The Parisian residence of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani
It ain’t much but its home doesn’t quite cut it when it comes to the Parisian residence of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani. Located in the heart of the 7th arrondissement and overlooking the Eiffel Tower this is one of Paris’s most remarkable private interiors, shaped over decades by His Highness and his longstanding creative collaborator, the legendary decorator Alberto Pinto. Architecture, decoration and collecting come together here to create a deeply personal artistic universe, conceived room by room and object by object, reflecting an exacting eye and distinctive vision of beauty.
Next month Sotheby’s will present a series of five auctions with more than 1,400 works with contents from this hôtel particulier spanning old masters, decorative arts, silver, antiques, furniture, paintings and design, revealing a richly layered dialogue between history, art and collecting. Highlights include a remarkable series of paintings by José Maria Sert, a unique group of portraits by Bernard Boutet de Monvel, and a pair of Italian carved giltwood settees from the Galleria Dorata, Palazzo Carrega-Cataldi. The house of Al Thani is the ruling family of Qatar.
An Irish George II secretaire cabinet c1740-50. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
The early October sale for all seasons by Sheppards next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (October 6, 7, and 8) is from remarkable collections assembled over various lifetimes. It brings together 18th century Irish furniture, paintings, silver, porcelain, tapestries, clocks, scientific instruments and sculpture.
Irish and European art, furniture and decorative objects are at the heart of Sheppards Coolattin House auction with a super selection of almost 1,600 lots.
Fine Irish antique furniture features strongly throughout. Highlights include an Irish George II mahogany secretaire-cabinet; a Killarney yew wood and arbutus davenport finely inlaid with a view of Muckross Abbey; a sideboard attributed to the distinguished Dublin firm of Mack, Williams & Gibton; Irish silver tables; peat buckets; carved giltwood mirrors; and furniture by Strahan and Hicks of Dublin.
An early 19th century Worcester dinner service. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
An early 19th century Worcester dinner service with 110 pieces should draw some attention and not just because it was once in the collection of the internationally celebrated singer Roger Whittaker. He lived in Ireland for a number of years before retiring to France in 2012 where he said his last farewell in 2023.
The dinner service – redolent of the traditions of fine country house dining – would admirably suit the leading furniture lot in the auction. The George III dining table extending to more than seven metres featured here on September 27 was formerly at Easton Neston in Northhamptonshire and is illustrated in Great Houses of Britain. It is estimated at €30,000-€50,000.
Or how about a 17th century verdure tapestry with birds among luxuriant foliage and trees with a distant castle? Tapestries like this were both highly decorative and functional as they helped to keep a house or castle warm. This one is enclosed by an elaborate border of flowers, fruit, birds and classical ornament.
A 17rth century verdure tapestry. UPDATE: THIS MADE 8,500 AT HAMMER
Decorative highlights include a French Empire-period cut crystal and gilt bronze mantel clock, a Vienna one-year-duration wall clock, monumental chandeliers and richly mounted French furniture. There are early maps of Ireland by Gerard Mercator and John Speed, a terrestrial globe dated 1859, marine chronometers, sextants, barometers and early phonographs.
Leading art lots include an 1828 portrait of Mrs. Issy Redmond by Sir Martin Cregan, founding member and later president of the Royal Hibernian Academy where this portrait was exhibited in 1829. There are portraits by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, William Etty and the studio of John Hoppner, animal art and bronzes.
A substantial London 1860 silver flatware service of 123 pieces, an Irish Nugent family flatware service dating to around 1840 and a four piece Rococo Revival silver tea and coffee service are all on offer. A19th century 96 piece Ashworth ironstone dinner service is stamped for the Dublin retailer Thomas Higginbothan of Wellington Quay.
The auction is drawn from distinguished houses and collections including Temple House, County Sligo; Luggala, County Wicklow; Emo Court and Ballyfin House, County Laois and Dromoland Castle, County Clare.
Three days of viewing get underway today (October 3) at Coolattin House, Shillelagh, Co. Wicklow. The auction will be held at Sheppards headquarters in Durrow, Co. Laois and it will be a live and online sale.
A 19th century Killarney library table. UPDATE: THIS MADE 13,000 AT HAMMER
IRISH GEORGE III GILTWOOD PIER MIRROR, CIRCA 1765. UPDATE: THIS MADE 36,000 AT HAMMER
This Irish George III giltwood pier mirror in the manner of Matthias Lock is one of the leading lots at Adam’s country house collections sale at Townley Hall on October 13. It was originally owned by the Hamilton family of Hamwood, Co. Meath. It is illustrated in Irish Furniture by The Knight of Glin and James Peill published by Yale University Press in 2007 and featured in Country Life in February 26 in a Jeremy Musson feature on Hamwood, Co. Meath. Hamwood House is now best recognised as the childhood home of celebrated Irish painter Letitia Marion Hamilton (1878-1964) and her sister Eva Hamilton (1876-1960).
The mirror is a fantastic example of the style popular in the George III period. Sometimes colloquially referred to as ‘Chinese Chippendale’, the frame is profusely carved in a confluence of C-scrolls, rockwork and leaf fronds, centred by an angelic mask to base and flanked on either side by wyverns, the shoulders providing perch to a pair of ho-ho birds and centre crest surmounted by a canopy of distinctly Eastern design. The estimate is €40,000-€60,000.
The bucolic guests lucky enough to be invited to sit around this magnificent dining table in latter centuries would have known to pass the port to the left. With this table on board all you really need to get the party started is a company worth megabucks, a large home and plenty of trained staff. The c1810 George III table, more than seven metres long, will lead the furniture section at Sheppards three day Coolattin House, Co. Wicklow sale on October 6, 7 and 8. The table, illustrated in Great Houses of Britain, was formerly at Easton Neston in Northamptonshire, home of Frederick Fermor-Hesketh, 2nd Baron Hesketh (1916-1955). It was acquired by the present owner at Sotheby’s Easton Neston sale in 2005.
Vintage leather Scandinavian sofa UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
A Scandinavian vintage leather three seater sofa, a French bleached oak kitchen cupboard, an Art Nouveau ceiling light, s large bronze model of Buddha and a selection of garden gazebos and fountains will come under the hammer at Victor Mee’s September decorative interiors online auction from 2 pm next Monday (September 28).
Among 815 lots are an Italian red leather corner sofa, some Arras style garden chairs, a 19th century pine kitchen table on square legs, a 19th century lions mask door knocker, a selection of carpets and rugs, a cast iron model of a meditating rabbit, a Victorian inlaid mahogany and satinwood work table and a circular specimen table. The catalogue is online and estimates are reasonable.
Circular specimen table on a fluted column base UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
A set of nativity figures by Bernardi of Cork UPDATE: THESE MADE €1,850 AT HAMMER
In Doneraile Aidan Foley will conduct three online evening sales next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (September 21, 22 and 12) with 924 lots from country houses including antique and vintage furniture, Persian rugs, a set of large scale nativity figures by Bernardi of Cork and Hornby train collections. With everything from a cast iron boot scraper and a silk top hat by Henry Heath of London in its original leather travelling case to a vintage tabletop pinball game, garden and outdoor furniture and a painting by the recently deceased John Schwatschke the auction these sales will appeal to all sorts of collectors.
A William IV walnut games table. UPDATE: THIS MADE 340 AT HAMMER
Viewing is underway at Woodwards in Cork for the online sale on Saturday September 19 with various lots from Ballinacurra House in Kinsale and Cork city houses. Choice furniture pieces include a William IV inlaid games/work table, an Edwardian bonheur du jour and an Eileen Gray chrome table all estimated at €400-€600. There is a similar estimate on a cast iron honeycomb garden bench. Two cast iron garden vases are estimated at €1,000-€1,600.
The auction features a selection of chests of drawers, a large Victorian oak hunt table, an Irish mahogany linen press, a Victorian inlaid walnut card table, a Georgian bureau, a ten foot long dome backed settee, a pair of walnut open bookcases, a Kashan rug and an Art Deco conservatory table.
The birth of the Irish Republic by Michael Rogers showing James Connolly on a stretcher inside the GPO UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
An historic Edwardian bookcase salvaged from the RMS Celtic, a rare oil painting from inside the GPO in 1916 during the Easter Rising and a collection of Killarney furniture are among a series of fascinating lots at Victor Mee’s Irish Heritage sale in Cavan on Tuesday September 15.
The auction of 508 lots – more than a year in the making – brings together a selection of Irish history, craft and domestic life.
In December 1928 just short of a century ago the White Star liner Celtic foundered on rocks off Co. Cork near Roches Point. Passengers were rescued, the ship was scrapped and there was a salvage operation. This imposing four door bookcase was taken from the wreck a year later. Complete with decorative glazing, marquetry panels and a brass letter box for post at sea it is estimated at €20,000-€30,000.
A bookcase complete with post box salvaged from the White Star liner Celtic UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
The Birth of the Irish Republic is an oil on board by Michael Rogers, an Irish Volunteer who fought inside the GPO in 1916. At 54 he was one of the older Republicans. His painting shows James Connolly on a stretcher with Padraig Pearse, Thomas Clarke and Joseph Plunkett looking on. Rogers was released due to his age and subsequently reassigned to protect Pearse’s mother. The estimate is €8,000-€12,000.
Around 50 pieces of Killarney wood with estimates ranging from €40-€60 (for two page markers) to €10,000-€15,000 (for a davenport) are on offer. There are sewing tables, a games table, a mirror, a rare nest of three tables and a big selection of Killarney boxes for various purposes.
The Irish heritage auction offers a selection including Irish vernacular furniture including an early 20th century pine hedge chair made by a Lough Neagh boat builder. There is bog oak, Coalisland pottery, a ticket for the infamous Bloody Sunday game at Croke Park in 1920 and a prison art harp made in Long Kesh in the 1970’s. The sale is on view this weekend and the catalogue is online.
19TH CENTURY DINING ROOM SUITE UPDATE: THE CLOSING BID WAS 1,000
Even if there is not much interest nowadays in fine dining at home this 19th century dining suite at Mullen’s evening timed online interiors and modern art auction at Laurel Park in Bray on September 13 must represent spectacular value. With 12 Chippendale style dining chairs including two elbow chairs and a rectangular dining table with seven loose leaves the estimate for lot 602 is just €1,000-€1,500. There is a similar estimate on an Irish Georgian longcase clock. The catalogue, with 858 lots, is online.
18CT WHITE GOLD DIAMOND BANGLE. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This diamond and gold bangle is lot 10 at a sale of jewellery and watches by Adams Blackrock which runs until September 9. It is composed of a row of channel set round brilliant cut diamonds with an approximate weight of 2.20 carats. The estimate is €3,000-€4,000. There are 704 lots on offer in this timed online sale, running concurrently with auctions of antiques and furniture and Irish paintings. The starting time for all three sales is 7 pm.
