antiquesandartireland.com

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

    • FIRST EDITION OF THE HOBBIT MAKES NEW WORLD RECORD

    June 4th, 2015
    A letter in elvish.

    A letter in elvish.

    The first edition of The Hobbit.

    The first edition of The Hobbit.

    A first edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” from 1937 sold for a new world record price of £137,000 at Sotheby’s in London today.  This more than doubled the pre-sale estimate of £50,000-70,000.

    Presented as a gift from the author to one of his first students at Leeds University in the 1920s, Miss Katherine (“Kitty”) Kilbride, it is inscribed with a handwritten note from the author in Elvish. The author continued to send letters, cards and books to her throughout his life.

    The presentation copy inscribed by the author as follows: “K.M. Kilbride, with greeting from J.R.R. Tolkien” and four lines in Elvish.  The Hobbit was first published in London by George Allen and Unwin Ltd. in 1937.  The previous world record for a first edition of the story was £50,000 set in 2008.

    Tags: , ,
    Posted in AUCTIONS, COLLECTIBLES | Comments Off on FIRST EDITION OF THE HOBBIT MAKES NEW WORLD RECORD

    FROM CROKE PARK TO LADY DI AT WHYTE’S ECLECTIC COLLECTOR SALE

    June 4th, 2015

    FROM Croke Park to Lady Di, Irish rugby to The Beatles, Whyte’s Eclectic Collector sale in Dublin on June 13 holds plenty of interest.  Rare Irish sporting medals, a collection of 5,000 postcards in 144 lots, three Princess Diana dolls by master maker Paul Crees, film and pop memorabilia including mementoes of The Beatles and the Rolling Stones make a wide ranging mix.  There are 531 lots on the catalogue.  The first 144 are postcards from a collection formed by Dublin based film producer and director Peter Holder.  He began it for the purpose of illustrating period scenes in Ireland for film productions.  Examples from Ancient Rome, Britain and America are among 100 lots of coins.  There are three Princess Diana dolls by Paul Crees with estimates from 1,000-2,500. Lot 368 is a medal presented to a member of Pierce O’Mahony’s club from Navan for the 1895 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship played on March 15, 1896.  It was the first final to be played in Jones’ Road, later Croke Park. The medal, together with a Leinster Football Championship 1895 medal is estimated at 5,000-7,000.  There is a collection of autographs spanning the past 70 years of Irish rugby and 65 lots of Rock, Pop and Cinema memorabilia.  The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:

    UPDATE: The sale grossed €220,000, with 80% of lots sold. 400 bidders registered on line from North America, Europe, Australia, China, Japan, UAE and Qatar. Most of the lots sold in the room, which included dealers and collectors from Ireland, UK and USA.

    GAA Football. "Virtual Championship of All Ireland" 1895 and Leinster Championship 1895 gold medals (5,000-7,000).

    GAA Football. “Virtual Championship of All Ireland” 1895 and Leinster Championship 1895 gold medals (5,000-7,000).  UPDATE: THIS MADE 7,200

    Paul McCartney, Hofner Bass Guitar, signed (2,000-3,000).

    Paul McCartney, Hofner Bass Guitar, signed (2,000-3,000).  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 4,000 AT HAMMER

    Andy Warhol signed Candles Condensed Wax (With Added Wick) Soup (500-700).

    Andy Warhol signed Candles Condensed Wax (With Added Wick) Soup (500-700).  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 700 AT HAMMER

    Irish Life - studies of people postcards (24) (80-120).

    Irish Life – studies of people postcards (24) (80-120).  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 200 AT HAMMER

    Thunderball cinema poster. 1965 (2,000-3,000).

    Thunderball cinema poster. 1965 (2,000-3,000).  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 2,100 AT HAMMER

    Paul Crees, HRH Diana Princess of Wales wearing silk bridal gown by Elizabeth Emanuel (2,000-2,500).

    Paul Crees, HRH Diana Princess of Wales wearing silk bridal gown by Elizabeth Emanuel (2,000-2,500).  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    Tags: , , ,
    Posted in AUCTIONS, COLLECTIBLES | Comments Off on FROM CROKE PARK TO LADY DI AT WHYTE’S ECLECTIC COLLECTOR SALE

    CAPTIVATING KLIMT PORTRAIT AT SOTHEBY’S

    June 4th, 2015
    Property from the Fels?ványi Collection Gustav Klimt Bildnis Gertrud Loew (Gertha Fels?ványi) / (Portrait of Gertrud Loew -Gertha Fels?ványi) signed Gustav Klimt and dated 1902 (upper left)

    Gustav Klimt
    Bildnis Gertrud Loew (Gertha Felsoványi)  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £24.8 MILLION

    Gustav Klimt’s captivating portrait Bildnis Gertrud Loew comes up at Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern evening sale in London on June 24.  This follows a settlement between the Felsöványi family and The Klimt Foundation. Dating from 1902 it is estimated at £12-18 million.  It depicts Gertrud Loew, later known by her married name Gertha Felsöványi, a member of fin-de-siècle Viennese society, wreathed in diaphanous folds of gossamer fabric.

    Helena Newman, Sotheby’s Co-Head of Impressionist & Modern Art Worldwide said: “Bildnis Gertrud Loew, from a crucial period in the artist’s career, is one his finest portraits to appear at auction in over twenty years.”

    Gertrud Felsöványi’s granddaughter on behalf of family heirs, said: “This portrait portrays the brave and determined nature of my grandmother. Her strength of character and beauty lives on in this visual embodiment. My father, Anthony Felsöványi, last saw this painting in June 1938 when he left the family home for the last time to depart for America. At that time my grandmother had been advised to leave her family home to live in a less grand home to try to avoid the attention of the Nazis, given her Jewish ancestry. Eventually, under duress, in 1939 she left Vienna altogether to join my father in America, having left all of her belongings behind – including this painting. Her home had been taken over as a Nazi headquarters and she had left her valuable belongings with friends and acquaintances. After the war, she never returned to Vienna. Only my father’s sister did, with the hope of retrieving some of their belongings, but to no avail. My father said that my grandmother never again mentioned the painting or the valuable belongings she had left behind”.

     

    UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £24.8 MILLION.  The sale followed a ten minute bidding battle. It was the second highest price paid for a Klimt portrait at auction.

    Tags: ,
    Posted in ART, AUCTIONS | Comments Off on CAPTIVATING KLIMT PORTRAIT AT SOTHEBY’S

    MONET, PICASSO, MARC AT CHRISTIE’S LONDON SALE

    June 4th, 2015

    A total of 52 covetable works to inspire collectors worldwide come up at  Christie’s Impressionist and Modern  Art evening sale in London on June 23.  Estimates range from £250,000 to £9 million for works by Monet, Picasso, Sisley, Rodin,  van Dongen, Marc, Signac, Magritte and Miro.  Franz Marc’s Gemsen from 1911 is at auction for the very first time with an estimate of £1.8-2.5 million. The artist sought to create an image of the world in harmony which led to increasingly abstracted elements in his art from 1911, the year he founded Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) with Kandinsky.  The top lot in the sale is Iris Mauves by Claude Monet which dates from 1914-1917. It is estimated at £6-9 million.  Here is a small selection:

    Franz Marc (1880-1916) Gemsen (£1.8-2.5 MILLION) © Christie’s Images Limited 2015

    Franz Marc (1880-1916)
    Gemsen (£1.8-2.5 MILLION) © Christie’s Images Limited 2015

    Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Tête (£4.8-6.5 MILLION) © Christie’s Images Limited 2015

    Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
    Tête (£4.8-6.5 MILLION) © Christie’s Images Limited 2015

    Claude Monet (1840-1926) Iris mauves (£6-9 MILLION) © Christie’s Images Limited 2015

    Claude Monet (1840-1926) Iris mauves (£6-9 MILLION) © Christie’s Images Limited 2015

    THE PROPERTY OF THE MUSÉE RODIN, PARIS Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) Aphrodite, grand modèle (£600,000-800,000). © Christie’s Images Limited 2015

    THE PROPERTY OF THE MUSÉE RODIN, PARIS
    Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) Aphrodite, grand modèle (£600,000-800,000). © Christie’s Images Limited 2015

    Tags: , , ,
    Posted in ART, AUCTIONS | Comments Off on MONET, PICASSO, MARC AT CHRISTIE’S LONDON SALE

    LEINSTER HOUSE CABINETS AT APTER-FREDERICKS

    June 3rd, 2015
    One of the Leinster House cabinets.

    One of the Leinster House cabinets.

    A pair of corner cabinets designed for Leinster House have surfaced with leading London dealers Apter-Fredericks with a price tag of £250,000 plus.  The exceptionally fine c1775 cabinets, known as encoigneurs, were made for William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster.

    Apter-Fredericks say they have only recently come to light, having been in the possession of the FitzGerald family since the late 18th century. They are listed in the firm’s latest catalogue.

    Following the sale of Leinster House to the RDS in 1815 the cabinets were removed to Carton House, home to the Dukes of Leinster until 1949. They are recorded in the ante-room at Carton circa 1887. After Carton they went to Kilkea Castle in Co. Kildare and finally to Ramsden in Oxfordshire.

    Leinster House – home to the Irish Parliament or Houses of the Oireachtas since 1922 –  was built in 1745. By the 1770’s, when it was owned by the 2nd Duke, only the great first floor gallery remained to be completed.  So William FitzGerald commissioned renowned neo-classical architect and designer James Wyatt – who had previously worked with his uncle the 3rd Duke of Richmond – to design the gallery. Wyatt’s designs for the entire room do not exist.  The Penrose Album in the National Library of Ireland contains a watercolour showing an end wall in the gallery.

    A detail of the cabinet.

    A detail of the cabinet.

    Almost all the decorative elements in the room – winged sphinxes, scrolled acanthus and urns – are echoed in the decoration of the corner commodes.   The furniture would have worked together with the door cases and chimney pieces to create a sophisticated neo-classical space.  This reflected the 2nd Duke of Leinster’s interest in the antique art and decoration he had seen while on his Grand Tour in Italy between 1766 and 1768.
    Apter-Fredericks describe the commodes as: A magnificent, museum quality pair of corner cabinets or encoigneurs in satinwood, with purple heart and tulip wood bandings, and inlaid neo-classical designs to the most exceptionally high standard. Furniture of this quality could only have been made by one of a small handful of cabinet makers from this period, namely Mayhew and Ince and Thomas Chippendale.  Apter-Fredericks, Important English Furniture, is at Fulham Road, London SW3.

    A detail.

    A detail.

    A view of the top.

    A view of the top.

    A detail.

    A detail.

    Tags: ,
    Posted in FURNITURE | Comments Off on LEINSTER HOUSE CABINETS AT APTER-FREDERICKS

    MOST VALUABLE JEWELLERY AUCTION EVER HELD IN ASIA

    June 2nd, 2015
    This Burmese ruby and diamond necklace by Etcetera made US$13,006,656.

    This Burmese ruby and diamond necklace by Etcetera made US$13,006,656, a world auction record price for a ruby necklace.

    The most valuable jewellery auction ever held in Asia brought in US$117,892,395 at Christie’s. The top lot in the Hong Kong magnificent jewels sale was a Burmese ruby and diamond necklace of 120 carats, by Etcetera.  It made US$13,006,656.

    “Christie’s Hong Kong established a new record for the most valuable jewellery auction ever held in Asia. The family collection of K’ung Hsiang-Hsi sold for US$14.6 m, 7 times its low estimate. More records were achieved for a ruby necklace, a Kashmir sapphire and a jadeite cabochon and collectors were mesmerized all through the day bidding in any increment and as long as it took to try and acquire anything at the sale,” said Vickie Sek, Director of Christie’s Asia Jewellery Department.

    A circular cut Kashmir sapphire of 10.33 carats sold for US$2,483,136, a world record per carat price of US$240,381. A jadeite cabochon pendant sold for US$5,676,480, a world auction record for a single jadeite cabochon.

    UPDATE:  Christie’s Hong Kong auction series achieved US$417.6 million and established 60 auction records across various categories. Buyers from mainland China continued to be active, and were joined this year by collectors from Singapore and Taiwan, who competed for 5 days in 16 auctions.

     

    Tags: ,
    Posted in AUCTIONS, COLLECTIBLES | Comments Off on MOST VALUABLE JEWELLERY AUCTION EVER HELD IN ASIA

    MANET’S Le Bar aux Folies-Bergère AT SOTHEBY’S

    June 2nd, 2015
    ÉDOUARD MANET (1832 – 1883) LE BAR AUX FOLIES BERGÈRE

    ÉDOUARD MANET (1832 – 1883)
    LE BAR AUX FOLIES BERGÈRE  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £16.9 MILLION

    Manet’s first version of The Bar at the Folies Bergere comes up at Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern Art sale in London on June 24.  Depicting one of his most iconic subjects Le Bar aux Folies-Bergère of 1881 by Édouard Manet is estimated at £15-20 million.  The painting remained in the artist’s personal collection up until his death, after which it went to his dealer Paul Durand-Ruel. It  was shown to the public in 1905 in the now legendary exhibition at the Grafton Galleries, London, which introduced the British public to Impressionism. Since then the work has been exhibited extensively internationally and most recently featured as one of the highlights of the National Gallery’s blockbuster exhibition in London Inventing Impressionism: Paul Durand-Ruel and the Modern Art Market.

    The second and final version of the work is at The Courtauld Institute in London.

    UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £16.9 MILLION.  The same work made £4.4 million when sold at Sotheby’s in 1994.

    Tags: ,
    Posted in ART, AUCTIONS | Comments Off on MANET’S Le Bar aux Folies-Bergère AT SOTHEBY’S

    FOUR EGGS ON A PLATE FROM FREUD TO DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE

    June 1st, 2015
    Lucian Freud, Four Eggs on a Plate, 2002. Copyright Sotheby's

    Lucian Freud, Four Eggs on a Plate, 2002. Copyright Sotheby’s  UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR £989,000

    The late Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, a frequent visitor to the family estate in Lismore, Co. Waterford, always brought eggs to Lucian Freud when she went to London.  In return Freud gave Four Eggs on a Plate as a gift to the Duchess in 2002.   Their enduring friendship is highlighted by the sale of the painting at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art evening auction  in London on July 1. It is estimated at £100,000-150,000.

    Deborah was youngest of the six Mitford sisters who captivated British society in the 1940s and 50s – marrying Andrew Cavendish in 1941. Cavendish became the 11th Duke of Devonshire in 1950 and she dedicated her life to the running of Chatsworth. The Duchess was famed for a somewhat eccentric pursuit for a society beauty: a passion for chickens. Freud’s gift is a tender memento of a lifelong bond between the great artist and the larger-than-life duchess.

    Oliver Barker, Sotheby’s Senior International Specialist in Contemporary Art said: “We’re incredibly excited to be offering a work of such personal significance to both Lucian Freud and the late Dowager Duchess of Devonshire. This small, exquisitely beautiful painting was a treasured gift and today it stands as a token of their enduring friendship. Four Eggs on a Plate is a painting like no other. We see Freud’s tremendous virtuosity as a painter, transforming a simple subject into a work of extraordinary power – and we see the portrait of a friendship between an artist and a duchess.” Deborah, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, died aged 94, in September 2014.

    UPDATE: This work sold for £989,000 after a bidding battle by seven bidders.

    Tags: ,
    Posted in ART, AUCTIONS | Comments Off on FOUR EGGS ON A PLATE FROM FREUD TO DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE

    MASTERPIECE FAIR GENERATES GLOBAL INTEREST

    May 30th, 2015

    The 6th edition of Masterpiece, the international cross collecting fair for art, antiques and design, takes place at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London from June 25 to July 1 with a preview on June 24. The fair offers museum quality works with superb provenance from 150 galleries worldwide.

    Last year the art market generated over half a billion pounds worth of art sales during the week of Masterpiece. This success can, in part, be attributed to the groundswell of interest and purchases from world-renowned institutions including the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Rijksmuseum, MoMA, British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, The Getty and Tate, to name a few. The Royal Bank of Canada is principal sponsor  and in 2015 the fair welcomes the Wallace Collection, the National Portrait Gallery, The Courtauld Institute of Art and Sir John Soane’s Museum as its official cultural partners.  Here is a small selection from this years offerings:

    Laurence Stephen Lowry, Crowther Street Stockport, 1964, Oil on Canvas. Courtesy of Richard Green.

    Laurence Stephen Lowry, Crowther Street Stockport, 1964, Oil on Canvas. Courtesy of Richard Green.

    The Medici Tompion, circa 1969, ebony and gilt brass mounted Grande Sonnerie table clock, presented by William III as a gift to Cosimo de Medici, £4,500,000 courtesy of Carter Marsh & Co.

    The Medici Tompion, circa 1969, ebony and gilt brass mounted Grande Sonnerie table clock, presented by William III as a gift to Cosimo de Medici, £4,500,000 courtesy of Carter Marsh & Co.

    Blue and White Bottle with the Arms of Castile and Leon China—Ming dynasty, Wanli period (1573-1620) at Jorge Welsh

    Blue and White Bottle with the Arms of Castile and Leon China—Ming dynasty, Wanli period (1573-1620) at Jorge Welsh

    Antonio Joli, A View of Naples from the Bay, circa 1740 at Robilant + Voena

    Antonio Joli, A View of Naples from the Bay, circa 1740 at Robilant + Voena

    A Rare Anglo-Indian Polychrome, Decorated Drum Table Top, c. 1880, Courtesy of Apter-Fredericks.

    A Rare Anglo-Indian Polychrome, Decorated Drum Table Top, c. 1880, Courtesy of Apter-Fredericks.

    A George II Carved Side table Attributed to William Linnell The Design Possibly by John Linnell, Courtesy of Apter-Fredericks.

    A George II Carved Side table Attributed to William Linnell The Design Possibly by John Linnell, Courtesy of Apter-Fredericks.

    19th Century Secretaire a Abattant by Maison Rogie of Paris, after the original in the Wallace Collection, made in 1777 by Pierre-Antoine Foullet at Butchoff Antiques.

    19th Century Secretaire a Abattant by Maison Rogie of Paris, after the original in the Wallace Collection, made in 1777 by Pierre-Antoine Foullet at Butchoff Antiques.

    Tags: ,
    Posted in FAIRS | Comments Off on MASTERPIECE FAIR GENERATES GLOBAL INTEREST

    ANTIQUE IRISH SILVER CANDLESTICKS IN LISMORE

    May 29th, 2015

    Antique Irish silver candlesticks, sapphire rings, art by popular Irish artists and a variety of furniture, vintage fashion, silver, porcelain, coins and Waterford Crystal will all feature at the Lismore Opera Festival antique and fine art fair this bank holiday weekend in Ireland.  Hibernian Antique Fairs will be in Lismore  on May 30 and 31 with a selection of top antique dealers including members of the Irish Antique Dealers’ Association.   Here is a sample:

    A set of four antique Irish candlesticks by James Warren, Dublin c1750 (17,500).

    A set of four antique Irish candlesticks by James Warren, Dublin c1750 (17,500).

    A c1890 Burmese sapphire and diamond cluster ring at Weldons (18,500).

    A c1890 Burmese sapphire and diamond cluster ring at Weldons (18,500).

    Arthur Maderson - Late Evening, River Blackwater at Treasures Irish Art of Athlone.

    Arthur Maderson – Late Evening, River Blackwater at Treasures Irish Art of Athlone.

    Mark O'Neill, The Enclosure at Treasures Irish Art of Athlone.

    Mark O’Neill, The Enclosure at Treasures Irish Art of Athlone.

    Tags: ,
    Posted in FAIRS | Comments Off on ANTIQUE IRISH SILVER CANDLESTICKS IN LISMORE

    « Older Entries
    Newer Entries »