Bronze sculpture of boys climbing a ladder made 7,200 at hammer
This seasonal bronze sculpture of boys climbing a ladder made a hammer price of 7,200 at the opening evening of Victor Mee’s three day Palace Collection sale on September 20. Two Irish Georgian marble statuary fireplaces each made 14,000, a plaster cast statue of Venus of Arles made 4,600,, a bronze sculpture of a majestic stage made 3,600, an Irish Georgian longcase clock by John Irwin of Boyle made 4,000, an Irish Crystal 15 branch chandelier made 3,500 and a 17th century oak refectory table made 3,400. The online sale continues at 6 pm on September 21 and 22.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for September 16, 2022)
Georgian lowboy (€300-€400). UPDATE: THIS MADE 470 AT HAMMER
All auctions with antique furniture offer plenty of opportunities for entry level collectors. The sort of value to be had is underlined at Woodwards sale in Cork on September 24. A selection of Georgian, William IV, Victorian and Edwardian furniture is all available at under €500. Many of these built to last venerable old pieces would have cost more two decades ago than they do today and defy every current trend simply by getting cheaper. If auction history teaches us anything it is that antique pieces from particular eras have to survive a period of unfashionability and a tendency to break them up. The time to come back into some sort of vogue is overdue.
What is slightly puzzling is that in an era like this one when anything goes antique furniture is not at all unfashionable. The best interiors are routinely drawn from many sources – eclectic if you like – and the stylish modern home offers huge scope for individual taste and style in furniture, art and collectibles. Even if we are about to be bled dry by energy costs and inflation we need to feather winter nests for the coming winter. Here are some examples from Woodwards with estimates in brackets: Georgian lowboy (€300-€400); concave cabinet (€300-€400); George II card table (€400-€500); Edwardian demi-lune card table (€300-€400); William IV sideboard (€400-€500); Edardian twin pillar dining table (€300-€400); Edwardian sofa table (€300-€400) and a small bachelors chest (€150-€200). The catalogue is online.
A new design series by Joseph Walsh – Riverstick, Co. Cork based global design superstar – opens at Sotheby’s in London today. On show is a selling exhibition of key pieces from his newly developed Gestures series on display for the first time. The 12 sinuous works include a large dining table, a sculptural bench, free form lounge chairs, dining chairs and various wall mounted sculptural shelves.
Now in mid career Joseph Walsh is the Eileen Gray of this generation – and not every generation throws up designer innovators of this calibre. A century ago Gray was making lacquered pieces in Paris. This new series by Joseph Walsh, whose work is celebrated by design cognoscenti from Tokyo to Chicago to Paris, is finished in ebonised black. Beginning with charcoal sketches which Walsh translates into scale model studies in wood Gestures has emerged over the past three years. Wood is cut into layers, rebuilt and carved to create an uninterrupted sculptural form and finished in black. Each piece is functional and boldly sculptural. The show at Sotheby’s, which coincides with the London Design Festival, runs until September 29.
Irish Georgian marble breakfront chimney piece. UPDATE: THIS MADE 14,000 AT HAMMER
This Irish Georgian fireplace is among the top lots at Victor Mee’s annual Palace Collection sale which runs from September 20-22. Viewing gets underway at the former Bishop’s Palace, Kilmore, Co Cavan on September 17 and the catalogue is online. There are 1,748 lots of antique furniture, decorative interior pieces and garden furniture and the auction includes contents from Benmore House in Co. Fermanagh. The breakfront chimney piece with centre plaque illustrated here is estimated at €15,000-€25,000 and is lot 250b. It is one of a number of fireplace pieces in the sale. There is a big selection of antique furniture, art, collectibles and a variety with a wide appeal to all tastes across varying price ranges.
This table was once the property of Queen Marie Antoinette. UPDATE:THIS WAS UNSOLD
There is considerable provenance to lot 652 at Fonsie Mealy’s autumn Chatsworth auction in Castlecomer on September 27-28. According to the auctioneer the 18th century French Louis XVI oval walnut and tulipwood table pictured here was once the property of Marie Antoinette. Purchased in Paris by Lord Charles Beresford it was given as a gift to Mrs. Maude of Belgard Castle, Clondalkin, Dublin on the birth of her son Marcus “Markie” Maude in 1896. He died in Mesopotamia aged 24 and the table went by descent to Mount Juliet from Colonel Silcock. It was purchased by the present vendor at Mount Juliet. The table was made by Jean-Pierre Dusautoy (1719-1800) and is stamped. There is a three quarter pierced brass gallery and oval top with a tooled leather inset inside a crossbanded edge. It is estimated at 4,000-6,000. The two day sale of over 1,000 lots is brimful of interest and the catalogue is online.
Oval centre table estimated at just €400-€600. UPDATE: THIS MADE 600 AT HAMMER
Just like Patrick Kavanagh you might meet your object of desire on Raglan Road on an autumn day. In the case of the poet it was a lady whose dark hair would weave a snare which he might one day rue. In yours and mine, more prosaically, it could just be something from the timed auction that de Veres is running at 25 Raglan Road until September 19. The auctioneers say this entire sale offers a window into the mind of an interior designer and that this is an opportunity to pick up pieces as new. The mix of antique, modern and contemporary furniture is complemented by lighting, prints, mirrors, soft furnishings, porcelain and household items. One of the most expensively estimated lots is an Andrew Martin sofa (€1,000-€2,000). Mirrors, chairs, curtains, dressing tables, lamps, lined curtains, chests of drawers and porcelain are all very reasonably estimated, many at under €300. There will be viewing at the house next Friday, Saturday and Sunday week. The catalogue is online now.
SIR JOHN LAVERY, R.S.A., R.H.A., R.A. (1856-1941) Lady Gwendoline Spencer-Churchill in The Merchant of Venice. COURTESY CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2021. UPDATE: THIS MADE £44,100
Paintings and furniture in the home of a husband and wife over a remarkable span of almost 125 years will come under the hammer at ‘Churchill to Eden: The Collection of The Earl and Countess of Avon’ at Christie’s in London on October 21. On offer is an eclectic collection – the property of Sir Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, K.G., M.C., P.C. (1897–1977), the former British Conservative Party politician who served as Foreign Secretary (1935–1938; 1940– 1945 and 1951–1955) and Prime Minister of the UK (1955 – 1957) and his second wife, Clarissa Spencer-Churchill (1920–2021).
The sale is an evocative journey into an almost vanished world of politics, society and inter-connections. It will include English furniture, Impressionist and Modern Art, Modern British Art, Antiquities, Chinese Works of Art, Islamic Works of Art, Books and Manuscripts and Silver, all collected by Lord and Lady Avon over many decades. The couple met at a dinner party in 1947 and were married in 1952 in London, garnering international media attention. The reception was held at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister and hosted by Winston Churchill. Eden eventually succeeded Churchill as Prime Minister in 1955. Upon retiring from the House of Commons and being elevated to the House of Lords, Eden was created Earl of Avon in 1961.
UPDATE: THE SALE TOTALLED £2,766,176
Georges Braque, Verre et Huîtres, a gift from Anthony to Clarissa, Courtesy CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2021. UPDATE: THIS MADE £378,000
Away from his life of politics Eden had a passion for art from an early age, with a keen eye which helped to form this collection. Clarissa Eden counted friendships with Lucian Freud and Greta Garbo among others. Unsurprisingly for a British Prime Minister the collection is led by important Modern British Art; including two paintings by Winston Churchill given to Eden during his political career, three works by Sir John Lavery and works given to Lady Avon by her friends Cecil Beaton and David Jones. There is art by Picasso, Braque, Degas, Laurencin and Corot. The sale also features highlights from Lord Avon’s library including signed Churchill, Field Marshal Montgomery and de Gaulle editions, alongside signed works to Lady Avon from notable authors Evelyn Waugh, Noel Coward and Cecil Beaton.
Many lots graced the Eden’s Green Drawing Room at 10 Downing Street and featured in archive issues of Country Life in 1961 and in Apollo in 1969 when Lord and Lady Avon were living at Fyfield Manor in Wiltshire where they resided until Lord Avon’s death in 1977. Clarissa lived to the age of 101 and died in 2021.
LILY OF THE VALLEY DONEGAL CARPET ATTRIBUTED TO C F A VOYSEY. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
A Donegal carpet attributed to C F A Voysey, one of the most noteworthy designers of the Arts and Crafts Movement, is the most expensively estimated lot at an auction by Reilly’s Antiques of Prosperous, Co. Kildare on September 10. It is estimated at 3,400-3,700. The Donegal Carpet Factory was founded in 1898 by the Scottish textile manufacturer Alexander Morton. The work of the factory became world famous in the opening decades of the 20th century. Carpets were made on a 42′ wide hand knotting loom mainly by local women to designs by notable designers like Voysey. There are 418 lots of antique furniture and collectibles in the sale. The catalogue is online.
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.
