A 19th century Strahan dining table. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
From a 15 foot long dining table by Robert Strahan and a resin cast of a pair of Irish elk antlers and skull to a 19th century spinning wheel, an antique divers helmet and pairs of Art Nouveau glass panels the online interiors sale by Victor Mee over two evenings on February 27-28 is brimful of interest. Just under 1,000 lots will come under the hammer at auctions beginning each day at 5.30 pm. The Strahan table with five leaves is from a Victorian house on Temple Road, Dublin and estimated at €4,000-€8,000. There are cast iron dogs, peat buckets, side tables, a decorative gilt sunburst mirror, easy chairs, a Dior advertising figure with black gloves, Tiffany style lamps, a Chesterfield settee in an online catalogue that features antique furniture, art, carpets and furnishings for a decorative interior.
A gilt sunburst mirror UPDATE: THIS MADE 300 AT HAMMER
Along with a great selection of highly desirable lots in categories from antique furniture, art and collectibles the At Home sale at James Adam in Dublin on February 27 comes with a message of sustainability. The venerable auctioneering firm is setting out in 2024 to highlight how the purchase of antique furniture and furnishings at auction contributes to sustainability. Each year in Ireland the Environmental Protection Agency calculates that 1.2 million re-usable bulky items, mostly furniture, are consigned to landfill. Not unlike fast fashion the constant production and consumption of new items contributes to a rapidly growing waste problem.
In an attempt to counter this trend Adams is encouraging those of us who love antique furniture to spread the message that sustainability starts at home and help new buyers appreciate the benefits of acquiring affordable, well made quality items that are built to last. A selection of stylish and affordable furniture is on the catalogue for this auction. A c1790 George III demi lune commode veneered in flame mahogany is estimated at €1,000-€1,500. Walnut was the most prized wood for furniture making from the end of the 17th century to the middle of the 18th century. The attractive grain and colour of the wood is well demonstrated in lot 327, a Georgian walnut side table with distinctive cabriole legs, hinged top and compartmented interior. This piece is estimated at €1,000-€1,500.
19th century oak Welsh dresser. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,300 AT HAMMER
The catalogue cover lot is a riverbank scene at Veneux les Sablons by the French artist Pierre Eugene Montezin (1874-1946) who once remarked to the critic Louis Vauxcelles that: “The subjects of the landscape painter are less in front of the artist’s eyes than in his heart”. In 1932 Montezin received the Medal of Honour at the Salon des Artistes Francais and he was an office of the Legion d’Honneur. The painting is estimated at €5,000-€7,000. The proceeds from the sale of another painting, a 19th century Breton market scene, will be donated to the Irish Cancer Society. The artist is unknown and the work is estimated at €1,000-€1,500. The auction kicks off with a selection of garden statuary, campagna urns, plant holders, patio furniture and a circular millstone mounted on a granite base as a table. There is a selection of lighting, rugs, chairs and and collectibles.
A millstone mounted on a granite base as a table UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,200 AT HAMMER
NORTH EUROPEAN INLAID FRUITWOOD COMMODE. UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,600 AT HAMMER
Viewing gets underway in Dublin today and continues over the weekend for the James Adam At Home sale next Tuesday (February 27). The timed online sale is open for bidding and will draw to a close from 11 am on Tuesday. This North European inlaid fruitwood serpentine fronted commode is, at €4,000-€6,000, one of the more expensively estimated lots. The top is inlaid with scrolls and putto and centred by a flower filled urn, musical instruments, horns and birds of paradise.
A pair of Irish Georgian knife boxes UPDATE: THIS MADE 650 AT HAMMER
With everything from an Edwardian hobby horse and a three piece Art Nouveau mantle clock garniture in red marble to a carved Qing Dynasty hardwood cabinet and a Dublin longcase clock the Making Room sale by Fonsie Mealy at Castlecomer on February 21 is brimful of interest. More than 400 lots will come under the hammer in this annual spring clear out and estimates are reasonable. There are affordable antiques, decorative furniture, overmantles, mirrors, art, a selection of Nicholas Mosse ware, prints, silver and plate and all sorts of collectibles.
An Edwardian hobby horse. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,000 AT HAMMER
Among the more expensively estimated works, at €1,500-€2,000, is an oil on canvas attributed to Andrea Locatelli (1695-1741) of Figures resting by a Capriccio in a Romantic Landscape. With professional cleaning this would add a stylish touch to many interiors. A George III inlaid mahogany and satinwood secretaire is also estimated at just €1,500-€2,000.
A Chinese Imperial yellow porcelain dish with five dragons UPDATE: THIS MADE 400 AT HAMMER
If you want to make the most of the strength, power and success associated with dragons in this Year of the Dragon then this sale jast just the thing. An early Chinese Imperial yellow porcelain dish with raised enamel features depicting five dragons with four and five claws comes with an estimate of €800-€1,200. The estimate on a pair of Irish Georgian slope front knife boxes with fitted interiors is just €700-€900 – a steal in old God’s time – and a small 19th century walnut pedestal desk is estimated at just €300-€500. The Qing hardwood cabinet and the Dublin clock are each estimated at €800-€1,200, the Edwardian hobby horse at €700-€900 and the clock garniture at €500-€700. Collectors of Irish country furniture will be interested in an unusual set of four provincial hand painted ladder back chairs with straw seats (€150-€200) or a 19th century yew and elm stick kitchen armchair (€250-€350). A good Victorian figured walnut writing table is estimated at just €300-€400. The catalogue is online, there is viewing in Castlecomer Business Park next Monday and Tuesday and the sale will take place at the Avalon House Hotel at noon on Wednesday.
An unusual set of four hand painted provincial chairs. UPDATE: THESE MADE 130 AT HAMMER
Art Nouveau Garniture. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,000 AT HAMMER
This French Art Nouveau mantle clock garniture in red Griotte marble comes up as lot 223 at Fonsie Mealy’s Making Room sale in Castlecomer on February 21. The clock has typical Art Nouveau gilt brass mounts around a painted enamel dial with Arabic numerals and striking on a gong and the estimate is €500-€700. A total of 432 lots will come under the hammer, the catalogue is online and viewing gets underway in Castlecomer on February 19.
A diamond set ruby mounted on a platinum ring at Matthews. UPDATE: THIS MADE €2,450 at hammer
Can romance be mined from unredeemed pledges? It might be just possible to come up with the answer to this teasing question in time for Valentine’s Day at Matthews jewellery, gold and silver auction on February 11 The sale will feature executor’s lots, pieces from private clients and unredeemed pawnbrokers pledges with plenty to choose from among 593 lots. A ruby diamond set cluster on a platinum ring or an 18 carat white gold diamond set sapphire and ruby brooch, each estimated at €2,500-€3,500, are laden with sparkling romantic potential. Or if you are not superstitious how about a pear cut sapphire and 13 diamond set pendant (€2,000-€3,000). There are bracelets, rings, diamond solitaires, necklaces, earrings, chokers, watches and objects of all sorts with which to express your love, so it is over to you.
A pear cut sapphire and diamond set pendant at Matthews. UPDATE: THIS MADE €1,900 AT HAMMER
Undoubtedly the best value to be had at auctions these days is in everyday antique furniture. There is no shortage of choice at upcoming sales. A classic and contemporary interiors timed online sale by Mullen’s of Laurel Park in Bray kicks off at 6 pm on February 11 with a 19th century cast iron hawthorn pattern garden seat with an estimate of just €200-€300. A Georgian inlaid side table is estimated at just €600-€800, a pair of 19th century butlers trays on stands come with an estimate of €400-€600 and a vintage satin birch chest is estimated at just €80-€150.
One of a pair of 19th century butler’s trays at Mullen’s. UPDATE: THIS LOT MADE 520 AT HAMMER
There are lots of other examples of good value furniture here including a Georgian demi lune side table (€100-€200), a brass bound secretaire chest (€200-€300), a 19th century three tier dumb waiter (€80-€120), a Georgian drop leaf table (€100-€200) and a Chippendale style mahogany desk (€200-€300). Meanwhile at Newcastlewest in Co. Limerick the sale by O’Donovan’s on February 18 will offer over 300 lots mostly to be sold without reserve. Among them is an oriental dinner gong with brass hanging drum (€125-€150), a Victorian oak hall stand with bevelled mirror (€40-€60), a New York made mantle clock with pendulum (€40-€60), a Georgian sideboard (€175-€250) and a Georgian tea caddy (€200-€300). The sale is led by a Peter Curling watercolour titled At the end of the Plough (€1,600-€1,900).
Cottage in the Maam Valley by Mabel Young at Fonsie Mealy. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,200 AT HAMMER
Art by Mabel Young (1889-1974), Paul Henry’s second wife, do not crop up very often and Fonsie Mealy’s Making Room sale in Castlecomer on February 21 features an oil on board of a cottage in the Maam Valley signed by her. It is estimated at €800-€1,200. The top lot in the sale is a large Irish Georgian serving table in the Chinese Chippendale style estimated at €2,000-€3,000. The catalogues for all these sales are online.
A rare Sir John Power and Sons Dublin Whiskey mirror UPDATE: THIS MADE 12,000 AT HAMMER
The market for collectibles is strong so there are high expectations around an etched framed Sir John Power and Son Dublin Whiskey advertising mirror at Victor Mee’s sale in Belturbet, Co. Cavan and online. This is a rarity in a sale on February 6 and 7 which will include the pub memorabilia collection of Cannons of Castlebar. The gilded lettering is by William Cleland of Belfast and there is an original paper label attached. Such is the demand for lots of this calibre that the estimate is a cool €8,000-€12,000. The mirror is lot 100 in an auction with over 1200 lots due to get underway each day at 5.30 pm.
An Allman’s of Bandon reverse painted glass advertising sign. UPDATE: THIS MADE 500 AT HAMMER
Not everything is as expensive as this. But there should be local interest down south in lot 164, an Allman’s of Bandon Fine Old Irish Whisky reverse painted glass advertising sign with an estimate of just €200-€300. Allman’s produced whisky, Powers adds an “e” to make it whiskey, which is more generally the spelling used in Ireland. Either way it is good stuff. Lot 625 is a framed political print of the capture of Thomas Kent in Fermoy and it is estimated at just €50-€80. He was the only person outside of Dublin apart from Roger Casement to be executed for his role in the Easter Rising and the railway station in Cork, formerly Glanmire Road Station, was renamed Kent Station in his honour in 1966 on the 50th anniversary of the Rising.
A framed politial print of the capture of Thomas Kent in Fermoy UPDATE: THIS MADE 60 AT HAMMER
A sale of memorabilia like this underlines the fast pace of change in the world we live in. Take pub ashtrays. Once ubiquitous they seemed to be doled out by sales reps for breweries and distilleries and cigarette manufacturers like snuff at a wake. They could be found on every bar counter and table until the smoking ban came into effect in Ireland 20 years ago. Now they turn up at auctions like this and if you are so inclined you can pick one up for €20 to €40. Lot 295 is a 1930’s sign for Hoey’s Court, Dublin the birthplace of Jonathan Swift, which has since been demolished. The estimate is €150-€250. The catalogue is online.
A 1930’s sign for Hoey’s Court, birthplace of Jonathan Swift, which has since been demolished. UPDATE: THIS MADE 340 AT HAMMER
A Neo-Classical marble chimneypiece at Sheppards. UPDATE: THIS MADE 4,200 AT HAMMER
The antiques season in Ireland is lifting off and those who get their kicks from an auction fix will find plenty of action now that January is almost done.Immediate upcoming choices at Sheppards in Durrow on January 30 and 31and at Woodwards in Cork on February 3 include elegant Georgian and Regency furniture, marble chimney pieces, garden sculpture and furniture, longcase clocks and even an old carved stone statue of St. Peter. If brightening up the home was one of your new year resolutions then these eclectic auctions, on view in Durrow and Cork respectively, offer as good a place as any to begin.
Top lots at Sheppards include a Neo-Classical marble chimneypiece (€4,000-€6,000) and an attractive George III satinwood cylinder bookcase (€3,00-€5,000). More than 700 lots will come under the hammer in this two day sale. Feature lots include a George III sideboard, a pair of Regency tea tables, a Georgian inlaid side table, a classical contemporary Italian Smania display case with figural veneered drawers and open glass shelves, a designer chrome and walnut console table, a 19th century wine cooler and an Indian marriage chest. Among the Chinese selection at Sheppards are pairs of vases, painted panels, censers, jardinieres, chargers and porcelain vases converted to lamps. A 19th century French ormolu clock is estimated at €500-€800 and an 18th century giltwood pier mirror has an estimate of €1,400-€1,800. The catalogue is online and sales get underway each day at 10 am.
A carved stone statue of St. Peter at Woodwards. UPDATE: THIS MADE 725 AT HAMMER
Woodwards will begin their 2024 season with a selection of house contents from residences in Blackrock, Rochestown and Belgooly. Among the more unusual lots is a very old carved statue of St. Peter (€500-€1,000). There is an estimate of €800-€1,200 on a longcase clock by Harvey of Clonmel and furniture lots include a William IV teapoy (€250-€400), a Georgian walnut chest on chest (€500-€800), a Georgian work table (€300-€400), a Queen Anne inlaid desk (€400-€600) and a small Edwardian walnut bureau (€200-€300).Value in antique furniture continues to be a feature in 2024 and estimates are low on a range of items as diverse as a William IV sewing table, an Edwardian chest of drawers, a quartetto nest of tables, a Victorian card table, a demi lune side table and an Edwardian credenza. there will be more than 300 lots, including a selection of artworks and the Cook St. auctions rooms are open for viewing from this afternoon.
Dove with Yellow Sun, a lithograph by Picasso, at Aidan Foley’s auction in Kilcolgan. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Art by Graham Knuttel, George Gillespie, Markey Robinson, John Kingerlee, Michael Hales and a Picasso lithograph titled Dove with Yellow Sun are feature lots at Aidan Foley’s two day sale at Kilcolgan, Co. Galway on January 29 and 30. The selection among over 1,000 lots will include a pair of Georgian side tables, a Regency pedestal sideboard, a pair of French marble topped bedside lockers, a large pair of porcelain and gilt metal jardinieres, a pair of metal and stained glass Moroccan style lights and a bottle of Jameson Dublin Whiskey bottled by Scotts of Kilkee. The catalogue is online.
An interior shot of Elton John’s Peachtree Road penthouse. (Photograph Visko Hatfield, courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2024.) UPDATE: THE PIANO MADE $201,600
Where does Elton’s future lie? Let’s not go there. Suffice to say it is beyond Peachtree Road. The rock star is saying goodbye to his Atlanta condo at Park Place on Peachtree – acquired in 1992 – and Christie’s New York will sell the contents in a series of eight live and online sales beginning on February 21.He began collecting photographs in the 1990’s and there is work by pioneers like Andy Warhol, Helmut Newton, Robert Mapplethorpe, Peter Beard, Herb Ritts, Richard Avedon and more.Damien Hirst’s Your Song, signed and inscribed to Elton and David is estimated at $350,000-$450,000 (€319,850-€411,230) and a portrait of Elton John by Julian Schnabel is estimated at $200,000-$300,000 (€182,770-€274,150). There is fashion from his stage wardrobes including an ivory and gold piece designed by Annie Reavey c1971 and vintage Gianni Versace shirts and upholstery. The sale will offer tableware, decor, a grand piano, art glass, antiques and artefacts from his global travels. Live day sales will continue on February 22 and 23 and online sales open for bidding on February 9 and run to February 27 and 28.
A GROUP OF SEVEN SILK SHIRTS GIANNI VERSACE, CIRCA 1993. UPDATE: THESE SOLD FOR $30,240
