMMER
Still Waters by Sean Keating and The Currach, Kilronan by Gerard Dillon, each estimated at €60,000-€80,000 are highlights at Whyte’s sale of Irish and International art on October 2. Lord George Hell by Sir William Orpen is based on a Regency reprobate, the principal character in Max Beerbohm’s 1896 story The Happy Hypocrite. Hell sets out to woo dancer Jenny Mere with whom he has fallen in love wearing a mask to cover his pock marked face. When he succeeds and removes the mask his face has miraculously healed and become “saintly”, such is the power of love. The story was dramatised into a one act play and in his oil on canvas Orpen set out to create the impression of a late 18th/early 19th century print (€10,000-€15,000). Viewing at Whyte’s gets underway on September 25 and the catalogue is online.
THE top estimate was £600 but Freddie Mercury’s silver moustache comb sold for a whopping £152,400 at the final day of the Queen frontman’s series of online sales at Sotheby’s in London yesterday. The little comb by Tiffany and Co. ignited the public interest at the month long exhibition at Sotheby’s before the series of Freddie Mercury sales.
HUANGHUALI CLOTHES RACK – 17TH CENTURY. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $919,800
Fancy a clothes rack for around half a million? Christie’s has just the one – a 17th-century magnificent and extremely rare huanghuali version – at its important Chinese ceramics and works of art sale in New York on September 21-22. The estimate on this stupendous piece from an American private collection is $400,000-$600,000. The sale features outstanding works from a number of important private collections of ceramics, cloisonné, lacquer, jade, scholar’s objects, textiles, and important classical Chinese furniture.
In New York Christie’s will mark Asian Art Week with nine auctions, six live; three online. Live sales begin September 19 with Japanese and Korean Art. There will be sales of South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art, The LJZ Collection of Chinese Jades; Mineo Hata: An Instinctive Eye spanning the geography of Asia; Marchant: Eight Treasures for the Wanli Emperor and Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. The online sales are The Moke Mokotoff Collection, Arts of India and Arts of Asia.
