19TH-CENTURY GOTHIC REVIVAL GILT HARP BY ERARD. UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,000 AT HAMMER
This imposing 19th-century pedal harp by Erard, in the Gothic Revival style, richly decorated with giltwood ornamentation, is lot 227 at Sheppards Great Irish Interiors sale on May 27 and 28. The column is adorned with pierced gothic arches and tracery above a fluted shaft, leading to a finely carved neck with the maker’s inscription: Sebastian Erard, London. It is estimated at €2,500-€3,500. The sale is now on view in Durrow and the catalogue is online.
A joint exhibition by Michael Quane and Johanna Connor drawing on their respective media of stone and paper is at the Lavit Gallery until June 14. The exhibition title, Paper – Pencil – Chisel – Stone, draws from the tools used by the Coachford based artists. Connor’s drawings on paper, made as if looking through a magnifying lens, edit the visible and invisible to extract hidden magic from the mundane. Quane scrapes through the act of carving stone to produce a deliberate form with each mark serving a purpose to create a sense of immediacy and spontaneity.
West of Ireland Bog by Paul Henry at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE 125,000 AT HAMMER
An array of exciting choices will come up at major sales of Irish art in Dublin by Whyte’s, de Veres and James Adam on May 26, 27 and 28 respectively.
Art worth a couple million euro is set to change hands at sales headed by Paul Henry (Whyte’s), Gerard Dillon (de Veres) and Roderic O’Conor (Adams). All are on view this weekend.
Achill Horses by Mainie Jellett at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE 210,000 AT HAMMER
A spectacular 1933 oil of Achill Horses (€70,000-€100,000) by Mainie Jellett will create interest among serious collectors. This modern abstract style was in marked contrast to the prevailing realist mode of her contemporaries like Paul Henry and Charles Lamb. Jellett was chosen to create murals of the life and people of Ireland for the Free State Pavilion at the Glasgow Empire Exhibition of 1938. Another version of Achill Horses is included in the Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone exhibition at the National Gallery until August 10.
The most expensively estimated work at all three sales is West of Ireland Bog by Paul Henry (€120,000-180,000). It is one of three works by the artist at Whyte’s where Cottages, West of Ireland (€60,000-€80,000) and Keel Bay, Achill (€50,000-€70,000) also feature. In Hill Fair at Achill Island by Letitia Hamilton (€15,000-€20,000) the viewer joins the busy scene through an uneven path between two large limestone rocks.
There is international art by John Atkinson Grimshaw, Ferdinand Roybet, Paula Rego, Bridget Riley and Maurice Poirson as well as a sketch of James Joyce by his close friend Frank Budgen. The auction offers major works by William Leech, Dan O’Neill, Colin Middleton and George Russell, Dublin scenes by Flora Mitchell, prints by Patrick Scott, William Scott and Louis le Brocquy, sculpture by Rowan Gillespie and John Behan and work by popular artists like Kenneth Webb, Graham Knuttel, Cecil Maguire and Arthur Maderson.
Little Girl’s Wonder by Gerard Dillon is the top lot at the art and sculpture sale by de Veres next Tuesday. In tune with the naive style and strong use of colour for which Dillon is known it was shown at The Irish Exhibition of Living Art in Dublin – set in 1943 up to promote modernism in Ireland – in 1955. This work is estimated at €50,000-€80,000.
Little Girl’s Wonder by Gerard Dillon at de Veres. UPDATE: THIS MADE 55,000 AT HAMMER
The sale at de Veres offers art by Louis le Brocquy, Colin Middleton, Daniel O’Neill, Patrick Collins, John Shinnors, Peter Curling, Lillian Davidson, George Russell (AE), May Guinness and Mainie Jellett. The sculpture in the auction, on view in the garden of the Merrion Hotel, includes work by Rowan Gillespie, F. E. McWilliam, Patrick O’Reilly, Jason Ellis and Michael Warren.
A reclining nude and a night scene of a boat in a storm, both by Roderic O’Conor and estimated respectively at €40,000-€60,000 and €15,000-€25,000, lead the sale of Important Irish Art at James Adam next Wednesday evening. A dreamlike image by Hughie O’Donoghue, The Sea, The Sea from 2003 is estimated at €15,000-€20,000. Among 100 lots on offer is The Path of the Lamb (1966), an oil on canvas commissioned by The Dominican Order for St. Saviour’s Church on Dominick St. in Dublin (€10,000-€15,000). Figures Asleep by Mary Swanzy from the 1940’s (€10,000-€15,000) shows a makeshift arrangement that possibly depicts neighbours sheltering during air raids. Two arresting and contrasting works by renowned artists are the dense and restrained Black and White Scarecrows by John Shinnors (€5,000-€8,000) and Silent Gardens, a colourful piece from 1985 by Tony O’Malley (€12,000-€15,000).
Convict Woman, a bronze by Rowan Gillespie (€8,000-€12,000) is based on one of the life size figures by the artist unveiled in Hobart, Tasmania in 2017 known as the footsteps toward freedom statues. It represents the 13,000 convict women and 2,000 of their children who were transported to Van Diemen’s Land. A selection of sculpture by John Behan and Oisin Kelly is also on offer. Viewing is underway and all catalogues are online.
Black and White Scarecrows by John Shinnors at Adams. UPDATE: THIS MADE 5,000 AT HAMMER
A pair of Irish giltwood console tables. UPDATE: THESE MADE 10,000 AT HAMMER
A pair of Irish giltwood console tables, a Cork shipwreck by Richard Peterson Atkinson, 19th century porcelain birds, possibly Meissen and a Donegal carpet attributed to C F A Voysey – trappings typical of a grand Irish country house – feature at the Great Irish Interiors sale at Sheppards in Durrow on May 27-28.
More than 1,300 lots showcase the rich history of antiques, art and decorative objects rooted in the grand tour, the Enlightenment and trade links with China and the Middle East that once abounded in the houses of Ireland. Lots like a large French tapestry, a Sevres style mantel clock, a bronze sculpture of a Roman charioteer on a marble plinth attest to a past which focused both on collection from abroad and promotion of local skills. The latter resulted in lots on offer like an exceptional Killarney davenport, fine Irish silver and antique furniture made by skilled craftspeople in Ireland. The auction is on view in Durrow from today and the catalogue is online.
City of New York aground on Daunt Rock, 1864, a watercolour by Richard Peterson Atkinson. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,700 AT HAMMER
PAUL HENRY – ROAD TO CLIFDEN. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
One Yeats and two Paul Henry’s make for what Dolan’s describe as their best auction for years. The online art sale, which is now live, runs until May 26. The top lots are Man Running by Yeats (€120,000-150,000), Incoming Tide by Paul Henry (€90,000-130,000) and Road to Clifden (illustrated here) (€45,000-75,000). There is a selection of 20th century Irish and international artists along with some rare Irish whiskeys. The catalogue is online.
A rare Irish Free State pattern florin dating from 1927 discovered in an antiques market in Italy over 40 years ago by an Italian collector could fetch up to £10,000 when it is offered at Noonans Mayfair in a sale of Coins, Historical Medals and Numismatic Books on May 29. UPDATE: THIS MADE £10,000 AT HAMMER
Oliver Hepburn of Noonans explained: “This rare copper florin was designed by Publio Morbiducci (1889 -1963) a leading Italian sculptor, medalist and painter in the early and mid-1900s. Morbiducci was among a group of international artists who were asked to submit designs for Ireland’s first coinage. The competition was won by the British engraver Percy Metcalfe.”
“It is very exciting that this particular example was discovered in a market in Morbiducci’s home country, and these patterns only come up for auction once in a blue moon. Fewer than a dozen examples have sold in the last 20 years. This penny was never put into circulation and obviously the dealer in the market, didn’t quite appreciate its rarity. It is decorated with a harp on one side and a salmon on the other and officially only two sets were minted for presentation to the Irish Currency Commission. However, after the competition, it is thought that Morbiducci minted several more sets for private use, though exact figures are unknown.”
Roderic O’Conor (1860-1940) – Reclining Nude (1921). UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
Reclining Nude by Roderic O’Conor leads the evening sale of Important Irish Art at James Adam in Dublin on May 28. Painted in 1921 the oil on canvas is estimated at €40,000-€60,000. A total of 100 lots will come under the hammer including work by Tony O’Malley, Basil Blackshaw, John Shinnors, Letitia Marion Hamilton, Barrie Cooke, Oisin Kelly, John Behan and Nathaniel Hone will come under the hammer. The catalogue is online.
JACK B YEATS – CROSSING THE CITY (€120,000-€170,000)
A exhibition showcasing highlights from upcoming sales at Bonhams in Dublin runs from May 22-28. It displays works by Paul Henry, Jack B. Yeats, Roderic O’Conor, Sir John Lavery and Norah McGuinness, prints by Andy Warhol, Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, David Hockney, Sybil Andrews and Roy Lichtenstein, furniture by George Nakashima and José Zanine, glass and metal sculpture by Alessandro Pianon and a Martin Brothers stoneware ‘Wally Bird’ tobacco jar. Bonhams sale of Modern British and Irish art is on June 18 in London. The Modern Decorative Design sale is online from June 2-11.
19TH-CENTURY KILLARNEY YEW AND ARBUTUS WOOD MARQUETRY TABLE. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This 19th Killarney centre circular centre table inlaid with yew and arbutus wood is among the highlights at Sheppards Great Irish Interiors sale in Durrow on May 27 and 28. The top is centred by circular marquetry medallions and enclosed within elaborate borders of Celtic strapwork, foliate motifs and symbolic patterns. More than 1200 lots will come under the hammer and the catalogue is online. The estimate on this table, which comes up on May 28, is €6,000-€9,000.
JOHN DOHERTY – HACKETTS – DOUBLE YELLOW. UPDATE: THIS MADE 23,000 AT HAMMER
This work by the photo realist artist John Doherty is at de Veres art and sculpture auction which runs until May 27. The estimate is €15,000-€25,000. The sale offers 142 lots with work by Gerard Dillon, Barry Flanagan, Louis le Brocquy, Callum Innes and Tony O’Malley. The catalogue is online.
