18th century Irish penal cross – UPDATE: THIS MADE €3,700 AT HAMMER
This 18th century Irish penal cross comes up at Sheppards Irish Vernacular Part II sale on March 28. It is dated 1729 with a well figured corpus among a skull and crossbones. Sheppards will offer 368 lots in a private collection of Irish ceramics, furniture and metalwork. The catalogue is online and there will be viewing in Durrow from March 25-27. The cross is estimated at 2,000-3,000.
This type of auction is developing as more and more collectors opt for rare and unusual collectibles. Auctioneers James Adam will hold their first Irish vernacular sale in Dublin on April 12. This is a new category for Adams.
The magnificent jewels of Anne Eisenhower featuring the iconic‘Jarretière’ ruby and diamond braceletacquired by Marlene Dietrich in 1937 from Van Cleef & Arpels will be sold by Christie’s in New York on June 7. Worn by the actress in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1950 murder mystery ‘Stage Fright’ it was purchased by Ms. Eisenhower in 1992 – making its way from one iconic collection to another. Anne Eisenhower was, according to Christie’s, as known for her humble character as for her undeniable glamour, the late philanthropist and designer approached all aspects of her life with that same sense of effortless grace. When asked by Architectural Digest in 1990 – the same year she was named one of the publication’s Top 100 designers — to describe her interior design style the granddaughter of the late US President responded: ‘Traditional, but for today’s living: comfortable, with a “lived-in” look; uncluttered without appearing austere.’
A tour of the collection will begin in Los Angeles and continue to Paris, Geneva, and Hong Kong. Additional jewels offered from the collection will come up at an online sale open from May 30 to June 8.
TEFAF has made a spectacular return to its traditional March dates in Maastricht. Tens of thousands of collectors and art lovers descended on Maastricht from around the world to see and acquire 7,000 years of the very best art history, presented by 270 exhibitors from 20 countries. More than 250 museums and institutions visited the previews. Among them were major institutions like the National Gallery of Washington; Art Institute of Chicago; J. Paul Getty Museum; MoMa; Metropolitan Museum of Art; American Friends of the Louvre; American Friends of the Musée d’Orsay; Guggenheim; Uffizi; Teylers Museum; Van Gough Museum; Rijksmuseum; Museum of Fine Art Boston; Louvre; Toledo Museum; Dallas Museum; Kimbell Museum; Museum Voorlinden; Mauritshuis; Cleveland Museum; Frick Collection; Museum Barberini; Kunstpalast Düsseldorf; Minneapolis Institute of Art; National Gallery of London and National Galleries of Scotland.
Security is tight. Among many notable sales was a painting by Joaquin Sorolla titled Girls on a Beach on which the Barcelona Gallery Arthur Ramon Art of Barcelona had an asking price of €2,700,000. The first exhibition of Sorolla’s work in Ireland was at the National Gallery in 2019.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for August 10, 2019)
Planning permission for an important redevelopment of the Crawford gallery has just been granted by Cork City Council.. The project has been designed by an interdisciplinary design team led by Grafton Architects, and is being delivered by the Office of Public Works and Crawford Art Gallery. Catherine Martin, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has welcomed the decision. The project is being funded by her department. The gallery will remain open to visitors until the Autumn of 2024 after redevelopment will commence on-site.
A 1798 Cork City Militia gold medal will be among the real rarities at the indoor National Antique, Art and Vintage Fair at Limerick Racecourse on March 18/19. As well as all its other St. Patrick’s Day celebrations Limerick will be the venue for this antique crowd pulling event, a mecca for collectors and dealers of every type. The Cork Militia speak to an unhappy history as they were heavily and cruelly involved in putting down the 1798 Rebellion. They were, in fact, a sort of 18th century Black and Tan group, recruited from jails and known to commit acts of torture on their prisoners. In this regard the North Cork Militia achieved a particular notoriety. The particular medal at the fair was awarded to a member of the Cork City Militia.
On foot of the move to Limerick Racecourse last year, with ample parking and plenty of display space, this ever popular antique fair – on the go now for 35 years – has grown even bigger. Organiser Robin O’Donnell claims that it will be the biggest collection of dealers ever assembled in Ireland.
19th century Chinese export sterling silver tea set
Items from the estate of the late antique dealer Stephen Stock will come under the hammer at Aidan Foley’s two day sale at Sixmilebridge on March 13 and 14. Belfast born and Dublin based for over 30 years he did not have a shop of his own, but was a respected source and supplier the antique trade. The auction will include tribal art, Oriental items and an early abstract work attributed to Sean Scully.One of his last commissions, with Niall Mullen, was an interior fit out of the upstairs bar at The Queens in Dalkey. His collection, curated by Niall Mullen, will come up in a two day Spring sale of more than 1,400 lots of art, antique furniture, rugs, jewellery and collectibles. The top lot is a 19th century Chinese export sterling silver tea set with an estimate of €4,000-€6,000.
On May 31, 1902, after two-and-a-half years of conflict between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South African Republic and the Orange Free State); the Boer War ended. On that day the Treaty of Vereeniging was signed, placing South Africa within the British Empire. This ia the Captain of the Guard’s chair used at the treaty signing by Major Charles Roper-Lindsay, Royal Munster Fusiliers. He was attached to Utrecht-Vryheid Mounted Police. The stinkwood dining chair has a brass plaque engraved “2nd Boer War – Used at Signing of Peace of – Vereeniging, May 1902 – Capt. of Guard – Maj. Charles Roper-Lindsay”. It comes up as lot 44 with an estimate of €800-1,200 at Mullen’s Collector’s Cabinet online auction on March 11. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
John Behan RHA – Kyrenia Ship. UPDATE: THIS MADE 5,800 AT HAMMER
Kyrenia Ship by John Behan comes up at Dolan’s timed online Spring auction. The sale goes online today and will run until Monday, March 20. The sculpture is dated to 2008 and is unique. The Greek Cypriot ship, fifteen metres in length, was built in389 BC. It sank around 288 BC three miles off the coast of Kyrenia. The estimate is €4,000-6,000. The sale comprises Irish art and sculpture, almost 60 collectible bottles of Irish whisky including some very rare Midletons, antique furniture and collectibles including rugs and books.
DAMIEN HIRST (B.1965) – Pharmacy Matchbooks. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,400 AT HAMMER
This set of 54 individual matchbooks from a set of 60 designed by Damien Hirst for the Pharmacy Restaurant comes up at Morgan O’Driscoll’s current online art auction. Each matchbook is numbered and stamped with the pharmacy stamp along with the name and address: Pharmacy Restaurant in Notting Hill, London. The estimate for lot 42 is €600-900. The catalogue for the sale is online and the auction runs until March 13.
