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    • THE CONTRACT THAT LAUNCHED THE BEATLES AT SOTHEBY’S

    September 5th, 2015
    The contract that launched the most successful band of all time, binding together the Beatles with manager Brian Epstein, comes up at Sotheby’s London Rock & Pop sale on September 29. Signed on October 1, 1962 just days before the release of their first single ‘Love Me Do’ it is estimated at £300,000-500,000.  This is the only management contract signed between the Beatles and Epstein after the band attained its final line-up of John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr.
    “Without this contract, and the relationship it represents, it seems inconceivable that the Beatles could have achieved all that they did: it took more than inspired musicianship and song-writing to remake popular music. The presentation, direction, and internal harmony of the Beatles all owed a huge amount to Brian Epstein. He was, as Paul McCartney has acknowledged, the Fifth Beatle.” – Gabriel Heaton, Sotheby’s Specialist in Books and Manuscripts.
    Fascinating insights revealed in the terms of the contract include that Epstein would determine “on all matters concerning clothes, make-up and the presentation” of the Beatles and a clause allowing for band members to be kicked out “should two or more of them desire to remove one or more of the other Artists … with the consent in writing of the Manager”.  UPDATE: It sold for £365,000beatles contract 4beatles contract 2beatles contractbeatles 1

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    A PIONEER OF CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS IN IRELAND

    September 5th, 2015
    No less than ten pieces by John ffrench (1928-2010) – the great pioneer of contemporary ceramics in Ireland – come up at a house auction at Lifford, Co. Donegal tomorrow. The ten pieces to be sold are from the collection of Albert and Eva Johnson, The Diamond, Lifford, Co. Donegal.  They are to be included in a house sale by Matthews of over 500 lots.   About 25 pieces of Irish ceramic as well as a good selection of antique furniture, art and collectibles including a pair of Irish silver Celtic Revival bowls will come under the hammer.
    John ffrench studied in Italy for four years and returned to set up the Ring Studio in Kilkenny with Peter Brennan in 1956. He began to create sculptural, experimental pots inspired by the Cubism of Picasso and Braque, unlike any previously seen in this country. In the 1950’s mass produced and imported work was standard in Ireland.  The country had virtually no craft pottery tradition. ffrench founded the Arklow Studio Pottery, was closely involved with Kilkenny studios and exhibited at the Waddington Gallery in Dublin. His work is included in the permanent collection at the Crawford Gallery.

    Four ceramic bowls by John ffrench (50-80 each).

    Four ceramic bowls by John ffrench (50-80 each).

    John ffrench wall charger with blue bird motif (100-150).

    John ffrench wall charger with blue bird motif (100-150).

    John ffrench unique hand painted egg (40-70).

    John ffrench unique hand painted egg (40-70).

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    A $100 MILLION MODIGLIANI AT CHRISTIE’S

    September 3rd, 2015
    Amedeo Modigliani’s Nu couché (Reclining Nude) painted in 1917-18. Courtesy Christie's Images Ltd., 2015.

    Amedeo Modigliani’s Nu couché (Reclining Nude) painted in 1917-18. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2015.  UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR $170,405,000

    Amedeo Modigliani’s masterpiece Nu couché (Reclining Nude) – estimated to exceed $100 million – comes up at Christie’s in New York on Monday, November 9. The painting, executed in 1917-18, will be the centerpiece of a special curated evening sale of 20th century art focused on the theme of “The Artist’s Muse”. 

    It is one of a series of great female nudes made for Léopold Zboroswki that famously caused a scandal nearly a century ago when they were exhibited at Modigliani’s first and only one-man show at the Galerie Berthe Weill in Paris.  Outraged by the content of this show — which caused a crowd to form outside the gallery window where one of Modigliani’s nudes was openly on display — the police demanded the immediate closure of the exhibition.

    This is the first time this portrait has come to auction. It is poised to break the standing world auction record of $70.7 million for any work by Modigliani, one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.

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    EPIC BATTLE OF WATERLOO CARTOON BY DANIEL MACLISE AT RA

    September 3rd, 2015
    A magnificently conserved drawing of the Battle of Waterloo by celebrated Cork artist Daniel Maclise (1809-1870) has just gone on display at the Royal Academy in London. The critically acclaimed cartoon – The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher after the Battle of Waterloo – is over 13 metres wide and 3 metres high. It is on display for the first time since 1972 to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.
    Tim Marlow, Director of Artistic Programmes at the Royal Academy of Arts said, ‘Epic doesn’t begin to describe either Daniel Maclise’s original drawings or the restoration project that The Waterloo Cartoon has just undergone. Only by seeing it will anyone fully understand its power, impact and importance’.
    The term cartoon – from the Italian ‘cartone’ – means a large sheet of paper, usually a full-size preparatory drawing. This one served for a famous painting in the Royal Gallery of the House of Lords. Conservation of one of the largest and most detailed cartoons to survive in the UK was carried out at the Royal Academy thanks to a grant from Arts Council, England.
    It took the artist over a year to complete in 1858-59.  The battle was then within living memory and he carried out extensive research. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert even became involved, using their contacts in Germany to gather information from Prussian officers who were present on the day. Maclise’s image is remarkable for its lack of triumphalism, instead highlighting the stoicism of Wellington and Blücher when faced with human suffering and the tragedy of war.
    Daniel Maclise: The Waterloo Cartoon is at The Royal Academy until January 3, 2016.

    Daniel Maclise, R.A. Cartoon for ‘The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher After the Battle of Waterloo’ 1858-1859 © Royal Academy of Arts, London; Photographer: Prudence Cuming Associates Limited

    Daniel Maclise, R.A.
    Cartoon for ‘The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher After the Battle of Waterloo’
    1858-1859 © Royal Academy of Arts, London; Photographer: Prudence Cuming Associates Limited

    A detail of the work.

    A detail of the work.

    A detail of the work.

    A detail of the work.

    Conservation process of The Waterloo Cartoon by Daniel Maclise, R.A. ©Benedict Johnson

    Conservation process of The Waterloo Cartoon by Daniel Maclise, R.A.
    ©Benedict Johnson

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    EARLY DRAWINGS BY PAUL HENRY AT O’DRISCOLL AUCTION

    September 2nd, 2015

    Early drawings by Paul Henry (1876-1958) unseen in this country since the 1940’s will be a highlight at Morgan O’Driscoll’s sale of Irish and International art at the RDS on September 14. The two drawings, Boy with a Flute (1910) and Woman with Fagots (1904) were acquired directly from the artist and have been in New Zealand since the 1940’s.  Each one is estimated at 15,000-25,000.

    There is sculpture by John Behan and others,  an original screen print by Robert Motherwell and Old Time Dance by Dan O’Neill which depicts a night time scene and a couple dancing.  The sale of 110 lots will be on view at Morgan O’Driscoll’s Skibbereen offices from September 4-7  and in Dublin at the RDS Minerva Suite from September 11.

    Boy with a Flute by Paul Henry (15,000-25,000).

    Boy with a Flute by Paul Henry (15,000-25,000). UPDATE: THIS MADE 15,000 AT HAMMER

    Woman With Fagots by Paul Henry (15,000-25,000).

    Woman With Fagots by Paul Henry (15,000-25,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 14,000 AT HAMMER

    The Pig Market by tCharles Henry Cook (3,000-5,000).

    The Pig Market by Charles Henry Cook (3,000-5,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 2,400 AT HAMMER

    Old Time Dance by Dan O'Neill (15,000-25,000).

    Old Time Dance by Dan O’Neill (15,000-25,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 9,500 AT HAMMER

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    SCOTT AND SHACKLETON POLAR BOOKS AT SOTHEBY’S

    September 1st, 2015

    The finest private collection of books relating to the polar explorers Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton will come up at Sotheby’s in London on September 30.  The auction is 100 years on from Shackleton’s epic “Endurance” expedition, considered the final great voyage of the “heroic” age of Antarctic exploration.  Pioneering publishers and writers, they produced some of the most outstanding and rare of all travel books, recounting their great feats of adventure, ill-fated voyages, daily lives and discoveries in the South Pole.

    Highlights including the first book printed in Antarctica, Shackleton’s Antarctic handbook and a facsimile of the South Polar Times (the newspaper produced by Scott’s men in the Antarctic). The collection is from the library of Franklin Brooke-Hitching.  He has assembled the most magnificent private collection of English language books charting the discovery of the world over 40 years.

    The motor car in soft snow after the return of the ship. (Taken during the British Antarctic Expedition 1907-1909.

    The motor car in soft snow after the return of the ship. (Taken during the British Antarctic Expedition 1907-1909.

    The Hut in Summertime

    The Hut in Summertime

    National Antarctic Expedition 1901-1904. Album

    National Antarctic Expedition 1901-1904. Album

    Inscription in George Murray’s Antarctic Manual (1901)

    Inscription in George Murray’s Antarctic Manual (1901)

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    TITANIC LUNCH MENU AT ONLINE ARTEFACTS AUCTION

    August 31st, 2015
    The Titanic lunch menu photo credit: Lion Heart Autographs ?

    The Titanic lunch menu photo credit: Lion Heart Autographs UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR US$88,000

    Artefacts including a lunch menu dated April 14, 1912 recovered from Titanic’s infamous Lifeboat No. 1 are to be sold in an online auction on September 30.  Lion Heart Autographs will offer three very rare pieces from the lifeboat. Lifeboat No. 1 was lowered from the Titanic with just five wealthy passengers and seven crew members, who quickly rowed away without trying to rescue anyone else. The three lots are an original Menu from the last luncheon served aboard the Titanic ($50,000-$70,000);  one of only four known printed tickets from Titanic’s Turkish Baths weighing chair ($7,500-$10,000) and a letter and envelope written by Lifeboat No. 1 survivor Mabel Francatelli (1880-1967) on New York’s Plaza Hotel stationery six months after the disaster ($4,000-$6,000).

    Francatelli was a First Class passenger who survived the sinking of the Titanic by boarding Lifeboat No.1 with her employer, fashion designer Lucy Duff-Gordon (1863-1935), her husband, wealthy Scottish nobleman Cosmo Duff-Gordon (1862-1931) and two other passengers, including Abraham Lincoln Salomon (1868-1959), the letter’s recipient. Cosmo Duff-Gordon who,  with his wife, were the only passengers interrogated by the British Inquest into the ship’s loss, had been rumored to have bribed the seven crewmen to row away from the crippled Titanic, leaving more than 1500 to drown in the icy water. Francatelli reports:

    “We do hope you have now quite recovered from the terrible experience. I am afraid our nerves are still bad, as we had such trouble & anxiety added to our already awful experience by the very unjust inquiry when we arrived in London”

    The Rare Titanic Artifacts from Lifeboat No. 1 & Other Historic Autographs Auction will take place September 30, 2015 through www.invaluable.com and www.eBayliveauctions.com online bidding platforms with other bidding opportunities on www.auctionzip.com, France’s www.lefigaro.fr and China’s www.epailive.com. The auction will have no buyer’s premium.   Never before has Titanic material of this caliber been offered exclusively on the internet.  September 1, 2015 marks the 30-year anniversary of the discovery of the RMS Titanic at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean.

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    AN ATTIC SALE AT SHEPPARDS IN DURROW

    August 31st, 2015

    A pair of French designed polished steel and leather standard lamps and a 19th century Italian faience miniature violin are among the highlights at Sheppards first ever attic sale in Durrow on September 1. The auction of more than 600 lots from the attics, stables and storerooms of important clients offers collectors at all levels a chance to acquire one of a kind treasures. Estimates are reasonable.  The lamps are estimated at 300-500, the violin at 220-300.   The catalogue is online.

    A pair of French design standard lamps

    A pair of French design standard lamps

    A 19th century Italian miniature faience violin

    A 19th century Italian miniature faience violin

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    RARE IRISH GOLD COIN AT LONDON AUCTION

    August 27th, 2015
    The Ormonde Money gold pistole.

    The Ormonde Money gold pistole.

    A rare Irish gold coin could make up to £100,000 at Dix Noonan Webb in London on September 15.  The Ormonde money gold pistole – Ireland’s only gold coinage – dates from the Great Rebellion of the 17th century.  Only 11 are known to have survived and nine of these are in museums and public collections.  Issued by the Duke of Ormonde, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, they were used to pay the Royalist garrison in Dublin.  The coins were minted using foreign currency, bullion, rings and chains.  Ormonde was the representative of Charles I in Ireland.

    This specimen is from the collection of Theo Bullmore, the British chartered accountant who rose to become managing partner in KPMG.  It will be sold along with the rest of a collection of Irish coins of the Great Rebellion 1642-49 built up by Mr. Bullmore.
    UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £78,000

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    THE ABBA PIANO AT SOTHEBY’S IN SEPTEMBER

    August 27th, 2015
    The Abba piano.

    The Abba piano.

    The “ABBA Piano”, the first major piece of ABBA material to be offered at auction, comes up at Sotheby’s in London on September 29. No other single instrument has featured more prominently in pop music since the 1970’s. From the opening refrain of ‘Mamma Mia’, to ‘Waterloo’, ‘Dancing Queen’ and ‘Money, Money, Money’, the sound of this piano has resonated throughout countless bedrooms, headphones and dancefloors across the world. The instrument on which ABBA recorded their best-loved songs is from the collection of Atlantis Grammofon (formerly known as Metronome Studios), where ABBA recorded their greatest hits. Estimated at £600,000-800,000, it is accompanied by a certificate of authentication signed by Benny Andersson in 2015.

    “The Bolin Grand, one of a kind and a great source of inspiration while working in the recording studio during the ABBA sessions!” Benny Andersson said this year.  It was originally built for American composer and jazz pianist Bill Evans (1929-1980) by the Swedish designer George Bolin (1912-1993). It was purchased by the Metronome Studios in Stockholm in 1967 and featured on virtually all ABBA recordings from 1973-77.

    In 2000 John Lennon’s Steinway upright piano, on which he composed Imagine, sold for £1.67 million.  The upright piano which featured in Rick’s Cafe Americain in the film Casablanca sold for $3.4 million last year.

    UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

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