antiquesandartireland.com

Information about Art, Antiques and Auctions in Ireland and around the world
  • ABOUT
  • About Des
  • Contact

    • Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category

    FRENCH CROWN JEWELS ANYONE?

    Thursday, September 10th, 2015
    The Dowager Countess of Harcourt diamond necklace of about 65 carats. (US$1.3-1.9 million).

    The Dowager Countess of Harcourt diamond necklace of about 65 carats. (US$1.3-1.9 million).  UPDATE: TIFFANY PURCHASED THIS FOR US$1,548,718

    The Dowager Viscountess Harcourt diamond necklace incorporating 28 diamonds from the landmark 1887 auction of the French Crown Jewels will come up at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong on October 7.  The necklace is accompanied by thorough documentation of its passage through various notable owners over more than a century.  After the Third Republic of France was formed the Ministry of Finance decided to sell the once exclusive property of kings and queens in a public auction in 1887. Jewellers from Europe, North Africa and the United States flocked to the sale, along with European aristocrats and wealthy Americans.  Tiffany was rumoured to have purchased about one third of the lots including 28 mine cut old diamonds from the Great Comb a Pampilles.  They were sold a week later to Junius Morgan of the English banking family. They were passed to his young grand daughter Mary Burns who became Viscountess Harcourt in 1899.  The first Viscount Harcourt had the diamond chains remounted into the present necklace around 1900.  It is estimated at US$1.3-1.9 million.

    The sale offers a selection of superb natural coloured gemstones, diamonds, jadeite and jewels from the most coveted brands worldwide, including iconic designs from Cartier from the 1920s to the present. Among these is a ‘Panther’ ring featuring a 10.62-carat natural Burmese ruby.

    Pride of place goes to the Cowdray Pearls, one of the finest and rarest grey pearl necklaces known (US$4.5 – 7 million).  Formerly in the collection of Viscountess Cowdray, Lady Pearson (1860 – 1932), a distinguished connoisseur and collector, this magnificent necklace strung and mounted by Cartier comprises 42 extremely rare and superb natural grey saltwater pearls well-matched in lustre, shape and size. They are accompanied by a pair of natural grey pearl earrings with mounts by Cartier London.

    The Cowdray Pearls (US$4.5 – 7 million).

    The Cowdray Pearls (US$4.5 – 7 million).  UPDATE: THEY SOLD FOR US$5,266,667

    A 10.62 carat Burmese Mogok ruby, onyx and diamond ring. (|US$2.3-3.2 million).

    A 10.62 carat Burmese Mogok ruby, onyx and diamond ring. (|US$2.3-3.2 million).

    Tags: , ,
    Posted in AUCTIONS, Miscellaneous | Comments Off on FRENCH CROWN JEWELS ANYONE?

    EILEEN GRAY: THE FIRST UK EXHIBITION IN OCTOBER

    Thursday, August 13th, 2015
    Eileen Gray in a 1926 photo.

    Eileen Gray in a 1926 photo.

    The first UK exhibition of Irish designer and architect Eileen Gray (1878-1976) will be held at the Osborne Samuel Gallery in Mayfair, London from October 13 to November 7. It will feature over 60 paintings and photographs from the 1920’s to the 1960’s, personal effects and furniture and it will include some of her personal ephemera and letters.  Among these are her architect’s work table and a plan chest she designed in 1926.

    Eileen Gray is widely regarded as one of the most influential architects and designers of the 20th century.   The exhibition will coincide with the publication of Eileen Gray:  The Private Painter written by Andrew Lambirth. The exhibition is timely in that it coincides with the reopening of her E1027 villa in the south of France.  An upcoming film on Gray, The Price of Desire, is based on her relationship with Le Corbuser.  There is a permanent exhibition of Grey’s work at the Decorative Arts and History Museum at Collins Barracks in Dublin.

    A c1925 architectural plan chest by Eileen Gray

    A c1925 architectural plan chest by Eileen Gray

    Eileen Gray's Art Noir, Study for a Rug from 1922

    Eileen Gray’s Art Noir, Study for a Rug from 1922

    Tags: ,
    Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments Off on EILEEN GRAY: THE FIRST UK EXHIBITION IN OCTOBER

    BLOCKBUSTER ASIAN TREASURES SHOW TO OPEN AT RIJKSMUSEUM

    Wednesday, August 12th, 2015

    The excitement created by Asian treasures shipped to Holland during the Golden Age is the subject of an upcoming blockbuster show at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.  Asia in Amsterdam Exotic luxury in the Golden Age runs from October 17 to January 17, 2016.  Lacquer work, ivory, silver, silk, ebony, jewellery and enormous quantities of porcelain poured into Amsterdam, the then bustling ‘capital of the world’, to enrich the interiors of the increasingly prosperous Dutch bourgeoisie.

    Chinese blue-and-white porcelain was especially popular. It was much thinner, smoother and lighter than the earthenware made in Holland. The making of earthenware was soon refined in Delft, leading to the famous ‘Delft Blue’, with Chinese origins. Coloured Japanese porcelain first appeared around 1660, imported by Dutch East India Company officials returning from the Far East. This created another sensation and, 20 years later, the exclusive and therefore expensive Kakiemon porcelain was the big favourite among the Dutch elite.  Dutch interiors changed enormously under the influence of the treasures from Asia. Porcelain was displayed on specially designed shelves and consoles. Imported silk and cotton introduced much more colour and variation in the shape of bedspreads, curtains and wall tapestries.

    With 170 objects from China, Japan, India and Batavia the exhibition presents many 17th century paintings: still-lifes and portraits of citizens who had themselves painted among their newly acquired items of Asian luxury. It is being organised in cooperation with the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, USA. The loan items originate in Moscow, St Petersburg, Versailles, London, Oxford, Madrid and Stockholm.

    Kendi, anonymous, 1580 - 1620

    Kendi, anonymous, 1580 – 1620

    Majolica, anonymous c1630-1650.

    Majolica, anonymous c1630-1650.

    Cat. 40b Chest. Japan, 1635–1645. Wood covered in black and red lacquer, with gold and silver hiramaki-e and takamaki-e lacquer, gold and silver foil, mother-of-pearl, crystal, and silver and copper fittings. 28 1/8 × 56 1/4 × 26 5/8 inches (71.5 × 143 × 67.5 cm). State Historical Museum, Moscow.

    Cat. 40b Chest. Japan, 1635–1645. Wood covered in black and red
    lacquer, with gold and silver hiramaki-e and takamaki-e lacquer,
    gold and silver foil, mother-of-pearl, crystal, and silver and
    copper fittings.
    State Historical Museum, Moscow.

    Cabinet on stand. Cabinet, Japan, 1600–1630; stand, Japan, incorporating elements from a Dutch table, 1625–1650. Oak and Chinese arborvitae covered in black lacquer, with gold and silver hiramaki-e, ray-skin denticles, mother-of-pearl, and gilt copper mounts. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem,

    Cabinet on stand. Cabinet, Japan, 1600–1630; stand, Japan,
    incorporating elements from a Dutch table, 1625–1650. Oak
    and Chinese arborvitae covered in black lacquer, with gold
    and silver hiramaki-e, ray-skin denticles, mother-of-pearl, and
    gilt copper mounts. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem,

    Bedcover: Palampore. Deccan, India, 1710–1750. Cotton embroidered with silk and metal-wrapped threads. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem,

    Bedcover: Palampore. Deccan, India, 1710–1750. Cotton embroidered
    with silk and metal-wrapped threads. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem,

     

    Tags: ,
    Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments Off on BLOCKBUSTER ASIAN TREASURES SHOW TO OPEN AT RIJKSMUSEUM

    AN AUCTION OF MODERN AND VINTAGE SPORTING GUNS

    Tuesday, August 11th, 2015
    A pair of 20-bore Holland & Holland sporting model over and under ejector guns.

    A pair of 20-bore Holland & Holland sporting model over and under ejector guns.

    A pair of 20 bore Holland and Holland sporting model over and under ejector guns will be among the highlights at Gavin Gardiner’s annual auction of fine modern and vintage sporting guns at the Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland on August 24.  This prestigious sale attracts buyers from the US to Europe and Australia to acquire pieces by the greatest makers.  Built in 2000 the Holland and Holland guns are estimated at £60,000-80,000.  If ordered new today they would cost £160,000.

    The sale features a pair of 16 bore pin fire hammer guns built by Alfred Staehle for Prince Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover and 3rd Duke of Cumberland (1845-1923). He was the last Hanoverian Prince to hold a British royal title.  Although the senior male line great grandson of George III the Duke of Cumberland was deprived of his British peerages and honours for having sided with Germany in World War I.  The guns are estimated at £2,000-3,000.

    The sale will include over 200 lots of fine sporting guns, rifles and shooting accessories dating from 1860 to the present by makers including Purdey,  Holland and Holland, Boss and Company and Westley Richards.

    Tags: , ,
    Posted in AUCTIONS, Miscellaneous | Comments Off on AN AUCTION OF MODERN AND VINTAGE SPORTING GUNS

    A GREAT HOUSE RE-AWAKENED IN DORSET

    Monday, August 10th, 2015

    The re-awakening of one of Britain’s great houses, St Giles House in Dorset ancestral seat of the Earls of Shaftesbury, has emerged as the winner of the 2015 Historic Houses Association (HHA) & Sotheby’s Restoration Award. St. Giles, which has remained in the family since the 14th-century, had been abandoned and derelict for over 50 years. It was transformed over the past four and a half years through a restoration project undertaken by the 12th Earl and Countess of Shaftsbury. Lord Shaftesbury inherited the house and 5,000 acre estate in 2005, aged only 25, following the tragic death of his father and, only a few months later, of his elder brother.  With the help of grants from Natural England and the Country House Foundation, the grounds and grand interiors of St Giles House have now been returned to their former glory.

    Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftsbury (1621-1683), a founder of the Whig party, built the nucleus of the house. The estate continued to be developed over successive generations.  It was uninhabited for the latter part of the 20th century.  Only a few years ago snow was blowing into the library and sections of the house were at risk of collapse.

    Lord Shaftesbury said: “It is a huge honour to receive this award after four and a half years of hard work. It’s amazing now to look back at the project and think where we’ve come – it’s safe to say we’ve achieved far more than any of us imagined possible. Hopefully it will inspire others to do the same.”

    Library (copyright Marcus Peel)

    Library (copyright Marcus Peel)

    North Drawing Room (copyright Marcus Peel)

    North Drawing Room (copyright Marcus Peel)

    St Giles House 1862 (copyright St Giles House Archives)

    St Giles House 1862 (copyright St Giles House Archives)

    Great Dining Room (copyright Marcus Peel)

    Great Dining Room (copyright Marcus Peel)

    St Giles House from Great Avenue (copyright Philip Hughes)

    St Giles House from Great Avenue (copyright Philip Hughes)

    Tapestry Room (copyright Justin Barton)

    Tapestry Room (copyright Justin Barton)

    Tags: , ,
    Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments Off on A GREAT HOUSE RE-AWAKENED IN DORSET

    THE WALLACE COLLECTION AND THE BATTLE OF AGINCOURT

    Tuesday, August 4th, 2015

    THE 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt will be marked at the Wallace Collection in London this autumn with a display of  weapons and armour from the early 15th century.   The exhibition – The Sinews of War – goes on display from September 1 and will include rare books from the archive of the collection, which  encompasses old master oil paintings from the 14th to the late 19th century including works by Titian, Velazquez, Rubens and Van Dyck, princely arms and armour, and one of the finest collections of French 18th century art.

    Agincourt has been celebrated as a great victory for the common man over haughty aristocrats, for the heroic King Henry V, and as and the culmination of Shakespeare’s famous play Henry V. All of the most popular interpretations of this event resonate with the image of the plucky and vastly outnumbered English defeating their apparently insurmountable French enemies. Sources in this exhibition show that Henry’s campaign and subsequent battle was more complicated than the myth. Here are some of the objects to be displayed.

    Pair of gauntlets, Italian c1390. Copyright, Wallace Collection.

    Pair of gauntlets, Italian c1390. Copyright, Wallace Collection.

    St. George and the Dragon (French or German), copyright Wallace Collection.

    St. George and the Dragon (French or German), copyright Wallace Collection.

    Visored bascinet, late 14th-early 15th century. Copyright The Wallace Collection.

    Visored bascinet, late 14th-early 15th century. Copyright The Wallace Collection.

    Tags: ,
    Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments Off on THE WALLACE COLLECTION AND THE BATTLE OF AGINCOURT

    A SALE FOR MANY TASTES AT O’REILLY’S, FRANCIS ST., DUBLIN

    Friday, June 12th, 2015

    With everything from a gentleman’s set by Chaumet and a designer silver necklace by Georg Jensen to an antique diamond solitaire ring mounted in platinum and a selection of necklaces, bracelets and some silver the sale at O’Reilly’s, Francis St., Dublin on June 17 will cater for many tastes. The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:

    A gentleman's cufflinks and shirt stud set by Chaumet (5,000-6,000).

    A gentleman’s cufflinks and shirt stud set by Chaumet (5,000-6,000).

    A brilliant cut diamond solitaire ring (14,000-17,000).

    A brilliant cut diamond solitaire ring (14,000-17,000).

    A c1930 Art Deco diamond bracelet (6,000-8,000).

    A c1930 Art Deco diamond bracelet (6,000-8,000).

    A silver necklace by Georg Jensen (signed) (1,100-1,300).

    A silver necklace by Georg Jensen (signed) (1,100-1,300).

    Antique diamond solitaire ring (9,000-10,000).

    Antique diamond solitaire ring (9,000-10,000).

    Tags: , ,
    Posted in AUCTIONS, Miscellaneous | Comments Off on A SALE FOR MANY TASTES AT O’REILLY’S, FRANCIS ST., DUBLIN

    SIGNED 1st EDITION OF ULYSSES AT BONHAMS

    Friday, June 5th, 2015
    The first edition of James Joyce's Ulysses at Bonhams.

    The first edition of James Joyce’s Ulysses at Bonhams.

    A signed first edition of  James Joyce’s Ulysses comes up at Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts sale in London on June 24. It is part of a large collection of Joyce’s work to be offered.  Ulysses is estimated at £60,000-80,000 and the collection has a combined upper estimate of £300,000.

    The author’s presentation copy printed on hand made paper was given to Lewis Galantiere, an American translator of French literature living in Paris. There he met Joyce and other leading literary figures of the day.  Dated February 11, 1922, this is the earliest known presentation copy apart from the one Joyce gave to his wife Nora on the day of publication, February 2, 1922, the author’s 40th birthday.  Printing was hampered by difficulties over the colour for the cover which Joyce wanted to match the blue of the Greek flag.

    In 1935 Henri Matisse was commissioned to illustrate an edition of Ulysses for subscribers to the Limited Edition Club in America.  Each of the 1,000 copies was signed by Matisse and 250 were also signed by Joyce.  A copy of the book signed by both men is estimated at £6,000-8,000.
    Other works include a first edition of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, (£20,000-30,000); a first edition of Dubliners,  (£3,000-4,000) and a first edition of the very scarce Gas from a Burner (£10,000-15,000) his bitingly satirical poem written in September 1912 about the destruction of 1,000 copies of Dubliners.   A signed copy of the first 1936 English printing of Ulysses, with the cover designed by Eric Gill, is estimated at £10,000-15,000.

    Tags: , ,
    Posted in AUCTIONS, Miscellaneous | Comments Off on SIGNED 1st EDITION OF ULYSSES AT BONHAMS

    ART AND LITERATURE ONLINE BOOK AUCTION

    Friday, June 5th, 2015
    Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland - The Four Masters, De Burca Rare Books, Dublin 1990 (400-600).

    Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland – The Four Masters, De Burca Rare Books, Dublin 1990 (400-600).  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 550

    The 220 lot Art and Literature online book auction at Morgan O’Driscoll runs until June 8 at 6.30 p.m.  It features rarities like John Lavery and his work by Walter Shaw Sparrow, published in 1912 and estimated at 30-50 and Sean Scully at Galerie Lelong Paris 1997 (eleven colour plates)(30-50), Jack B. Yeats, His Watercolours, Drawing and Pastels by Hilary Pyle 1993 (50-70) and a signed limited edition of The Burial at Thebes by Seamus Heaney (500-700).  An 1839 edition of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens is estimated  at 1,200-1,800 and a 1902 edition of The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle is estimated at  800-1,200.  The catalogue is online.

    Tags: , , ,
    Posted in AUCTIONS, Miscellaneous | Comments Off on ART AND LITERATURE ONLINE BOOK AUCTION

    HIGHEST EVER ONLINE BID OF 1.49 MILLION AT BONHAMS

    Thursday, May 28th, 2015
    1990-93 Porsche Type 962 C Endurance Racing Competition Coupe

    1990-93 Porsche Type 962 C Endurance Racing Competition Coupe

    A Porsche sold at the annual Spa Classic Sale in Belgium achieved Bonhams highest ever online bid of 1.49 million euro.  Philip Kantor, Bonhams European Head of Motoring said:  “The internet continues to grow as a trusted method with which clients can bid, a fact proven today by the most valuable lot ever sold at a Bonhams auction to an online bidder, after the 1990-93 Porsche Type 962 C Endurance Racing Competition Coupe was sold for 1,495,000. Sold directly from the factory, the Porsche 962 had been carefully maintained by the same private owner for the past 25 years, so it was unsurprising it achieved such interest.”

    The auction achieved a new record of 5,497,918.

    Tags: ,
    Posted in AUCTIONS, Miscellaneous | Comments Off on HIGHEST EVER ONLINE BID OF 1.49 MILLION AT BONHAMS

    « Older Entries
    Newer Entries »