This set of five Irish George III leather fire buckets made £82,550 over an estimate of £2,000-£3,000 at Christie’s Collections London sale. Dating from the third quarter of the 18th century they from Ardbraccan House in Co. Meath. Within a sale which brought in £3.2 million the lots from Ardbraccan realised £1.2 million, selling 148% above the low estimate. Among them was a painting by Richard Wilson of Phaeton’s Petition to Apollo which made £82,550 over a top estimate of £30,000 and a mid 18th century Irish side table which made £76,200 over a top estimate of £60,000.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for March 22, 2026)
RICHARD WILSON, R.A. (PENEGOES 1713/14-1782 COLOMENDY) – Phaeton’s petition to Apollo
1915. World War I Irish recruiting poster featuring the sinking of the Lusitania. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,400 AT HAMMER
This dramatic and very rare First World War recruitment poster is lot 122 at Whyte’s Eclectic Collector timed online auction which ends from 1 pm on April 18. The poster, with a graphic image of the sinking of the Lusitania off the Old Head of Kinsale, is estimated at €600-€800. The auction offers lots of very collectible art alongside historical documents of national importance and lots ranging from the foundation document of Sinn Fein written in Arthur Griffith’s hand and an archive of the funeral of O’Donovan Rossa to a Gretsch guitar signed by all members of U2 and a 1964 Rolling Stones Book signed by all members of the band.
A Sheraton inlaid walnut bureau. UPDATE: THIS MADE 320 AT HAMMER
Availability is not a problem for those brave enough to forget the latest fashion trend and opt instead for a style of home that is individual. Because demand for serviceable antique furniture – stylish and prized by previous generations – has all but collapsed there is great value to be had.
The selection of Georgian, Victorian, William IV and Edwardian available at Woodwards in Cork on April 18 is worth looking into. How about a Georgian walnut chest of drawers, an Edwardian three section economy dining table, a George II mahogany card table, a bowfronted chest of drawers or a three tier dumb waiter? All are available at top estimates of €800 and under in the auction. At a time when not everything even makes the low estimate some of them can be picked up for much less. Among other lots are a Sheraton inlaid walnut bureau (€400-€800), a William IV circular cellarette (€500-€800), a large walnut cylinder top desk (€800-€1,500), a set of eight Hepplewhite style dining chairs (€600-€1,000), a Victorian davenport (€200-€400) and a set of six inlaid Edwardian dining chairs (€300-€400). There is a Tiffany style leaded lamp (€200-€260), a large Persian Hamadan rug (€500-€800), a Tabriz runner (€200-€400), a cast iron garden seat (€400-€600), a large selection of Waterford Crystal and a five piece cast iron patio suite (€1,500-€2,200).
A Tiffany style lamp. UPDATE: THIS MADE 140 AT HAMMER
A rosewood desk by Nanna Ditzel. UPDATE: THIS MADE 6,000 AT HAMMER
An array of legendary designers like Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Niels Otto Moller, Arne Vodder, Eileen Gray, Gio Ponti and Nanna Ditzel feature at Adam’s Mid Century Modern timed online auction which starts to close from 2 pm on April 14. Now on view in Dublin there is accompanying art by Andy Warhol, Patrick Scott, Earl Bliss, Merlin James, Hughie O’Donoghue and others. Highlights include a rosewood desk from the golden era of Scandinavian design created in the mid 1950’s by Nanna Ditzel, chairs by Eileen Gray, a portrait of Kimiko Power by Andy Warhol and a pair of Colonial chairs by Ole Wanscher.
An interior view at Ardbraccan, Co. Meath. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2026. UPDATE: LOTS FROM ARDBRACCAN IN THE SALE REALISED £1.2 MILLION
Heartening to see an Irish house making waves on the international decorative arts and interiors markets. A carefully curated selection of beautiful English and Irish decorative arts from Ardbraccan House, a Palladian mansion in Co. Meath, will feature at Christie’s Collections London sale online from April 1-15. It has been home for over a decade to celebrated interior designer Serena Williams-Ellis and her partner Charles Noell.
An Irish George II side table from the mid 18th century is estimated at £40,000-£60,000 (€46,170-€69,250). A set of five mid 18th century leather fire buckets from the collection of the Dukes of Leinster at Carton House (£2,000-£3,000)(€2,308-€3,462), a portrait of Sophia Southwell, nee Campbell later Lady de Clifford by Sir Joshua Reynolds (£30,000-£50,000)(€34,630-€57,710) and a group of sporting pictures led by horse paintings by John E Ferneley Senior all feature.
Serena Williams-Ellis, who likes a house to smile, said: “The collection at Ardbraccan was organic in its formation over the years. I wished to get the balance of being grand enough for the house but in no way was it to feel austere, the all important thing was to feel as if it had always been there and was comfortable as it sat within the house. I wanted all things in our collection to have the charm factor – something of beauty or to make you smile. Ardbraccan under our tenure became a Stud Farm”.
Mid 18th century Irish George II side table from Ardbraccan Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2026. UPDATE: THIS MADE £76,200
A large antique Caucasian rug. UPDATE: THIS MADE 800 AT HAMMER
Antique Persian rugs, furniture and decorative objects sourced at auctions in the 1960’s, ’70’s and ’80’s at Kilroan House in Glanmire will come under the hammer at Sheppard’s on March 24 and 25.
Some of the rugs were acquired at the dispersal sale of Malahide Castle in the mid 1970’s and there is furniture from Adare Manor and other prominent Irish and English country houses from when their contents came to market.
Kilroan is brimful of lots collected with discrimination over many decades along with family heirlooms that reach way back. Viewing gets underway at the former family home of Mrs. Rosemary Punch and her late husband John in Glanmire on March 21. After three days of viewing in Cork the live and online auction will be held over the following two days in Durrow.
An 18th century oak longcase clock by James Aickin, Cork UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Auctioneer Michael Sheppard describes this as an exceptionally layered collection. Many of the Persian rugs were acquired at Malahide Castle. Sturdy oak furniture in the house has a timeless appeal. Carved oak pieces offer ultimate sustainabilty and versatility. The selection available here is plentiful and ranges from panelled oak coffers and trunks to armchairs, a court cupboard and refectory tables. Oak is sought these days both by traditionalists and those seeking to make modern minimalist interiors.
At Kilroan,which has been sold, furniture was selected for quality and character. Practical 18th-century oak and mahogany pieces sit comfortably alongside more unusual and expressive objects like a metamorphic library pole which is both functional and a statement piece, a Regency crossbanded sofa table, a yew wood library table, a Regency inlaid cellarete and a Regency ebony and parcel gilt open bookcase. Among the rare early books is a 17th-century translation of Homer’s Iliad along with books on gardening and early maps of Ireland. An iron-bound oak rent box is a 17th century piece. The collection of clocks includes an 18th century oak longcase clock by James Aickin, Cork and an 18th century longcase clock by Maddock of Waterford. There are plenty of clocks to choose from including a 19th century boulle inlaid bracket clock, a 19th century French gilt and marble figural mantel clock, a skeleton clock and a19th century barograph.
Map: The Harbour of Corke sold by Mount and Thos. Page at Tower Hill, London. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Decorative garden ornaments, seats and urns, accumulated over many years, are available along with an exceptional group of terracotta rhubarb forcers.
The late John Punch’s workshop is largely as he maintained it. There are engineering and woodworking machines including a Myford Super 7 centre lathe, an earlier Drummond Bros metal lathe, a Meddings pillar drill, and a Scheppach planer–thicknesser. These are presented along with tools, fittings and sections of old panelling salvaged from the dismantled RMS Celtic which foundered off Roches Point in December 1928.
Silver on offer includes provincial Cork silver, and fine 18th-century Dublin silver. Two 19th-century portraits, traditionally believed to depict John Punch and his wife, have long presided over the dining room. A painting of Dublin Bay by Nathaniel Hone the Younger is accompanied by a presentation plaque recording that it was gifted to a John Punch in the 1840s.
This is a comprehensive dispersal auction with an across the board appeal to all sorts of collectors. The catalogue lists more than 1,300 lots from the Punch collection and other clients.
Looking out at Fountainstown by Anna O’Hara UPDATE: THIS MADE 220 AT HAMMER
A Louis XIV sword, 17th century portrait miniatures, an 18th century silver tea service, a portrait of a noblewoman in the robes of the Order of Malta, a Book of Hours and collectible glass by Gallé, Daum and Baccarat will feature at Sheppards live and online Paradigms and the Unexpected auction in Durrow on March 10, 11 and 12.
These treasures are from a group of 150 lots in the auction from the Blandin family of Château de Chalain, France. They have been held in Ireland for over fifty years by direct descent, curated by its Irish family custodians.
The collection reflects generations of military, civic and cultural history. Among the earliest recorded figures in the family is Charles Louis Blandin de Chalain, owner of the Louis XIV sword (€1,000-€1,500). The blade is broken but an engraved Vive le Roi survives on one side. This offers a direct link to the family’s service under the French crown and is among a number of lots in the auction showing a continuity of lineage from Ancien Régime of France to its long-established Irish chapter.
Rare Gallé World War I vase. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Gallé World War I vases are among the rarest works of the École de Nancy. A Gallé World War I glass vase produced in 1915 with Art Nouveau glassmaking, war iconography and a subject that relates to the Vosges front has an estimate of €5,000-€8,000. It is from the Chateau de Chalain collection.
The Irish dimension of the sale is equally notable. A pair of 18th-century pastel portraits depict Walter Hussey de Burgh (1742–1783), Prime Serjeant and later Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, of Donore House, County Kildare and his wife and cousin Anne. He was one of Ireland’s most prominent legal figures of the period.
A stained glass watercolour study for the south window at Castlehaven church, Skibbereen. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
A set of six stained glass watercolour designs from the late 19th century form an important ecclesiastical archive. Attributed to Arthur Louis Moore & Co., London they were prepared for the Church of Ireland commissioners and reflect Moore’s practice of producing bespoke designs for individual churches. They were made for All Saints’ Church, Phibsborough, Dublin, Christ Church, Kingstown (Dún Laoghaire), Quin Church, County Clare (centre window, south side), St Mary’s Church, Donnybrook, Dublin (south side), Castlehaven Parish Church, Skibbereen, County Cork (south window) also known as St. Barrahane and Rathmolyon Church, County Meath (east window).
The craftsmanship of late 18th or early 19th century Irish workshops can be seen in a flintlock pistol by Dublin maker John Lanigan (1829-1835). A later percussion pistol by James Read of Dublin illustrates the technological transition from flint ignition to percussion mechanism in the 19th century. A pair of Japanese World War II “Big Eye” naval binoculars were probably manufactured by Nikon or Tokyo Kogaku Kikai (Tokyo Optical Company). The lot is accompanied by a US Army certificate permitting the removal of the binoculars at the end of the war.
An Irish 19th century inlaid commode. UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,000 AT HAMMER
A doll’s house at Woodwards sale in Cork today (March 7). UPDATE: THIS MADE 280 AT HAMMER
From art and jewellery to antique furniture, paintings and collectibles at all price points all sorts of everything will be available at auctions up and down Ireland in the coming days. In Dublin art by Roderic O’Conor and Paul Henry head up an Irish and International art sale with a combined estimate of more than €1 million at Whyte’s on the evening of March 9. The Jewellery Box sale at Adams on March 10 offers 234 lots headed by an emerald and diamond dress ring (€10,000-€15,000). Both these auctions are now on view.
Auctions in Cork by Aidan Foley, Woodwards and Hegarty’s in Bandon offer a wide variety of lots at lower price points. Top lots at Woodwards on March 7 are an Edwardian economy dining table (€1,000-€2,000) and a five piece cast iron patio suite (1,200-€1,800). The three day sale by Aidan Foley in Doneraile next on March 9, 10 and 11 at 6 pm on each day offers a library collection, art, antique furniture and rugs, silver and a collection of whiskey. The online sale at Hegarty’s in Bandon on March 11 features an oil on canvas by Graham Knuttel, a five stone diamond ring and an antique pair of Cork elbow chairs.
An emerald and diamond dress ring at Adam’s in Dublin. UPDATE: THIS MADE 10,000 AT HAMMER
This George II demi lune tea table is at Woodwards in Cork on March 7 with an estimate of just €300-500. A vintage New York side cabinet, an ornate Louis XV style console mirror and table and an Edwardian doll’s house are among the feature items at an auction which offers a selection of furniture along with Waterford Crystal, paintings and rugs. The catalogue is online. UPDATE: THIS MADE 380 AT HAMMER
A c1820 Cork Regency extending dining table at Mullen’s of Laurel Park. UPDATE: THIS MADE €4,500 AT HAMMER
THIS fine c1820 Cork Regency extending dining table with reeded rim on spiral twist legs is among the feature lots at the monthly sale by Mullen’s of Laurel Park, Bray on March 1. The estimate is €4,500-€6,500. Antique furniture, silver, art, chandeliers, porcelain, rugs and vintage pieces feature in this timed online auction which gets underway at 6 pm. Furniture lots include a 19th century camphor wood trunk, an Art Deco campaign style drinks cabinet, an Art Deco cherrywood and brass bar, a pair of 19th century giltwood mirrors and a double scroll end window seat. The auction is on view today and tomorrow and the catalogue is online.
