The Travelling Baby House was the top lot at Fonsie Mealy’s summer sale in Castlecomer today. The rare small mahogany two room house made a hammer price of 48,000 over an estimate of 3,000-4,000. The c1810 English house was of a type mentioned in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. It was from the Vivienne Greene collection and proceeds from the sale are being distributed to various Irish childrens charities. Another dolls house, Portobello, sold for 12,000 at hammer.
The sale realised in excess of 420,000 on the hammer with 85% of lots sold.
The dramatic 1885 rescue of the expeditionary force sent to relieve General Gordon of Khartoum made Admiral Charles Beresford, second son of the 4th Marquis of Waterford, a national hero. Albums, scrapbooks and material relating to the Admiral come up at Fonsie Mealy’s summer sale in Castlecomer on July 23. Beresford, who joined the navy aged 13, had a long and spectacular career In 1882 as captain of the gunboat condor he sailed his ship inshore to bombard the gun batteries of Alexandria during the Egyptian campaign. Three years later, in command of the Safie, he rescued the Khartoum Expeditionary Force. In 1916 he was awarded the title Baron Beresford of Metemmeh and Curraghmore and when he died in 1919 he was given a ceremonial funeral at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Other materials relating to Beresford in the sale include a 1909 advertising poster for Michael Power of Main St.,Carrick on Suir, grocer, tobacconist, wine importer and whiskey merchant, with an image of the Admiral standing on deck with his dog. The auction of 744 lots is brimful of interest. It includes maritime paintings relating to Admiral Beresford, items formerly housed at Tara Palace Museum of Childhood, dolls houses, a collection of Ronnie McDonnell miniature apprentice furniture pieces, Irish, English and European art, silver, porcelain, militaria and collectibles as well as a small selection of wines, port and whiskeys.
Co. Tipperary advertising poster featuring Admiral Beresford UPDATE: THIS MADE 800 AT HAMMER
No summer antique auction would be complete without a pair of proper cast iron benches. Woodwards will have a fine Coalbrookdale example at their sale in Cork on July 20. The selection of antiques on offer ranges from a Vienna wall clock to a Regency teapot and a Georgian bachelor’s chest estimated respetively at 600-1,000, 400-800 and 300-500. The auction will feature chairs, mirrors, silver and collectibles. The Coalbrookdale benches are estimated at 1,200-2,000 and a five piece cast iron garden suite is estimated at 800-1,200.
This carved wine cooler c1772-74 after a design by Robert Adam and attributed to Sefferin Nelson comes up at The Exceptional Sale at Christie’s in London on July 4. It is among seven items from the 7th Earl of Harewoods Will Trust in the auction, being sold by order of the trustees and is estimated at £120,000-180,000.
The At Home sale at James Adam in Dublin at 11.30 a.m. on June 30 features a wide variety of lots including silver, art, antique furniture, jewellery and collectibles including a Lalique Ceylan glass vase and some Russian Gardner porcelain figures made in Moscow in the 19th century. The catalogue is online.
A Russian Gardner porcelain figure of a peasant woman, Moscow, 19th century (1,000-1,500). UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,500 AT HAMMER
Out of the ordinary collectibles like a pair of Chinese Qing astronomers chairs, a hardwood temple plaque, an electrified dolls house and a rather fine Cork Regency brass inlaid chest abound at Sheppards two day sale in Durrow on June 25 and 26. The sale offers residual contents from Castle Blunden in Co. Kilkenny as well as lots from other clients. The auction of over 1,200 lots is conveniently broken up into four sessions starting at 10.30 am and 2 pm on each day. The Cork chest is distinguished by brass inlay and turned spiral columns. It is estimated at 2,500-3,500. A Neo Classical marble chimney piece is the sort of lot that might find a new home relatively easily in these post recession times. This one, lot 825, is estimated at 4,000-6,000. There is a more modest estimate of just 100-150 on an attractive Victorian bentwood rocking chair. The catalogue is online at www.sheppards.ie and there is iewing in Durrow is from 10.30 am to 5 pm for the next three days.
Cork Regency chest of drawers UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,200 AT HAMMER
A topographical Cork city scene by Letitia Marion Hamilton will highlight the Lynes and Lynes sale in Carrigtwohill on June 22. Cork city paintings by Hamilton are unusual and rarely turn up so auctioneer Denis Lynes anticipates that there will be plenty of interest. It is a busy scene showing St. Patrick’s Quay and Penrose Quay. There are cars parked on the quayside and at least one horse and cart. Brian Boru bridge is depicted with the R and H Hall and Odlums buildings in the background. This is a city centre and river scape of a rapidly changing area but it recalls a Cork that many will clearly remember. The estimate for the work is 10,000-15,000.
Cork city scene by Letitia Mation Hamilton RHA (1878-1964) UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 15,000
There is a Head of Christ by Maurice Desmond and Three Shadows, a limited edition print by Tony O’Malley. Lot 217 is a c1900 carved oak and gilded altar with an estimate of just 200-400. Other furniture includes a Victorian four door bookcase and a pair of Cork nine bar open chairs.
On offer too is a silver trowel presented to Sean MacEntee, Minister for Health and Social Welfare, on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone for the New Erinville Hospital on June 7, 1961. In the Celtic Revival style and by William Egan of Cork it is estimated at 800-1,200. A c1792 Dublin sugar bowl by Matthew West is estimated at 300-500.
There was a new record for any work – collaboration or independent design – by Eugène Printz and Jean Dunand at Christie’s design sale in New York. A cabinet by the pair achieved $5,496,000 during a protracted bidding war among three telephone bidders, smashing the pre-sale auction estimate of $300,000-$500,000. This result is the highest price for a work of French Art Deco since Eileen Gray’s Dragon Chair sold for $28 million at Christie’s 2009 auction of the Collection of Yves Saint Laurent et Pierre Bergé, and the third all-time highest price for a work of 20th and 21st Century furniture design. The auction totalled $14,038,250, selling 80% by lot and 96% by value.
EUGÈNE PRINTZ (1889-1948) AND JEAN DUNAND (1877-1942) IMPORTANT CABINET, CIRCA 1937
A set of Finn Juhl chairs designed in 1946 for the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers Guild exhibition and which were used as boardroom chairs at the Gowan Group in Ballsbridge come up at de Veres design auction in Dublin on May 19.
One of a number of pairs of chairs by Finn Juhl UPDATE: THREE LOTS OF TWO CHAIRS MADE HAMMER PRICES OF 11,000, 11,500 AND 11,500 RESPECTIVELY.
This is a pop up auction of 180 lots of classic design furniture and lighting, 250 lots of contemporary Irish art and wines from the 2005 Bordeaux vintage. Danish and Italian pieces from the 1950’s, ’60’s and ’70’s are included along with work by Arne Jacobsen, Eileen Gray, Florence Knoll, Willy Rizzo, Cini Boeri and Pierre Paulin with furniture by Bo Concept and Ligne Roset. There is art by Patrick Scott, Michael Farrell, Neil Shawcross and the balance of The Axa Art collection sold last year by de Veres. The 93 cases of en primeur wine are to be sold in a timed auction with bidding up to 8 pm on May 19. The auction at 2 pm on May 19 takes place at 35 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin. The catalogue is online.
An Italian triennale floor lamp attributed to Angelo Lelli UPDATE: THIS FAILED TO SELL
With just 129 pieces the Masterworks auction at Sbeppards in Durrow on May 16 is short on lots but long on interest. The selection on offer is wide ranging and estimates vary from 140-180 for a first period Belleek basket to 35,000-45,000 for a signed watercolour head of Samuel Beckett by Louis le Brocquy which has been on loan to the University of Limerick for the last ten years.
19th century Italian ebony pietra dura and ormolu cabinet on stand
The sale kicks off with a 12 bottle case of 2006 Chateau Mouton Rothschild estimated at 3,500-4,500. It then ranges through a 19th century French ormolu clock garniture, an early Persian sword, Art Deco bronzes, a 2002 model Steinway boudoir grand piano, a Venetian violin to a Killarney work table. There are some Old Master paintings and a 19th century Italian cabinet on stand with Pietra Dura inserts estimated at 35,000-45,000. There are Meissen parrots, French panels, an 18th century Chippendale pier mirror, a Chinese rosewood screen, a pair of Venetian blackamoor figures and an early Sino-Tibetan bronze buddha.The catalogue cover lot is a Chinese Qing gilt bronze and polychrome censer in the form of a foo dog with an estimate of 15,000-20,000. The catalogue is online.
Chinese Qing censer in the form of a foo dog UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 95,000
