A new design series by Joseph Walsh, the Cork based internationally renowned furniture maker, will be offered by Sotheby’s as part of the London Design Festival. From September 17 – 29 there will be a selling exhibition of key pieces from the newly developed series ‘Gestures’ by the designer-maker at New Bond Street. There will be 12 works from the new series on display for the first time. Included is a large dining table, a sculptural bench, free form lounge chairs, dining chairs and various wall mounted sculptural shelves and consoles.
‘Gestures’ has emerged over the past three years, beginning with charcoal sketches which Walsh translates into scale model studies in wood. Wood is cut into layers, rebuilt and then carved to create an uninterrupted sculptural form. Finally, the works are finished in ebonised black. Each piece is functional and boldly sculptural, a unique free form composition designed to sit together in harmony with other works as an exhibition.
Elena Checchi, Director, Specialist, 20th Century Design, Sotheby’s, said: “Joseph Walsh’s striking sculptural designs truly push the boundaries of working with wood. In the new Gestures series, Walsh distils furniture down to singular expressive gestural lines to bold and impactful effect. This collection of work, exhibited during London Design Festival, is testament to both the mastery of his craft and the technical innovation that this exceptional designer-maker pursues.”
Portrait of a young lady in a period frame. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,700 AT HAMMER
A stylish portrait requiring further research, a 19th century walnut carved bench with a motto we could all adopt, vintage hats in their original Munster Arcade boxes, a clock carved with the Cork coat of arms and a valuable Patek Philippe wristwatch will contribute to an interesting sale at Lynes and Lynes on September 10. Viewing gets underway in Carrigtwohill today for an auction made up of contents from Ballynoe House, Rushbrooke, Cobh, a large Cork city residence and several individual clients. The most expensively estimated lot is the Patek Philippe Nautilus automatic gentlemans’ wristwatch from Ballynoe House, which has recently been sold. It is estimated at a cool €30,000-€50,000 and auctioneer Denis Lynes reckons that it could well exceed the top figure.
A 19th century walnut carved long hall bench with a central heraldic shield is also from Ballynoe and estimated at €1,000-€1,500. It is carved with the motto ‘Nun Quam Non Paratus’ meaning Never Unprepared. A half portrait of a young lady painted in the style of Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) bears an Agnews label on the back. In a period frame it was purchased at the contents auction of Galtee Castle, Co. Tipperary, which was demolished circa 1941. The castle was built in 1780 by the Kingstons and remodelled in 1892 by Abel Buckley, MP of Ryecroft Hall near Manchester. The venerable firm of Agnews, a leading London Old Master art dealer since 1860, was founded in Manchester in 1817. Located since 1877 at a prominent gallery at Old Bond St. the firm of Thomas Agnew and Sons closed in 2013 and re-opened at St. James’s Place in London. Their archive was given to the National Gallery. The painting is estimated at €1,000-€2,000.
A pair of Irish Georgian peat and plate buckets. UPDATE: THESE MADE 1,600 AT HAMMER
A curiosity of the sale is an oak mantel clock carved on the top with the Cork Coat of Arms. The nautical theme is enhanced with flanking cannons and anchors set on a cushion base with swag decoration. This product of the Cork School of carving is estimated at €300-€500. Of vintage interest is a collection of ladies hats in their original Munster Arcade boxes (€50-€80). A top hat by W. Dennehy and Sons of Patrick St. and Castle St., Cork (€40-€60) is accompanied by a shooting stick.The sale kicks off with a pair of Irish Georgian mahogany and brass bound turf and plate buckets (€600-€1,000) and a large Waterford 10 branch chandelier comes with an estimate of €2,000-€3,000. The catalogue for this sale of 354 lots is online.
Danish walnut crossbanded drinks cabinet. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,300 AT HAMMER
This 19th century Danish walnut crossbanded drinks cabinet is lot 465 at the James Adam At Home sale in Dublin on September 4. Viewing for this auction is now underway and the catalogue is online. There is a selection of furniture, silver, art, jewellery and collectibles among the 518 lots on offer. The cabinet here is estimated at 1,000-2,000.
This 19th century rank badge, embroidered with silk thread on a dark ground, comes up as lot 50 at Hegarty’s online sale in Bandon. The Chinese tradition of wearing rank badges (Buzi), also known as Mandarin Squares, to demonstrate civil, military or imperial rank began in 1391 during the Ming Dynasty and continued throughout the Qing Dynasty up until 1911. A badge featuring a bird (such as the one here) identified the wearer as a civil official. It is estimated at 180-250. The sale gets underway online at 6 pm on August 31 and there are 260 lots.
A mahogany table in the Irish 18th century manner at Adams (€3,000-€5,000). UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,800 AT HAMMER
Silver, antique furniture, jewellery, artworks, porcelain, rugs, chandeliers, mirrors, lamps and even an elmwood shovel feature at the James Adam At Home sale Dublin on September 4. The selection from 518 lots is wide ranging and appetising. If your mind is turning towards autumn home renovations and style changes, or if you are seeking singular inspiration, then this sale is an ideal place to start.The most expensively estimated lot, at €7,000-€8,000 is a sapphire torque necklace. Furniture, like a 19th century tilt top circular mahogany tea table €200-€300) or a lady’s rosewood writing desk (€300-€500), offers good value. There is Oriental porcelain, Meissen, Dresden, Worcester and Sevres pieces and a Satsuma tea set and silver wine jugs in Italian contemporary or George IV London 1788 style. The catalogue is online.
18th century Beauvais Tapestry The Emperor’s Voyage
Some contents of the legendary Four Seasons George V Hotel in Paris will be auctioned by Artcurial on September 7 and 8 next. It is part of an ongoing drive to embellish the interiors of this iconic palace. More than 800 lots of art, furniture and objects are to be sold including items from the Imperial and Royal suites and Le Cinq, the three star restaurant. One of the most important lots is this tapestry depicting the Chinese Emperor Kangxi. Lot 733 is estimated at €40,000-€60,000. The majority of the lots on offer, including headboards, chairs, lamps, curtains, porcelain and tables are estimated at under €1,000.
This blue and white tureen and cover in the Chinese taste is lot 72 at Adams timed online warehouse clearance sale and is estimated at €50-€80. There is a wide selection of lots at affordable estimates on offer and the catalogue is online. The sale begins to close at 11 am on August 24. UPDATE: THIS MADE 110 AT HAMMER
A magnificent set of 10 chairs, described by Christie’s as the apogee of Kentian design and the ultimate flowering of the Palladian aesthetic, will come to auction in New York on October 20. They are by no means the most expensive lot from the Ann and Gordon Getty Collection to be sold over four evening and day auctions in New York from October 20 but there is an Irish connection. The c1754-56 chairs attributed to Benjamin Goodison are thought to be after a design by the architect designer William Kent. The delicately pierced backs and Vitruvian scroll aprons refine the Palladian style promoted by the foremost classical furniture designer of the day.
It was his friendship with Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork (1694-1753) that promoted Kent as a painter, architect and designer. Known as the architect earl Boyle is credited with bringing Palladian architecture to Ireland and Britain. Major projects include Burlington House, Piccadilly, London (now home to the Royal Academy), Westminster School, Chiswick House and Northwick Park. Boyle’s professional skill as an architect was extraordinary as an Anglo-Irish aristocrat. Andrea Palladio’s Four Books of Architecture accompanied him on a tour of the Veneto in 1719. Back in London he employed the Scottish architect Colen Campbell for Burlington House and William Kent was assigned the interiors. The courtyard prominently sited in Piccadilly was the first major executed statement of Neo-Palladianism. Thanks to the Earl of Cork Palladian architecture with its Roman and Greek influences had arrived in this part of the world. Meantime Kent’s Palladian residences with their fully designed interiors became a template for his contemporaries and subsequent generations. The chairs are estimated at €490,000-€780,000.
The Ann and Gordon Getty Collection sale will offer almost 1,500 lots from their San Francisco residence, considered one of the finest interiors in the world. There are decorative and fine art masterpieces of unrivalled quality and provenance. The New York sales will be complemented by six online auctions of textiles, handbags and jewellery between October 10-25.Leading lots include American painting, English and European furniture and Asian works of art. There are Impressionist pictures by Claude Monet and Edgar Degas and Old Master paintings and drawings by Bernardo Bellotto and Jean-Antoine Watteau.Beginning in September highlights will be exhibited in Shanghai, London, Los Angeles, Paris and New York. Twelve jewels by JAR from the estate of Ann Getty (who died in 2020) made $5.9 million at a sale of Magnificent Jewels by Christie’s in New York in June.Proceeds will benefit the couples foundation for the arts, which is dedicated to supporting arts and science organisations. Beneficiaries will include the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Symphony, University of San Francisco, Berkeley Geochronology Centre and the Leakey Foundation.
This walnut marquetry and gilt mounted credenza is one of the top furniture lots at the James Adam At Home sale in Dublin on September 4. This will be the opening auction of the post summer period at Adams. The 19th century piece with bowed outline has a shaped top with moulded edge, glazed rounded corners and a plinth base. It is estimated at €3,000-€5,000. A pair of French boulle marble topped side cabinets and a side table in the Irish 18th century style carry similar estimates. The most expensively estimated lot in the auction is a sapphire torque necklace. The catalogue is online.
This sapphire torque necklace is estimated at €7,000-€8,000.
Midleton Very Rare Irish Whiskeys 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022 (2,200-3,200). UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,900 AT HAMMER
Interest in and demand for rare Irish whiskey’s is growing according to Niall Dolan of Galway based Dolan’s art auction house. He will offer 38 rare Irish whiskeys in a timed summer online auction of Irish art, whiskeys and antiques which runs until August 15. The sale of rare Irish whiskeys draws clients from around the world. There is a good selection of art by well known Irish artists in this auction of 275 lots. The catalogue is online.
