A decorative 19th century walnut work/dressing table. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
A late 19th century walnut combination dressing table and work table is among the antique furniture highlights at Hegarty’s August live online auction which takes place on August 22. The cabinet, adorned with open fretwork with delicate scrolling and foliate detail, is estimated at €1,000-€1,500. A William IV specimen table is estimated at €2,500-€3,500 and a pair of William IV armchairs have an estimate of €900-€1,000. The sale offers more than 250 lots of art, furniture and collectibles from a private collection in Kinsale. There is an oil on board by Arthur Maderson titled Autumn Sunlight, a watercolour of Cork Docklands by Norma Healy and an oil on canvas by Martin Stone, Gorsefire. An Art Deco inspired Ceylon sapphire and diamond cluster ring is estimated at €6,500-€8,500.
Franz Bergman (1898-1963) Bronze painted pheasant. UPDATE: THIS LOT WAS UNSOLD
A pair of cold painted bronze pheasants by the Viennese Franz Bergman foundry come up at Hegarty’s live online sale in Bandon on August 22. The pair are impressed with the makers mark “B” and each one is numbered. The Bergman was noted for detailed and colourful work and the estimate on the pair is €800-€1,000. The sale of 290 lots includes art, antique furniture and collectibles from a private collection in Kinsale.
Handwritten manuscript working lyrics to We are the Champions. UPDATE: THESE SOLD FOR £317,500
Freddie Mercury’s baby grand, the matched wedding rings of Bogie and Bacall, a first edition of The Great Gatsby from the collection of Charlie Watts and Sir Roger Moore’s Lamborghini skis are among an extraordinary collection of celebrity stuff soon to come up at blockbuster sales in London and Hollywood. Collectibles like these are big business. With fans everywhere and global auction access online the business is growing exponentially.
A c1905 Art Nouveau glass vase lamp from the collection of Freddie Mercury. UPDATE: THIS MADE £22,860
Right now every inch of Sotheby’s 16,000 gallery space at New Bond St. in London is given over to a free exhibition of the world of Freddie Mercury in advance of three auctions on September 6, 7 and 8. Online Mercury sales already underway will run to September 11, 12 and 13. On offer are costumes, hand written lyrics, drawings, furniture, decorative and fine art that were part of his life at his London home, Garden Lodge in Kensington.The centre piece of the exhibition is his treasured Yamaha G2 Baby Grand. More than a decade of hits, from Bohemian Rhapsody to Barcelona, were composed on this treasured piano. Always kept in pristine condition it is estimated at £2 million – £3 million. There are handwritten working lyrics for Bohemian Rhapsody, Don’t Stop Me Now and Somebody to Love, costumes relating to promotional videos including a two piece stage outfit comprising catsuit and bolero of ivory satin with winged wrists and lower legs inspired by the God Mercury.
Henri Matisse – Masque Blanc sur Fond Noir from the collection of Freddie Mercury. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £30,480
Freddie Mercury was a discriminating collector who loved going to auctions. In 1980 he acquired Garden Lodge, a Georgian style brick villa, and set about creating a home that was both grand and intimate, richly furnished and entirely of his own making. The auction will include art by Matisse, James Tissot, Picasso and Utagawa Hiroshige, Victorian paintings and works on paper, the finest examples of the glass makers art, exceptional fabrics and fine works collected on trips to Japan. All are on view at Sotheby’s in an exhibition that will close on September 5, the day that would have been Freddie Mercury’s 77th birthday.
The matching 14 carat gold wedding rings exchanged by Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in May 1945 at Julien’s. UPDATE: THESE SOLD FOR $190,500
Iconic objects from some of Hollywood’s greatest legends will come up at a sale by Turner Classic Movies and Julien’s Auctions on September 6, 7 and 8. There is everything from dresses worn by Princess Diana and Audrey Hepburn to a slave costume worn by Princess Leia in Star Wars, Captain Kirk’s Star Fleet command jacket and the 1945 wedding rings of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. James Bond, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Back to the Future and Batman will all feature in a sale celebrating 100 years of Warner Brothers.
A library of First Edition classics and landmarks from the world of jazz will come up at Christie’s sale of the collection of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts (1941-2021). The sale is led by a first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby inscribed by the author to the original Gatsby of the story. There are iconic works of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle alongside the best of English and American literature of the 20th century. Charlie Watts: Gentleman, Collector, Rolling Stone will take place in London on September 28. An online sale will run from September 15-29. Meantime Bonhams will offer 180 lots from the personal collection of Bond actor and UNICEF ambassador Sir Roger Moore (1927-2017) in London on October 4. This marks the 50th anniversary year of his first appearance as 007. There is Bond memorabilia like dinner suits and jackets, collectibles like a Hollywood Walk of Fame plaque and personal items like silk ties and cravats along with a pair of his Lamborghini skis.
French gilt metal and marquetry cylinder bureau UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
House contents auctions are always brimful of appeal so Sheppards offering from Knocksaintlour House, Cashel, Co. Tipperary and other clients in Durrow on August 15 is bound to be a draw. The top lots are a French Empire style marble specimen table (€5,000-€8,000), a French gilt metal marquetry cylinder bureau, a fine Kirman rug and a large 20th century bronze sculpture of a boy and girl on a bench all estimated at €4,000-€6,000. The selection ranges from a pair of 19th century Marley horses and handlers after Cousteau to a Regency banjo barometer, a designer carved wood log box, a Venetian pier mirror and a pair of ruby glass baskets. There are tables of various types including card tables, chairs, Tiffany style lamps, desks, centrepieces, conservatory armchairs, some silver, a barograph, compact antique furniture pieces and garden furniture including moulded stone lions, a trough and a blacksmith forged steel gate.
The sale of 360 lots is on view at the house in Cashel today and tomorrow (August 12 and 13) and the catalogue is online.
This antique walnut secretaire with oval panels on bracket feet comes up at R.J. Keighery’s sale of over 800 lots in Waterford on August 21. This is an auction of antique and vintage furniture, Waterford Crystal including chandeliers and a master cutter harp, jewellery, rugs and collectibles. The secretaire is estimated at just €700-€900.
19TH-CENTURY VERNIS MARTIN ESCRITOIRE. UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,200 AT HAMMER
This 19th century Vernis Martin escritoire comes up at Sheppards sale of contents of Knocksaintlour House, Cashel on August 15. With a rouge-royale marble top above a painted panelled fall front opening there is a comprehensive fitted writing interior. The estimate is €2,500-€3,500. A total of 360 lots are on offer at a sale where viewing will be at Knocksaintlour House in Cashel on August 12 and 13. The auction will be held in Durrow and online.
The doors to the full and fascinating world of Fredde Mercury open today at Sotheby’s in London. Every inch of Sotheby’s 16,000 square foot gallery space in New Bond Street has been given over to the vast array of costumes, hand-written lyrics, drawings, furniture, and decorative and fine art that were so much a part of Mercury’s life and with which he lived in his beautiful London home, Garden Lodge. At the heart of the exhibition will be the piano pictured here – revealed today for the first time – that was deeply precious to Mercury and a vital element in the creation of his greatest compositions: his treasured Yamaha G2 Baby Grand Piano, estimated at £2-3 million. On it he composed over a decade of hits, from Bohemian Rhapsody to Barcelona.
By 1975, the trusty old upright piano on which Freddie had composed the hits on Queen’s first three albums was no longer equal to his ever more panoramic musical ambitions. With the financial backing of music mogul Don Arden – who was unsuccessfully attempting to woo Queen to his management table – Freddie set out to find the perfect piano, with a sound that resonated with his evolving musical ambitions. After an intensive search lasting many weeks, he finally found what he was looking for: a rare baby grand with an easy keyboard action, an elegant look, and a particularly clean and clear sound, made by the Japanese manufacturer Yamaha, who had only recently started importing their instruments to England. The piano would just about fit into the small apartment he was sharing at the time with Mary Austin. As she recalls, ‘Freddie treated the Yamaha with absolute respect. He considered it to be more than an instrument, it was an extension of himself, his vehicle of creativity. He would never smoke at the piano or rest a glass on top of it and would ensure nobody else did either. The piano was always pristine.’
The new piano very soon proved its worth. In the months after its arrival, he used it to develop and hone the epic track Bohemian Rhapsody, released towards the end of that year. The London exhibition continues until September 5. On September 6, 7 and 8 Sotheby’s will hold three auctions devoted to the Freddie Mercury Collection. Meantime three online Freddie Mercury auctions running to September 11, 12 and 13 will get underway on August 11.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for April 26, 2023)
An Irish George IV secretaire, possibly Cork, at Fonsie Mealy. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,400 AT HAMMER
A unique collection of bog oak artefacts, a rare complete set of 1791 Views of the City of Dublin after James Malton, an 18th century Chinoiserie lacquered two door cabinet on stand, a George II giltwood wall mirror and an important pair of percussion duelling pistols by H.W. Mortimer, London are among the top lots at Fonsie Mealys three day sale in Castlecomer on August 1, 2 and 3. This auction is brimful of interest and offers a diverse and eclectic selection of 1,292 lots of antiques and collectibles.
Rainbow No. 5 by Patrick Scott, woven by V’soske Joyce UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,000 AT HAMMER
There is antique furniture, paintings, Irish and international art, silver, plate, militaria from a private collection in Northern Ireland, jewellery, ceramics, clocks, glassware, carpets, garden furniture, advertising signs and other collectibles. Among them is an Irish George IV mahogany breakfront secretaire, possibly made in Cork, which came from the Presentation Order at Blackrock, Cork. The estimate is €2,000-€3,000. Rainbow No. 5 is the title of a Patrick Scott tapestry with V’soske Joyce label commissioned for the Kilkenny Design Centre. It is one of two tapestries by the late artist in the sale commissioned by Kilkenny Design. Each is estimated at €1,500-€2,000.
One of the more unusual lots is a collection of 108 rare Irish bog oak artefacts by Cornelius Goggin (1850-1914) and other carvers. There is a jewellery casket, a two panel tea caddy, a book slide, candlesticks, an Irish round tower, boxes, photograph frames and harps all profusely carved. The lot is estimated at €8,000-€12,000, as is the Chinoiserie cabinet and the George II mirror mentioned above. The most expensively estimated lot is the complete set of 24 engraved plates of Dublin views after James Malton (€10,000-€15,000). A selection of signed prints by L.S. Lowery, Paul Henry and James Humbert Craig will be available at more affordable estimates.
A pair of early 19th century Cork water jugs. UPDATE: THESE MADE 850 AT HAMMER
A fine pair of early 19th century Cork water jugs by The Terrace Glassworks which operated more than 200 years at South Terrace in the city centre have a hobnailed centre panel and partially serrated edges. The estimate is €250-€350. A c1689 portrait of Sir Maurice Eustace, Lord Chancellor of Ireland after the Restoration of Charles II who gave his name to Eustace St. in Dublin city centre, is from the circle of James Gandy and estimated at €4,000-€6,000. A rarity of a different sort is a polychrome mask from Papua, New Guinea, probably Sepik River (€200-€300). This is one of a number of lots of ethnographic art.
A polychrome mask from Papua, New Guinea. UPDATE: THIS MADE 110 AT HAMMER
The militaria section includes pistols, swords of various types, spears, daggers, pikeheads, bayonets, sabres and even a percussion pocket knife pistol. The top lot is the cased pair of duelling pistols by Mortimer (€6,000-€8,000). There is a selection of clocks, garnitures and longcase clocks, lot 726 is a six tier Delft tulipiere of pyramid form (€800-€1,200) and the sale offers a collection of Chinese cloisonne ware.Among numerous lots of interest is a solid silver limited edition Christ of St. John of the Cross by Salvador Dali (€3,000-€5,000), a 16th century Spanish School carved polychrome and parcel gilt of St. Michael and the Devil (€4,000-€6,000), an Irish sofa table by Williams and Gibton with lion paw feet (€800-€1,500), a set of 24 19th century dining chairs from the Presentation Order, Blackrock, Cork (€2,500-€3,200) and a massive composition sandstone urn (€1,500-€2,500). The catalogue is online and the auction will be on view in Castlecomer from 1 pm to 6 pm tomorrow (July 30) and from 10.30 am to 6 pm next Monday.
Salvador Dali, Spanish (1904-1989) – Cristo de San Juan de la Cruz. UPDATE: THIS MADE 5,500 AT HAMMER
Among numerous unusual and highly collectible lots at Fonsie Mealy’s three days sale in Castlecomer on August 1, 2 and 3 is this limited edition solid silver piece by Salvador Dali (lot 882). Christ of St. John of the Cross is in its original presentation case and is about nine inches high. The signed piece dates to around 1974 and is number 103 from an edition of 250. The estimate is €3,000-5,000. The catalogue for this sale of 1,292 lots is online and it will be on view in Castlecomer on July 30 and 31.
Christ of St John of the Cross by Salvador Dalí at the Kelvingrove Gallery in Glasgow is one of the best-loved works in Glasgow Museums’ entire collection, for both tourists and Glaswegians alike.
Vintage views of the Lakes of Killarney from well over a century ago. UPDATE: THIS MADE €50 AT HAMMER
There is much more to an album of old photographs than an album of old photographs. It is too easy nowadays to overlook the technical difficulties and arduous processes faced by picture pioneers. Our late 19th century photographers captured a long vanished utterly different Ireland – unspoilt by pollution, unworried about global warming and artificial intelligence – with great skill and determination.Photographers had to carry a great deal of heavy equipment with them into the field. The film they used retained its light sensitivity only when wet. A heavy glass plate needed to be coated, exposed and developed immediately in a single sequence. The idea of having a phone (what is that?) in your pocket to take photographs and videos at the drop of a hat was beyond what could then have been imagined. Those far off days are recalled in an interesting album of vintage photographs from c1865-1914 at Hegarty’s summer live online evening auction in Bandon on July 25. Estimated at just €80-€100 it contains vintage images of Irish and British buildings, castles, beauty spots and sights of interest. They were mostly taken by Robert French, chief photographer at William Lawrence Photographic Studios of Dublin, creators of the famous Lawrence Collection now held at the National Library of Ireland. In the late 1870’s William Lawrence sought out Robert French to photograph topographical work. French provided up to date views to Lawrence for 35 years which were sold in agencies throughout Ireland. In the period from 1880-1910 the firm dominated photography in Ireland.
A carved agate Fabergé frog UPDATE: THIS MADE 6,700 AT HAMMER OVER A TOP ESTIMATE OF 2,000
More than 300 lots of silver, furniture, art and jewellery will come under the hammer at Hegarty’s. Among the most expensively estimated are a gold lady’s Rolex wristwatch and a gem set carved agate frog attributed to Fabergé. Complete with gold mounted purple gem set eyes it is in a fitted Fabergé case with matching inventory number, Imperial stamp and marked Fabergé, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Odessa. These tiny figures – this one just five cm wide and 2 cm high – were born of Fabergé’s love for Japanese netsuke. He maintained a large collection of them.
Neatly sized antique furniture is usually a draw and this sale offers a 19th century Chippendale style kneehole desk/chest with serpentine top, canted corners, a brush slide and ample storage in tip top condition. There should be some interest too in an Irish mahogany sideboard which dates to the late 19th century.The silver section includes an 18th century Irish silver salver with the date mark for 1774 and a JL makers mark and an early 20th century Birmingham silver trinket box.
