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    • A WEEKEND OF ANTIQUES AT CASTLETOWN HOUSE

    April 9th, 2016
    Castletown House in Celbridge, Co. Kildare is the venue for an Irish Antique Dealers Association Fair in conjunction with the OPW today and tomorrow.  It will run in the stables wing from 10 am to 5 pm on April 9 and 10 with 20 IADA dealers of fine furniture, paintings, silver, jewellery, books, prints, porcelain and works of art.
    Curiosities include buttons embroidered by Countess Markievicz while in jail in England at Courtville Antiques. George Stacpoole of Adare will bring drawings by members of the Gore Booth family. Weldons will show a rare piece of Irish gold jewellery, a c1835 gold pendant by Joseph Johnson with a 6.8 carat mixed cut pink topaz. Vanessa Parker Rare Books will bring a first edition of the Sinn Fein Rebellion Handbook published in 1917 and the Whitley Art Gallery will offer Japanese woodblock prints.

    The First Month (Mitsuki)` , Japanese Woodblock Triptych by Kunisada, 1847-1852

    The First Month (Mitsuki)` , Japanese Woodblock Triptych by Kunisada, 1847-1852

    The Sinn Fein Rebellion Handbook

    The Sinn Fein Rebellion Handbook

    An Irish gold pendant with a topaz

    An Irish gold pendant with a topaz

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    SIGNAC, DERAIN AND VLAMINCK AT SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK

    April 9th, 2016

    Vibrant paintings by Signac, Derain and Vlaminck will lead Sotheby’s evening sale of Impressionist and Modern art in New York on May 9.  Paul Signac’s Maisons du port, Saint-Tropez ($8-12 million) is a pointillist painting from 1882.  Inscribed Op.237 it has remained in the family collection of Ambassador John Langeloth Loeb, Jr. since his parents acquired it in 1958.  It is at auction for the first time.

    Andreì Derain’s Les Voiles rouges ($15-20 million) and Maurice de Vlaminck’s Sous-bois ($12-18 million) were acquired in 1954 by art patron and philanthropist Sarah Campbell Blaffer of Houston, Texas. She was the daughter of William Thomas Campbell, the founder of the Texas Company, later known as Texaco. They have remained in her family’s collection since.  Only four major Fauve paintings have sold at auction since 2010.  These are considered the finest works to have come to auction since Derain’s Arbres a Collioure sold for £16.3 million in June 2010.

    (See post on antiquesandartireland.com for April 28, 2010)

    Andre Derain - Les Voiles rouges

    Andre Derain – Les Voiles rouges

    Paul Signac - Maisons du port, Saint-Tropez

    Paul Signac – Maisons du port, Saint-Tropez

    Maurice de Vlaminck - Sous-boix

    Maurice de Vlaminck – Sous-boix

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    ROCK ICONS BY JULIEN’S AUCTIONS IN NEW YORK IN MAY

    April 8th, 2016

    From Elvis to Bowie, Lady Gaga to Duran Duran, the Rock Icons sale by Julien’s Auctions at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, New York on May 21 covers a lot of rich ground.  Hundreds of pieces of iconic rock n’ roll memorabilia will go under the hammer in a live and online sale.   The biggest musical icons of our time are included.  Here is a small selection:

    ELVIS PRESLEY’S GIBSON DOVE GUITAR ($200,000-300,000)

    ELVIS PRESLEY’S GIBSON DOVE GUITAR ($200,000-300,000)  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $334,000

    LADY GAGA’S FIRST CHILDHOOD PIANO ($100,000-200,000)

    LADY GAGA’S FIRST CHILDHOOD PIANO ($100,000-200,000)

    A 1966 Gretsch Tennessean bass guitar used by John Taylor in Duran Duran’s hit 2004 music video “REACH UP FOR THE SUNRISE. ($10,000-20,000)

    A 1966 Gretsch Tennessean bass guitar used by John Taylor in Duran Duran’s hit 2004 music video “REACH UP FOR THE SUNRISE. ($10,000-20,000)

    "From Nahodka Westward by Train," painted in 1994 by David Bowie and Beezy Bailey ($20,000-25,000)

    “From Nahodka Westward by Train,” painted in 1994 by David Bowie and Beezy Bailey ($20,000-25,000)

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    THE UNIQUE PINK UNVEILED AT SOTHEBY’S TODAY

    April 7th, 2016
    The Unique Pink.

    The Unique Pink.

    The “Unique Pink” at 15.38 carats the spectacular stone is the largest fancy vivid pink pear-shaped diamond ever offered at auction, was unveiled at Sotheby’s in London today. It comes up at Geneva on May 17.  The stone’s exquisite pear shape and brilliant cut accentuate its exceptional saturation, placing it in a rarefied category even among the world’s most beautiful diamonds. In addition to receiving the highest possible colour grading for a pink diamond from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the “Unique Pink” has been found to be Type IIa, displaying “exceedingly pure structure”. The estimate is US$28-38 million.
    David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewellery Division, commented: “It is difficult to imagine a diamond that better illustrates the term Vivid Pink than this outstanding stone. The colour is simply astonishing and, for its size, it is in my experience truly unique.”

    UPDATE: This sold for US$31.5 million

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    CORK, LONDON AND DUBLIN VIEWINGS FOR O’DRISCOLL’S IRISH ART AUCTION

    April 6th, 2016

    Viewing for Morgan O’Driscolls Irish and International art auction at the RDS, Dublin on April 25 kicks off in Skibbereen for three days from April 9.   This will be followed by viewings at La Galleria, Pall Mall, London on April 18, 19 and 20. Dublin viewing will get underway at the RDS on April 22.  The catalogue, which is online, lists 190 lots.  Here is a small selection:

    Alex Katz (b1927) - Self Portrait (6,000-8,000)

    Alex Katz (b1927) – Self Portrait (6,000-8,000)  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 5,800 AT HAMMER

    Peter Curling (b1955) - Exercising on a Cloudy Morning (8,000-12,000).

    Peter Curling (b1955) – Exercising on a Cloudy Morning (8,000-12,000).  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    John Shinnors (b1950) - Birds over Loop I (2004) (10,000-15,000).

    John Shinnors (b1950) – Birds over Loop I (2004) (10,000-15,000).  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    James Humbert Craig (1878-1944) - Labouring in the bog, Donegal (6,000-8,000).

    James Humbert Craig (1878-1944) – Labouring in the bog, Donegal (6,000-8,000).  UPDATE; THIS MADE 5,750 AT HAMMER

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    PILKINGTON YONGLE MOONFLASK MAKES US$14.2 MILLION

    April 6th, 2016
    Nicholas Chow, deputy chairman of Sotheby's Asia with the Yongle Moonflask.

    Nicholas Chow, deputy chairman of Sotheby’s Asia with the Yongle Moonflask.

    Whatever you do don’t drop it.  Sotheby’s Nicholas Chow holds the Pilkington Yongle Moonflask which has just sold for US$14.2 million at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong. The Pilkington Collection of Chinese Art made a total of US$64.5 million on the fifth day of Sotheby’s Hong Kong spring sales, far exceeding the pre-sale high estimate of US$28.5 million.  The early 15th century blue and white moon flask, inspired in shape and decoration by Middle Eastern models, was the top lot in a sale which achieved spectacular results. The complex geometric design had no precedent in Chinese art. It had had a pre-sale high estimate of $4.5 million.   A blue and white Yongle holy water vessel sold for US$12.7 million.

    Roger Pilkington

    Roger Pilkington

    Spanning 1,000 years of Chinese porcelain production the Pilkington Collection includes rare pieces from the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties.  Around 100 lots came under the hammer. The collection was assembled in the 1950’s and ’60’s by the late Roger Pilkington of the Lancashire glassmaking family.

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    DEMAND FOR PICASSO CERAMICS GROWS

    April 6th, 2016
    Pablo Picasso - Tripode and Gros Oiseau.

    Pablo Picasso – Tripode and Gros Oiseau.

    Demand for Picasso ceramics continues apace.  At Sotheby’s in London buyers drove the total for ‘Important Picasso Ceramics’ to almost double pre-sale expectations. The auction raised £2,201,250 with 98% of the lots sold and around a third of buyers new to Sotheby’s. The total had been estimated at £1.14-1.65 million. The top lot was Tripode, a large terre de faïence vase (1951, numbered 47/75), which sold to a private collector for £191,000.  Gros oiseau Picasso, a large terre de faïence vase (1953, numbered 35/75), made £106,250.

    Lucy Rosenburgh, Sotheby’s Picasso ceramics specialist, commented afterwards: “These results demonstrate the enormous appeal of Picasso’s ceramics. Collectors can envisage easily fitting these pieces in their homes and living with them – something Picasso would have delighted in when he decided to produce his editions. Over the past five years, London has proved to be the focal point of this market. This growth has coincided with a renewed academic interest in this extraordinarily innovative body of work, created by Picasso with the same passion as his paintings, sculptures and prints.”

    (See post on antiquesandartireland.com for March 25, 2016)

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    A NEW WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR ZHANG DAQIAN

    April 5th, 2016
    Zhang Daqian - Peach Blossom Spring (1982

    Zhang Daqian – Peach Blossom Spring (1982

    There was a world record for Zhang Daqian at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong today when an important splashed ink and colour masterpiece sold for  US$34.7 million.  Peach Blossom Spring had a high estimate of $8.3 million. It was bought by the Long Museum in Shanghai.  The painting attracted more than 100 bids.  Well-documented in scholarly works and exhibited in leading museums in the United States this monumental scroll is considered to be a pivotal work from Zhang’s late years, alongside Mt. Lu, another landscape by Zhang which is currently held by the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.  The painting set an auction record of US$240,000 in 1987.  It now returns to Asia from the Mactaggart Art Collection.

    After living abroad for more than two decades, Zhang Daqian relocated from the United States to Taiwan in 1976, hoping to settle down for a quiet life at his new riverside idyll on the outskirts of Taipei. Yet, as the suburb gradually grew into a bustling community, Zhang’s quietude was disrupted, inspiring him to paint a tribute to the peaceful town as he once dreamed of it. On this work, Zhang inscribed a poem to express his lifelong search for such a blissful scene.  Monumental in scale, vibrant in hue, this feat of artistic creation reaches over two metres in height and employs mineral pigments to create layers and layers of splashed ink evoking a landscape filled with trees. The heavenly scene stretches from a blank space at the foot of the scroll, where branches of a blossom tree reach upward in pink shades and a small fisherman boat floats by: the picture of natural tranquillity Zhang sought in person, and brought to life in his art.

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    A SILVER DISH RING GIVEN TO TERENCE MACSWINEY AS A WEDDING PRESENT

    April 4th, 2016
    The silver dish ring by Egans of Cork given to Terence MacSwiney as a wedding present in 1917.

    The silver dish ring by Egans of Cork given to Terence MacSwiney as a wedding present in 1917. UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,200 AT HAMMER

    An inscribed silver dish ring given as a wedding present to Terence MacSwiney – the Republican Lord Mayor of Cork who died on hunger strike in Brixton Prison in 1920 – comes up at Fonsie Mealy’s Centenary Sale at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin on April 23.  The pierced dish ring was a gift from the girls of St. Ita’s, the independent school in Cork founded by his sisters Maire and Aine MacSwiney after Maire was dismissed from her teaching post following her arrest during the Easter Rising.

    Terence MacSwiney was a founder member of the Irish Volunteers in Cork.  Though the planned Rising in Cork did not take place he and other Volunteers were arrested and detained in England and Wales.  In June 1917 he married Muriel (Muirgheal) Murphy of the Cork brewing family.  They had one daughter.  In 1920 after the assassination of  Lord Mayor Tomas Mac Curtain, Terence MacSwiney became Lord Mayor of Cork.  On August 12 he was arrested at Cork City Hall and sentenced to two years imprisonment for possession of a military cipher. He died on hunger strike in Brixton Prison 74 days later. His funeral was enormous. His death was a turning point in public support for the Republican struggle.
    The dish ring by Egans of Cork, with Dublin hallmarks for 1916, is inscribed: “M  .. / Agus / T. Mac S. / La a bposta / 9 / 6 / 17”.  The lower rim is inscribed “O Chailinibh Sgoil Ite Naomhta” (from the girls of St. Ita’s).  It is estimated at 2,000-3,000.  In 1916 Easter Sunday fell on April 23.
    UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 3,200 IN A SALE WHICH MADE JUST UNDER 500,000

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    THE YEAR OF THE FRENCH RECALLED AT JAMES ADAM

    April 3rd, 2016
    The Battle of Collooney on September 5, 1798 – in which the French under General Humbert and the United Irishmen were defeated by the Limerick City Militia under the command of Colonel Charles Vereker  – is recalled in two significant lots at the James Adam history sale in Dublin on April 19.
    In August 1798, sometimes remembered as The Year of the French, General Joseph Humbert led an invasion of Ireland where he joined forces with Irish rebels in an attempt to overthrow the British.  With an army of about 3,000 the French and the United Irishmen defeated the British at Castlebar. As they advanced on Sligo their front line was turned by the 300 strong Limerick City Militia. With his advance to Colloney and by various ruses Vereker tricked Humbert into thinking he was the vanguard of a superior force.
    Though criticised for being foolhardy and leaving Sligo defenceless Vereker and the militia were held in high esteem for what was seen as a great victory of the French.  The Battle of Collooney extinguished a serious threat felt by the British in Ireland.  Their bravery was rewarded by gold and silver medals inscribed “To the Heroes of Colooney 5th sept 1798”.  Vereker later opposed the Union saying:  “I have defended my country with my blood and there is nothing in the gift of the Crown that would tempt me to betray her by my vote”.  He inherited the title 2nd Viscount Gort. The family later built Lough Cutra Castle to the designs of John Nash.

    Adams sale will include two items listed as the property of the 9th Viscount Gort.  The Collooney Presentation Cup made by James Scott in Dublin in 1802, inscribed to the heroes of Colloony with the arms of the City of Limerick is estimated at 20,000-25,000.  A sabre, the sword of honour presented to Vereker in gratitude by the city of Limerick with the makers mark of Richard Teed is estimated at 30,000-40,000.   UPDATE: THE CUP MADE 20,000 AT AHMMER, THE SABRE 29,000.

    The Collooney Presentation Cup (20,000-25,000)

    The Collooney Presentation Cup   UPDATE: THIS MADE 20,000 AT HAMMER (20,000-25,000)

    The Collooney Presentation Sabre (30,000-40,000)

    The Collooney Presentation Sabre (30,000-40,000)  UPDATE: THIS MADE 29,000 AT HAMMER

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