Pictured here is one of a rare pair of mid 18th century carved limestone Medici lions which made a hammer price of €42,000 at Adams house to garden sale in Dublin today. The Medici Lion, with its striding pose and paw resting upon a sphere, became a widely adopted sculptural type in eighteenth-century Britain and Ireland, particularly within the context of the Palladian revival. The model derives from a Roman marble of the second century AD and a pendant carved in 1598 by the Roman sculptor Flaminio Vacca (1538–1605), commissioned for the Villa Medici in Rome by Ferdinando I de’ Medici (1549–1609), Grand Duke of Tuscany. By the mid-18th century, British and Irish sculptors and masons were producing carved stone interpretations for architectural and landscape settings, particularly as gate or terrace ornaments. The pair had been estimated at €50,000-€70,000. A monumental neo classical white marble fountain made €18,000, a carved Dublin William IV doorcase made €11,000, a 19th century Scottish terracotta balustrade by Garnkirk made €11,000, a cast lead figure of Orpheus made €9,000, a pair of composite stone figures of seated hounds made €8,500, a large statuary and Sienna marble chimneypiece, an 18th century marble bust of Domitian Caesar and a reconstructed Portland Stone neoclassical doorcase all made €8,000.
William John Leech (1881-1968) – Gardener’s Joy. UPDATE: THIS MADE 28,000 AT HAMMER
This painting by William John Leech is lot 26 at Whyte’s Irish and International art auction in Dublin on May 26. In the 1930’s the Irish artist was greatly influenced by the Bloomsbury painters – Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell and Roger Fry – whose focus was more with private than public concerns and art for art’s sake. In Gardener’s Joy Leech chooses a simple subject and investigates how light at a particular time of day influences it. It is estimated at €15,000-€20,000. The auction is now on view at Whyte’s on Molesworth St., Dublin and the catalogue is online.
JAN DAVIDSZ. DE HEEM (UTRECHT 1606-1684 ANTWERP) – STILL LIFE. UPDATE: THIS MADE £3,670,000
A pie on a pewter plate, a partially peeled lemon and overturned silver spoon on a pewter plate, crayfish and shrimp in a Wanli bowl, fruit, a walnut and an oyster on a pewter plate, a basket of fruit, a fluted glass, a silver-gilt cup, a roemer, an overturned silver tazza on a strong box, a silver ewer and a bread roll all on a partially draped table with a curtain beyond are in this marvellous oil on canvas signed and dated ‘J. De Heem f. A° 1649’. Estimated at £3 million – £5 million it will be a highlight at Christie’s Old Masters Evening Sale on July 1 during Classic Week in London.
This appetising work – painted at a time when De Heem produced some of his finest works – reprises themes from an extraordinary group of four large-scale paintings that the artist executed earlier in the decade, but with greater refinement of execution, perhaps in part due to its more manageable scale. Two of these paintings are today at the Louvre (inv. no. 1321) and Musée des Beaux-Arts, Brussels (inv. no. K 1878/5). A third is in a private collection, and the fourth was sold for a world auction record at Christie’s in London on 15 December 2020.
Stained glass from Birr Castle, the 1851 Plan of Cork by John Tallis, affordable antique furniture, new Irish art and vintage fashion can all be found at the Cork antique fair in Fermoy on May 25.
After an absence of five years Hibernian Antique Fairs will return to a new venue in Cork for a full to the brim event with 40 dealers from around Ireland. It will be held at the Corrin Event Centre three miles from Fermoy and just off exit 15 on the M8. There is ample space and lots of available parking for what promises to be a great day out.
1851 Map of Cork with insets
In a city still waiting for its event centre the ever popular Cork antique fair outgrew its previous locations and came to an end. Finding somewhere to host it has been difficult. In contrast the antique fairs at spacious Limerick Racecourse have repeatedly demonstrated strong demand and an appetite for more which speaks to the resilience of the antique trade in turbulent economic times.
At fairs in Limerick and Kerry organiser Robin O’Donnell is often asked when will he return to Cork. Now that the multi purpose Cork Marts complex has become available the answer should be more often than before. In advance of the first fair at Corrin he is already planning another in October.
Vintage headwear from Eily Henry
The market is continually evolving as collecting habits change. Unusual once off items are highly collectible and Norman Allison of Annamoe Antiques will present two windows in solid oak frames from Birr Castle. These are accompanied by an original 1983 receipt from Mike McGlynn Antiques, Bunratty, Co Clare in which he states that the c1835 stained glass panels were by the Earl of Rosse. The second earl, friend of Wolfe Tone and a critic of absentee landlords, was father of astronomer William Parsons, 3rd Earl, who in 1845 built what was then the world’s largest telescope in Birr.
Collectors will be interested in an 1851 Plan of Cork by John Tallis, a pair of Neoclassical 19th century bronze Medici urns on Siena marble plinths and a 6th century Limoges grisaille enamel plaque of a shepherdess. Treasures of Athlone will bring new art by James Brohan and the Purple Onion Gallery will offer a mix of contemporary art, photography, whiskey, wine and cigars.
Vintage hats to catch the eye can be found at Eily Henry’s stand and Eddie Moylan will bring some affordable gold jewellery. Greenes of Drogheda, Vintage Velvet and Raymond Byrne are among those offering antique furniture and a selection of smaller antique pieces which can be carried home along with everything from vintage toys to bullion to coins and banknotes. It all adds up to a a great day out enhanced by a sense of exploration and inspiration.
Constructs of the Mind by Martin Finnin. UPDATE: THIS MADE 800 AT HAMMER
Evie Hone, Percy French, Arthur Maderson, Charles Harper, Graham Knuttel and Martin Finnin are among the artists featured in Morgan O’Driscoll’s off the wall art auction of affordable Irish art. The catalogue is online and the sale draws to a close from 6.30 pm on May 19. The early summer sales of important Irish art in Dublin at Whyte’s, de Veres and James Adam get underway at Whyte’s on May 26.
Mid 19th century Irish dining table and 12 Cork chairs at Lynes and Lynes. UPDATE: The table made €3,400 at hammer, the chairs were unsold.
Artworks from the estate of Brian Looney, former editor of the Irish Examiner, are included in the Lynes and Lynes sale in Carrigtwohill on May 24. The auction offers boardroom furniture from the Dulux factory in Cork, established in 1885 by the Harrington family. Lot 228 is a folder with correspondence between Michael Collins, then Minister for Finance, and Genoa based Donal Hales, Irish consul for Italy from 1919 and brother of assassinated Cork TD Sean Hales.
Artworks include Meeting of the Currachs by Ciaran Clear and a signed lithograph by the American artist Frank Stella. A mid 19th century dining table is estimated at €4,000-€6,000 and a set of 12 Cork 11-bar chairs at €3,500-€4,500. There is jewellery including a platinum and diamond three stone ring, a 1950’s childs penny farthing bicycle and a church bell made by James Atkins, Cork c1810 believed to be from St. Mary’s Church in Cobh.
The auction by Woodwards in Cork next Saturday offers antique furniture including a Georgian chest on chest, a George II card table, a pair of Edwardian demi-lune tables, an Edwardian parquetry table and a set of Cork chairs. There is a pair of cast iron garden seats by Pierce of Wexford, a model of a three masted schooner and a selection of porcelain, glassware, rugs and mirrors. Both auctions are on view from May 17 and the catalogues are online.
A parquetry inlaid table at Woodwards sale. UPDATE: This made 240 at hammer.
Even though he made it at a time when he was confronting his own mortality there is a sense of exuberance, joy even, in this late painting by Yeats. Running Man dates to 1947, the year the artist lost his wife Cottie, and centres on a male figure running alone in an open space, towards the viewer. This small work in a classical Yeats west of Ireland setting is full of life, action, mystery and movement. It highlights Dolan’s art auction online from May 17 – 26. In a catalogue note Dr. Roisin Kennedy writes: “The focus on the figure’s physicality reflects what Samuel Beckett described as Yeats’s paintings’ embodiment of ‘the impenetrability of the world, and the subject’s helpless solipsism before it…’ Once in the collection of Nol Gogarty it is estimated at €100,000-€150,000.
Specifically created for the Spanish virtuoso AndrésSegovia – who never played it – the classical guitar known as La Inedita was crafted in Madrid in 1935 by legendary luthier Santos Hernández (1874-1943). Through twists of fate, this exceptional instrument never reached the master’s hands, becoming a mysterious piece of musical lore. Upon completion, instead of personally visiting Santos Hernández’s workshop, Segovia merely requested that the guitar be delivered to his hotel. This deeply offended the master luthier, who felt slighted and decided not only to refuse to sell it to Segovia but also to store it away untouched, ensuring no one else could play it. In the early 1970s Spanish Mexican businessman, philanthropist and renowned art collector Plácido Arango Arias acquired the guitar. Now this long-lost treasure emerges from history. It will be sold by Bonham’s an online sale from May 19-28 in Paris. The estimate is €125,000 – 185,000 with all proceeds benefitting children battling cancer through Fundación Aladina.
LARGE IONIC COLUMN PORTICO. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
One of the more unusual lots of architectural salvage at the James Adam House to Garden sale on May 20 is this ionic column portico from Mote Park House in Co. Roscommon. The disassembled unit comprises four columns and capitals, a dentil frieze and some steps. The pillars were a major part of the refurbishment designed by architect Sir Richard Morrison (1767-1849) in the mid-19th Century for the Crofton family. The Croftons have been in residence around the Mote region of Roscommon since at least 1579 when John Crofton was appointed Auditor General of Ireland by Queen Elizabeth I. When the family eventually dispersed in the 1950’s the house fell into disrepair and it was demolished by the Irish Land Commission in 1959. The portico was salvaged by Fr. Brian Hanley prior to the demolition and placed on display at his own home Kedagh House, Galway, where it then entered the public sphere after his passing in 2012. It is estimated at €50,000-€70,000.
Evie Hone HRHA (1894-1955) – Study for Stained Glass Window. UPDATE: THIS MADE 850 AT HAMMER
This gouache on paper study for a stained glass window by Evie Hone is at Morgan O’Driscoll’s current Off the Wall online auction which runs until May 19. From a private collection it is estimated at €500-750. The sale offers a wide variety of art from Arthur Maderson and Graham Knuttel to Percy French and Kenneth Webb. The catalogue is online.
