antiquesandartireland.com

Iconic. The 1966 RML Leyland AEC London Routemaster Double-decker Bus. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd.,2012. (Click on image to enlarge).

THOSE in a post Olympics withdrawal phase have an opportunity to deal with their symptoms at an auction on September 3.  You can bring a real piece of London home thanks to Christie’s.

A nostalgic  red 1966 double decker London bus is a  feature lot at the London sale at Christie’s, South Kensington on September 3.  The Leyland route master bus was first registered in 1966.  It seats 72 plus five standing and is in perfect mechanical order. The estimate is £20,000-30,000.

The sale will also feature Olympic memorabilia.  Now on view at South Kensington it comprises over 150 lots ranging from a 1948 London Olympics poster to the  iconic red London bus.

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for July 28, 2012).

The bow of the Asgard. Image copyright National Museum of Ireland. (Click to enlarge).

The Asgard sailed into Irish history in 1914 when it arrived in Howth Harbour packed with rifles for the Irish Volunteers.  The conserved 51′ yacht has just gone on permanent display at the National Museum, Collins Barracks, Dublin.  Built in 1905 for Erskine and Molly Childers by renowned Norwegian naval architect Colin Archer, the Howth gun running vessel was later to become Ireland’s first national sail-training vessel.

English-born Irish nationalist and writer Robert Erskine Childers, his wife and a small crew made the crossing with the rifles to arm the Irish Volunteers in response to the arming of the Ulster Volunteers in the Larne gun-running. The story is intertwined with other episodes of Irish history on display at the museum including ‘The Easter Rising: Understanding 1916’ and ‘Soldiers and Chiefs: Irish Soldiers at Home and Abroad Since 1500’.

The front of Boconnoc House.  Images courtesy of Sotheby’s.

Boconnoc House in Cornwall is the 2012 winner of the Historic Houses Association/Sotheby’s Restoration Award.   It was the unanimous choice of judges for its overall revival and comprehensive restoration. The outstanding renewal of the main ground floor rooms and in particular the painted staircase influenced by Sir John Soane were particularly admired.  The house, which dates from 1250, has been home to the Fortescue family since 1834 when it passed to them by descent from the Pitt family which provided two Prime Ministers to Britain.  The current owners, Anthony and Elizabeth Fortescue, have worked extaordinarily hard since 1997 to breathe new life into a house which had laid empty for 30 years.  The magical house, 15 minutes from Bodmin in one of the most beautiful settings in Cornwall, is now a thriving business and family home which hosts weddings, conferences and special events.

The judging panel included Edward Harley, President, The Historic Houses Association; John Martin Robinson, Architectural Historian; Professor David Watkin;  historian of British architecture and specialist on neo-classicism and author of numerous books; James Stourton and David Moore-Gwyn, chairman and deputy chairman respectively of Sotheby’s UK. Althorp House in Northamptonshire, Spains Hall in Essex and The Summerhouse at Homme House in Heferfordshire received commendations.  Images are courtesy of Sotheby’s.  Click on any to enlarge.

(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for July 24, 2011).

Boconnoc House in its setting.

The library after restoration.

The library cornice before restoration.

The staircase after restoration.

The staircase before restoration.

Monet’s ‘Argenteuil Basin with a Single Sailboat’.

The only Monet in the collection of  the National Gallery of Ireland was deliberately damaged by a visitor today.  Claude Monet’s Argenteuil Basin with a Single Sailboat, painted in 1874,  was attacked by a man visiting the gallery in Dublin today.  The motive for the attack is unknown. The man, in his 40’s, was taken away by ambulance and later arrested.  He is now being questioned by gardai.

The extent of the damage is not yet clear.  The painting, which was bequeathed to the gallery in 1924, was taken away for assessment by the conservation team. Light and its effect on the surface of the Seine is the subject matter of this painting.  Monet moved to Argenteuil with his family in 1871 after returning from London to France.  He was joined there in the following years by Sisley, Renoir, and Pissarro. Monet had a boat, in effect a floating studio.  A spokeswoman for the gallery described the event as “most regrettable”.

Valuations on musical instruments will be offered by Sotheby’s at the Carolan Room, National Concert Hall, Dublin on July 2. Head of Musical Instruments at the world renowned auction house Tim Ingles will be in attendance from 12.30 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Since 2003 Mr. Ingles has sold 13 Stradivari’s and seven Guarneri del Gesus. In 2007 he published a compendium of Sotheby’s sales of musical instruments over the previous 30 years entitled Four Centuries of Violin Making.

Valuations will be five euro per item with proceeds going to the “Health in Harmony” project which helps send musicians to nursing homes and other care settings.  Pianos, harpsichords, woodwind and brass instruments will not be valued on the day. Details of these can be e-mailed to dublinoffice@sothebys.com and a valuation will be provided.