18TH-CENTURY SINO-TIBETAN GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF A MANJUSHRI
This finely cast 18th century Sino-Tibetan gilt bronze made a hammer price of €9,500 over an estimate of €800-€1,200 at Sheppards two day sale of the collection of Philip and Constance Murphy in Durrow today. The figure of a Manjushri, the bodhisattva of transcendent wisdom, is seated in the meditation position atop a double-lotus throne with beaded rims. It is richly adorned with beaded jewellery and a five-pointed crown, with detailed facial expression and blue pigment remaining in the hair and crown crevices. A folder of 24 Chinese Qing watercolours made €14,000, a Chinese Qing period Hu shaped vase made €7,650 at hammer, a 19th century oil painting of a volcanic eruption by moonlight made €7,500, a 19th century marine chronometer made €5,400, a Chinese Qing Period blue dragon plate made €5,000, an Arts and Crafts carpet made €4,300, a 19th century automaton bird clock under a glass dome made €4,000 at hammer, a Persian Tabriz carpet made €4,200, an 18th century Dublin bracket clock made €3,600, a trio of Chinese gold commemorative coins made €2,800 and a Chinese lime glazed bowl made €2,800.
19th century French polished steel and brass centre table. UPDATE: THE CLOSING BID WAS 3,000
This white veined marble topped table is the leading lot at Mullen’s of Laurel Park timed online Classic and Contemporary Interiors auction which runs in Bray until July 20. The marble rests on a pierced foliate cast frieze on scroll supports. The estimate is €3,000-€4,000. The catalogue lists over 650 lots and is online.
Sheppards will auction contents from this room at Royal Terrace West in Dun Laoghaire
Take a close look at this photograph of one of the reception rooms at 6 Royal Terrace West, Dun Laoghaire and you will undoubtedly agree that it is elegant, comfortable, lived in and loved. This was home to the late collectors Philip and Constance Murphy and Sheppards will auction their contents on July 15-16.
Because this room might not appear to be particularly fashionable in the current sense this auction offers a real opportunity for collectors. Take another look at the furniture in the room. The view from left to the middle of the picture reveals a Georgian sofa table, a Regency teapoy on tripod base in the window, a 19th century upholstered mahogany footstool, a mahogany open bookcase with fluted uprights and a three seater sofa.
At 2025 prices these five pieces are respectively estimated at €500-€800, €250-€350, €150-€250, €200-€300 and €300-€500. The lower estimates add up to just €1,400, the upper ones to €2,200. Even with the addition of fees of around 25%-30% including VAT prices like this represent startling value. Wonderful for buyers, not such good news for sellers.
Donegal runner designed by CFA Voysey UPDATE: THIS MADE €3,400 at hammer
At the very least the Murphys, as real collectors, will have experienced the joys of putting that room together over many years, of adding, subtracting and replacing pieces and greatly enjoying their home.
Continuing on our visual journey around this room we come across two Victorian armchairs, one with scroll arms, a Victorian Canterbury, a Victorian circular mahogany table, an Edwardian inlaid mahogany cabinet on stand, two upholstered wingback armchairs and a pair of Chinese red lacquer blanket chests doing duty as side tables.
The Victorian button back armchairs are each estimated at €200-€300, the Canterbury at €200-€300, the circular table at €400-€600, the cabinet on stand at €400-€600, the upholstered wingback armchairs at €150-€250 each and the pair of Chinese lacquered chests at €400-€600.
The front of a Georgian bureau bookcase can be glimpsed to the far right of the picture and this is estimated at just €500-€800.
A white Jambala Thangka or traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting on fabric. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 301
The auction is on view at the classic Victorian terraced house at Royal Terrace West on today, tomorrow and Monday from 10 am to 5 pm on each day. The sale of just over 1,000 lots will take place in Durrow and online.
19th century French gilt mantle clock with Daniel in the Lion’s Den. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
A c1770 Cork silver coffee pot by John Nicholson. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Silver, jewellery, art, rugs, furniture and collectibles will come under the hammer at Hegarty’s live online auction on July 16. Top lots include a George III Cork silver coffee pot by John Nicholson. The highly collectible c1770 piece is of baluster form, raised on a circular foot, with a cartouche, a family coat of arms and a hardwood handle. The estimate is €10,000-€12,000. At Hegarty’s last sale on June 26 a rare Irish silver cream ewer by Joseph Johns of Limerick from the same collection made €4,600 at hammer.
In a sale with a rich selection of rings a round, brilliant cut diamond solitaire of 2.02 carats and earrings is estimated at €10,000-€12,000. A Cartier cluster ring has an estimate of €7,500-€8,500, an Irish made gold, emerald and diamond ring is estimated at €2,000-€3,000 and a pair of Tiffany silver hoop earrings is estimated at €180-€220. An early panoramic oil on board of the Irish countryside by Norman McCaig is estimated at €800-€1,200 and Isabella, a sketch by John Butler Yeats, has an estimate of €700-€900. The catalogue is online.
Panoramic oil on board by Norman McCaig. UPDATE: THIS LOT WAS WITHDRAWN
PAIR OF WILLIAM IV MAHOGANY X-FRAME WINDOW SEATS. UPDATE: THIS LOT WAS WITHDRAWN
This pair of William IV window seats are lot 58 at the James Adam timed online warehouse auction which runs until July 18. Complete with twist turns and cross stretchers and brown leather horsehair padded seats they are estimated at €1,000-2,000. More than 400 lots of art, furniture, silver and collectibles will come under the hammer with viewing at Adams Warehouse in Dublin from July 16. The catalogue is online now.
This group of gold US Indian Head coins made €10,000 at hammer at Adams.
All that glisters is not gold is an aphorism that collectors need to be aware of always, especially now. In these uncertain times there is nothing remotely uncertain about the strong demand for a precious metal that is a long term hedge against inflation and falling values.
Always a safe haven for money in a stormy climate gold – headed by a group of nine American gold eagle ten dollar Indian head coins from 1926 – made up no less than eight of the top ten lots at Adams Jewellery Box sale in Dublin on June 24. They were the top lot of the auction and made €10,000 at hammer. A collection of 26 gold half sovereigns made €7,500, a group of 12 gold sovereigns made €6,500, 23 Victorian half sovereigns made €6,000 and other gold coins in the top ten made hammer prices of €6,000, €5,500 and €5,000.
A 1913 centrepiece by West and Son with Celtic Revival detailing at Sheppards. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Where all that leaves everything else on the auction market in Ireland right now is an open question. All sorts of collectibles are selling well, Irish art continues to be a mainstay, demand for antique furniture remains pretty much in the doldrums and demand across the board can best be described as variable.
House sales are always a draw. Sheppards will offer contents from a classic Victorian house at 6 Royal Terrace in the leafy suburbs of Dun Laoghaire on July 15 and 16. There will be much interest in the collection of lawyer Philip Murphy who died last year. His father J.T. Murphy served as a Labour Party TD for west Cork from 1923 until his sudden death in 1949 at which point he was Minister for Local Government in the John A Costello government.
Philip Murphy and his late wife Constance were collectors of everything from Killarney ware and antique clocks to silver, Arts and Crafts carpets and oriental art. Among the prime lots in the sale are an 18th century Irish ebonised bracket clock by Graydon, Dublin (€4,000-€6,000), a Donegal runner by C.F.A. Voysey (€3,000-€6,000), a Guangxu lime glazed bowl (€3,000-€6,000), a pair of Ottoman flintlock pistols (€2,000-€3,000), a West and Son Irish silver Celtic Revival centrepiece from 1913 (€2,000-€3,000), a Killarney games box (€1,400-€1,800), two Killarney writing boxes and a Killarney ware box, each estimated at €800-€1,200 and a 19th century marine chronometer by Thomas Roberts, Liverpool (€4,000-€6,000).
A Warming Glow by Mark O’Neill at Aidan Foley’s auction.
Art by Mark O’Neill, Graham Knuttel, Markey Robinson, Louis le Brocquy and John Butler Yeats will feature at Aidan Foley’s auction at 6 pm on both next Monday and Tuesday evening (July 7 and 8). This is a sale of art, antique furniture, garden statuary and collectibles offering everything from a Georgian oak coffer and a Killarney wood trinket box to Victorian games, tea and dining tables and Oriental rugs and runners.
A double weight Vienna wall clock in walnut is estimated at just €200-€400, as is an 18th century oval drop leaf dining table and a Victorian parquetry inlaid side table. Tribal art is always of interest and a large carved African mask is estimated at just €60-€100. Choices range from a coromandel wood games box ((€60-€80) and a vintage Babycham dish for nibbles (€40-€80) to a pair of large blue and white platters (€200-€300) and a Tiffany style table lamp (€200-€250). The auction is on view in Doneraile on today, tomorrow and Monday.
A selection of the jewellery on offer at Matthews in Kells.
Should you decide to go in search of gold you will find it at Matthews sale in Kells on tomorrow and Monday. Lot 538 is a US Liberty double eagle 1903 gold 20 dollar coin (€1,500-€2,500). A Queen Elizabeth II gold sovereign is estimated at €400-€700 and a 1905 half sovereign is estimated at €200-€300. The top lot is an Art Deco diamond link bracelet mounted in platinum (€20,000-€30,000) and the sale offers a wide selection of desirable pieces.
A pair of bird’s eye maple hall stands. UPDATE: THIS LOT WAS UNSOLD
An unusual pair of bird’s eye maple ormolu mounted mirrored hall stands with grey marble tops will feature at Marshs online only auction in Cork on July 5. The sale will offer a selection of Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian furniture, art and collectibles like Waterford Crystal, silver, clocks, rugs and books.
A large bronze sculpture of a lady signed Ross is estimated at €1,200-€1,500 and a Georgian four door breakfront bookcase has an estimate of €1,000-€1,200. Among other furniture lots are a Victorian rosewood davenport, a Regency satinwood and marquetry occasional table, a Georgian three tier waterfall bookshelf and a Georgian Canterbury.
Irish Georgian bureau bookcase. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,500 AT HAMMER
Edwardian roll top desk. UPDATE: THIS MADE 180 AT HAMMER
A hot Georgian wine cooler or a cool Edwardian desk? The choice is yours at Woodwards online summer auction in Cork on June 28. Well positioned each of these stylish antique pieces can add grace to most homes. Estimated respectively at €600-€800 and €400-€600 they are not particularly expensive and would have cost more 20 years ago.
Such is the sad state of the market for antique furniture. The happy news (if that is not a contradiction in terms right now) is that furniture like this does offer spectacular value. The sale at Woodwards is rich in such pieces like a Regency crossbanded tea table (€400-€600), a d-end dining table (€200-€400), a parquetry inlaid hall table (€200-€400), a Victorian walnut davenport (€300-€500), a William IV card table (€250-€400) and a Regency Pembroke table (€300-€600). Among other offerings are a large Persian rug (€500-€800), a five piece cast iron patio suite (€800-€1,200), a gilt console mirror with marble table top (€800-€1,200) and art including Vanity Fair Spy prints and Victorian silhouettes and collectibles.
Georgian wine cooler UPDATE: THIS MADE 380 AT HAMMER
One of a pair of stone sculptures of Kinsale hounds UPDATE: THESE WERE UNSOLD
A monumental pair of stone sculptures of Kinsale hounds might be a tad over the top for your average apartment entrance but with a mansion, a castle or even a large imposing garden it is another story entirely. The Great Danes, in the style of the favourite hunting hound of the 25th Lord Kingsale, John de Courcy (1717-1776) are among a number of remarkable lots at Sheppards annual Glantelwe Gardens sale in Durrow on June 24.
A keen deer hunter Lord Kingsale lived at Old Head Castle and imported a pair of hunting dogs to help him deal with wolves. It is claimed the Kinsale hounds killed the last wolf in Ireland.
A pair of classical style terracotta campana urns UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Sheppards auction, on view from today at Glantelwe Gardens along the banks of the River Erkina in Co. Laois, offers more than 600 lots of statuary, sculpture and architectural pieces. Here you will find everything from a monumental Italian bronze fountain with four classically draped female figures (€15,000-€25,000) to a bronze patinated cannon (€3,000-€5,000), a contemporary bronze sculpture of boxing hares (€2,500-€3,500), a cast iron frog ornament (€50-€80) and a 19th century horse drawn carriage formerly owned by actress Maureen O’Hara.
With classical and contemporary statues, moulded stone urns, cast and wrought iron furniture, architectural salvage sourced from an Irish demesne, antique follies and ornamental ironwork this sale should be a mecca for collectors, gardeners and designers in search of a show stopping centrepiece or a discreet focal point.
A large green patinated bronze sculpture of Mercury, a pair of 19th century arched entrance gates, a set of six cast iron standard urns, a pair of Italianate stone dogs on plinths, neo-classical moulded urns, a pair of large Medici lions in composite stone, a 19th century cast iron bistro set and even a monumental bronze sculpture of a jockey on horseback all have the capacity to inspire.
The Kinsale hounds will set you back an estimated €8,000-€12,000.
A 19th century horse drawn carriage owned by Maureen O’Hara. UPDATE: THIS LOT WAS WITHDRAWN
This very rare blue and white Lotus vase with Yongzheng mark is at Adams with an estimate of €60,000-€80,000. UPDATE: THIS MADE €51,000 AT HAMMER
A rare blue and white globular Lotus vase leads the sale of Fine Asian Art at Adams in Dublin on June 25. Estimated at €60,000-€80,000 it carries the Yongzheng (1723-1735) six character mark in underglaze blue. The Yongzheng emperor took an unprecedented personal involvement in ceramic production and actively participated in the design and oversight of Imperial porcelain. Precious pieces from his era hold a revered place in Qing Dynasty ceramics. The auction offers more than 400 lots with estimates from €200 up.
