Two exceptionally rare Irish gold ciboria discovered at the Convent of Mercy in Newry, authenticated as important examples of nineteenth-century Irish ecclesiastical pieces, come up at Victor Mee’s convent sale on June 9, 10 and 11. Hallmarked in Dublin and dating from 1881 and 1882 they were made by Dublin goldsmith John Donegan. Crafted in 22-carat gold and decorated with intricate foliate ornamentation, both pieces are surmounted by crosses. One ciborium contains an insert set with nine old-cut diamonds and three moissanites. Lots 852 and 861 are each estimated at €30,000-€40,000. A ciborium is a covered vessel used to hold consecrated hosts for the Christian Eucharist.
Georgian Irish silver buttons. UPDATE: THESE MADE €1,420 at hammer
A set of seven c1760 Georgian Irish silver buttons, inscribed ‘Armagh Hunt’ and with an engraving of a hare is one of the more unusual lots at the online sale by O’Donovan’s of Newcastlewest on June 3. The estimate is €300-350. The evening auction offers 439 lots of period furniture, hallmarked silver, shop and pub clearances, enamel signs and collectibles. The catalogue is online.
The first edition of the first book published by an Irish author. UPDATE: THIS MADE €10,000 AT HAMMER
A landmark in Irish bibliography will lead the sale by Purcell Auctioneers in Birr on May 27. The first edition of the first book by an Irish author to write for the printing press rather than the scriptorum is estimated at €10,000-€15,000. Maurice O’Fehily: Questiones Subtilisme Scoti Metaphysicam Aristotelis (Most Subtle Questions of Duns Scotus on the Metaphysics of Aristotle) was published in Venice on November 20, 1497. It is thus an inculabula, the term which refers to the earliest printed works up to the year 1500. Maurice O’Fehily was born in Baltimore, Co. Cork. The Franciscan friar, theologian and author was appointed Archbishop of Tuam in 1506 and died in 1513.
A 15th century medieval legal manuscript written in middle French or law French from the library of Sir Thomas Phillipps (1792 – 1872) made €36,000 and original ordnance survey maps of Co. Louth from 1835 made €10,500.
The Ocean Dream became the most expensive fancy vivid blue-green diamond ever sold at auction at Christie’s in Geneva today. It made CHF 13,567,500 | US$ 17,366,400 after 20 minutes of intense bidding. The magnificent jewels sale achieved CHF 51,859,550 | US$ 66,501,674, with sell through rates of 99% by lot and 186% by low estimate. Of the 87 lots offered 84% sold over their high estimate.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for April 24, 2026)
Butterfly Brooch, early 20th century. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd. 2026, Anna Buklovska
Jewels from the collection of Claudia Cardinale will highlight Christie’s Joaillerie Paris online sale from June 19-26. The sale will take place after the tribute that at Cannes Film Festival from May 12-15 and 65 years after her first ascent of the red carpet in 1961. The star who died last year is remembered as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Italian and international cinema. About 20 pieces of jewellery chosen, cherished and worn by the actress will be in the sale.
Rare 1860’s Irish oak harp clock by John Donegan. UPDATE: THIS MADE 16,500 AT HAMMER
An unusual and very Irish oak harp clock by the Dublin maker John Donegan from the 1860’s is the prime lot at R.J. Keighery’s clock auction in Waterford on May 13. Only eight of these clocks are known. This is the first to be sold at auction. It measures nine feet tall and is brimful of detail like harps, pikes, a wolfound, two round towers and a lyre. The base depicts the Giant’s Causeway and the hood is in the shape of a harp. It is estimated at €6,000-€9,000. John Donegan is known as the last of the Irish watchmakers.
The auction offers 345 watches and clocks from four lifetime collectors along with associated furniture lots. There are longcase clocks, wall clocks, carriage clocks, marble mantle clocks, barometers and watch arts. A brass dial longcase clock by William Maddock of Waterford made in 1766 is estimated at €1,800-€2,200. A large ormolu and boulle clock has an estimate of €1,250-€1,450.
The Meeting of Dante and Virgil, 1546–49. Wool, silk, tapestry weave. Courtesy of Mia.
The only early Medicean tapestry in a public collection outside Italy is to be restored. The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is recipient of the 2026 Museum Restoration Fund from The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF). Joint support from the Bank of America Art Conservation Project will enable the conservation of The Meeting of Dante and Virgil, a monumental 16th-century Italian tapestry of exceptional rarity and importance.
Established in 2012, the TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund supports the conservation and related scholarly research of significant works held in public collections. This year marks the first time the fund has supported the treatment of a tapestry. Mia holds one of the most distinguished tapestry collections in the United States, with 41 works. The Meeting of Dante and Virgil is among the most significant Renaissance works in Mia’s collection and is considered the most important Italian Renaissance tapestry in the United States. The tapestry measures 5.3 meters, which is equivalent to 17.4 feet.
The Florentine workshop that produced the tapestry was founded in 1545 by Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, who sought to rival the celebrated weaving centers of Brussels. He recruited Jan Rost, a master weaver from Brussels, to establish and oversee production. The tapestry’s design and cartoons were created by the painter Francesco Salviati (1510–1563) between 1546 and 1548, and the work was woven between 1547 and 1549 during the formative years of Medici tapestry production.
TEFAF New York runs from May 15-19 at the Park Avenue Armory.
Conor Horgan EDGE 53, 2024, from the series EDGE, courtesy of the artist and Photo Museum Ireland
The top prize of €10,000 of the inaugural Taylor Wessing Irish Photo Prize has been awarded to Conor Horgan for his work from the series EDGE. Addressing the emergence of barriers along Dublin’s Grand Canal and nearby areas in an attempt to deter homeless people seeking asylum from sleeping there, Horgan’s image focuses not on individuals but on the structures themselves. It invites viewers to consider the experiences of these men who after they arrived, were met with the opposite of what they most needed – protection.
Two Judges’ Selection Awards of €2,500 each were presented to Laura Dunwoody and Salem Anowe Chukwuezi for distinct and powerful perspectives on contemporary Ireland. Dunwoody’s series Nothing Lasts Forever offers an intimate and long-term portrait of youth and community in Ballymun, while Chukwuezi’s Covert showcases the reality for Black men in Ireland, making visible what often goes unseen. The Taylor Wessing Irish Photo Bursaryof €10,000, which recognises an emerging artist whose practice shows exceptional promise, was awarded to Patryk Gizicki. His work explores youth culture and evolving ideas of identity and masculinity, offering a nuanced and personal perspective shaped by his Polish heritage and Irish upbringing.
Presented in partnership with Taylor Wessing and Photo Museum Ireland and facilitated by Business to Arts, the prize establishes a national platform for photography, offering unprecedented visibility and support for artists at all stages of their careers. As the largest combined prize fund for contemporary photography in Ireland, the initiative marks a significant investment in the country’s cultural life. The Taylor Wessing Irish Photo Prize exhibition is at Photo Museum Ireland, Dublin from April 22 to May 24.
HERMES KELLY II RETOURNE 25. UPDATE: THIS MADE €22,000 at hammer
This Hermes Kelly handbag, in the Retourne style, in Black Cheri calfskin leather with gold hardware is lot 20 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s auction of fine jewellery and watches, which runs until the evening of April 22. From the 2025 collection it is new and unworn and estimated at €10,000-€15,000. There are 157 lots on the catalogue for this online auction. The most expensively estimated – at €40,000-€60,000 – is a pair of Art Deco ruby and diamond ear pendants set with six cabochon rubies weighing approximately 17 carats.
RUBY AND DIAMOND EAR PENDANTS. UPDATE: THESE MADE €38,000 at hammer
An original Pablo Picasso painting worth more than €1 million has just been won in a charity raffle. The winner is engineer and art enthusiast Ari Hodara. More than 120,000 tickets for the draw were sold at €100 each, raising around €11 million for Alzheimer’s research. This was the third edition of the “1 Picasso for 100 euros” fundraising raffle, founded in 2013. Tête de Femme (Head of a Woman) is a gouache-on-paper portrait of Picasso’s partner and muse, the French surrealist artist Dora Maar.
“How do I know this isn’t a prank?” the 58-year-old asked when he answered a video call from Christie’s in Paris. Hodara, who lives in Paris, bought his ticket number 94,715 over the weekend after learning about the competition by chance.
The first edition of the raffle was won by a 25-year-old American from Pennsylvania in 2013, with funds raised to help preserve the Lebanese city of Tyre – a Unesco World Heritage Site. A 58-year-old Italian accountant won the second edition, in 2020, after her son bought her a ticket for Christmas. Proceeds were donated to sanitation projects in schools and villages in Cameroon, Madagascar and Morocco.
