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    • Exceptional 18th Century Chinese Vases at Christie’s

    June 28th, 2011
    18th century Daoist vases at Christie’s. (Click on image to enlarge). Copyright Christie’s Images.  UPDATE: THE SELLING PRICE FOR THESE WAS

    £7,993,250

    THIS set of four 18th century Chinese porcelain vases, mounted in the early 19th century with French ormolu, feature at Christie’s on July 7. Over four feet tall they were acquired by either the 3rd Duchess of Buccleuch or her grandson, the 5th Duke.  The only known parallels in form, scale, magnificence and style are the vases acquired around the same time by the Prince Regent, later George IV, now at Buckingham Palace, London. The ‘Daoist vases’ are an example of the Chinese taste for auspicious imagery. The presence of numerous bats in flight conveys happiness and prosperity – bats being a homophone in Chinese for a word meaning ‘happiness’, whilst the Eight Buddhist and Daoist Emblems, which take a central importance on these vases, are believed to bring blessings and harmony. The vases are expected to realise between £600,000 and £1 million.

    They form part of the Exceptional Sale.  This comprises just 52 works and is expected to realise £18 million.
    UPDATE:  THE SALE REALISED £28,781,000.  The four vases were bought by US casino owner Steve Wynn for his Macau Resort Hotel.
    This silver chandelier is a masterpiece of Palladian design. (Click on image to enlarge). Copyright, Christie’s Images.  UPDATE: THIS MADE

    £5,753,250

    The Givenchy Royal Hanover Chandelier is a masterpiece of 18th century Palladian design.  The  German silver eight-light chandelier was conceived by the celebrated architect and designer William Kent for King George II of Great Britain as Elector of Hanover (r.1727-1760). Kent’s inspired design was realised by the Hanover court goldsmith Balthasar Friedrich Behrens and was delivered to the Hanover palace on September 13, 1736. It later graced Windsor Castle and was most recently sold from the collection of the renowned designer Hubert de Givenchy in Christie’s Monaco in 1994. The estimate is £2.6 million to £3.6 million.

    Robert Copley, international head of furniture and decorative art at Christie’s said:  “For The Exceptional Sale 2011 we have extended the parameters to include pieces from all of the decorative arts which will give the market the opportunity to bid for some of the rarest and finest works of art to come to auction, many of which are offered for the first time.”

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    ANDY WARHOL’S MAO A HIGHLIGHT AT CHRISTIE’S

    June 27th, 2011

    Andy Warhol (1928-1987) Mao, signed and dated 'Andy Warhol 73', is estimated at £6-8 million. (Click on image to enlarge). Copyright Christie's Images. UPDATE: IT MADE £6,985,250

    Andy Warhol’s Mao is one of a number of highlights of Christie’s Post War and Contemporary art evening auction in London on June 28.  The sale of 67 works is expected to realised a combined total of £55.8-77.6 milion.

    The iconic large scale Mao (1973) was shown at the first exhibition of Mao paintings at Musée Galliera, Paris in 1974.  Other highlights are Warhol’s vivid emerald green Little Electric Chair (1964), Miquel Barceló’s Faena de muleta (1990), the largest and most important example of the artist’s celebrated bullfight paintings ever to come to auction and Juan Muñoz’s Esquina positiva (1992), first unveiled to great acclaim at the landmark Documenta IV in Kassel in 1992, which launched the artist’s international career.
    Francis Outred, European Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art, said: “At a time when the global art world unites to celebrate the Venice Biennale, Christie’s is delighted to bring together works from 14 countries for this June’s Post War and Contemporary Art auction. At the heart of the forthcoming season is one of the finest groups of British Art ever to be assembled at auction, spanning from the early 1940s to the present day. Looking across the generations, one begins to see continuities between the inky-blue washes of paint in Francis Bacon’s landmark Study for a Portrait (1953) and Peter Doig’s liquid application of the medium in Red Boat (Imaginary Boys) (2003-04), undoubtedly one of his best paintings this century. Indeed the drive to depict real, physical presence is equally apparent in Lucian Freud’s pivotal painting Woman Smiling (1958-59) as in Ron Mueck’s mesmerising, hyper-real Big Baby (1996). Assembled from a variety of collections including that of Kay Saatchi, we are delighted to have brought together such a cohesive group of masterworks.”
    UPDATE: IT MADE £6,985,250
    See antiquesandartireland.com post for March 31.

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    BOER WAR BEDSPREAD AT MEALY’S ON JULY 5

    June 27th, 2011

    A Boer War bedspread, profusely decorated with devices, monograms, initials and assorted decorations. (Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 550

    THIS Boer War bedspread, which features at Mealy’s on July 5,  was reputedly rescued from the sinking Lusitania off the coast of Cork in 1915.  It is lot number 211 at Mealy’s two day summer fine and decorative art sale in Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny on July 5 and 6.  There are 1,200 lots on offer.

    Such quilts were common at the turn of the 20th century.  They usually bore the name of the woman or women who created them, the soldiers name or initials and other decoration.  They often included symbols that were difficult to decipher.

    This c1900 quilt bears the names and initials of both men and women. The name Roberts, sewn on the middle left, is believed to be Field Marshall Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, a distinguished Indian born British peer, who was Anglo Irish.

    According to the catalogue notes this suggests that the quilt commemorates soldiers who sailed to the Cape on the RMS Dunottar Castle, which carried Earl Roberts.   It is estimated at 600-900.

    The catalogue for the sale is on-line.  It includes decorative art, furniture, carpets, textiles, paintings, light fittings, garden furniture, bronzes, musical instruments, clocks, silver, wine, glass, militaria and firearms.

    UPDATE:  THIS SOLD FOR 550

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    CONTENTS FROM THE KELLY COLLECTION AT 24 FITZWILLIAM SQUARE, DUBLIN

    June 23rd, 2011

    The James Adam auction of the Kelly Collection brought in over half a million euro on June 21.  The sale of contents from the elegant interior of a stately Georgian home at 24 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin, attracted large numbers of buyers.  There was some disappointment when the top lots failed to sell in these recessionary times but buyers were out in force for some of the less expensively estimated lots. The contents were on view at Fitzwilliam Square, the sale took place at the James Adam salesroom on St. Stephen’s Green.

    There were posts about the sale on antiquesandartireland.com on June 7 and June 17.  Here is a selection of some lots which were sold, (click on any image to enlarge it):

    This George III breakfront sideboard, possibly Irish, made 4,600.

    One of a pair of Louis XVI painted fauteuils, attributed to G.W. Gourdin and upholstered in blue silk, which made 16,500.

    A LATE 18th CENTURY FRENCH FRUITWOOD SECRETAIRE À ABBATANT made 2,600.

    A George III inlaid serpentine serving table made 4,000.

    A pair of French ormolu cylindrical hall lanters in the Louis XVI style made 7,000.

    One of a set of four Regency dining chairs which sold for 1,500.

    A George III fruitwood chest sold for 2,800.

    A Georgian style chandelier made 3,400.

    This George III Pembroke table made 2,600.

    One of a pair of Napoleon III giltwood console tables in the Louis XV style which made 6,000.

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    SUMMER SALE IN SKIBBEREEN ON SUNDAY

    June 23rd, 2011

    A summer auction with 539 lots on the catalogue takes place in Skibbereen in west Cork on Sunday June 26.    Auctioneer Morgan O’Driscoll will offer a variety of lots including furniture, art, porcelain, silver, plate and collectibles.

    The venue is Railway House, Bypass Road, Skibbereen.  The sale starts at 4 p.m.  Here is small selection of what is on offer.  The entire catalogue is on-line.

    UPDATE:   Around 84 per cent of lots on offer found buyers at a sale which attracted a good number of people on a warm summer day.

    Brian Ballard RUA (b.1943) 'Poppies and Books' is estimated at 1,700-2,500. UPDATE: IT MADE 1,700

    Two from a set of eight 19th century Hepplewhite dining chairs estimated at 2,500-3,500. UPDATE: THESE SOLD FOR 2,200

    Peter Richard Atkinson (1840-1882) 'Two 90 Gun Ships of the Line Entering Cork Harbour' watercolour signed and dated Oct 11th 1860 estimated at 1,000-1,500. UPDATE: IT MADE 1,010

    This Georgian bureau is estimated at 1,000-1,400. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

    A Victorian club fender estimated at 450-550. UPDATE: THIS MADE 450

    A walnut 19th century sewing table estimated at 500-600. UPDATE: THIS MADE 525

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    WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR EGON SCHIELE AT SOTHEBY’S

    June 22nd, 2011

    Egon Schiele's world record painting entitled Houses with Laundry (Suburb II). (Click on image to enlarge).

    There was a world auction record for Egon Schiele at Sotheby’s on June 22. His Häuser mit bunter Wäsche (Vorstadt II) / Houses with Laundry (Suburb II) made £24,681,250, almost double the previous auction record for the Austrian artist.

    The painting, sold by the Leopold Museum in Vienna, was bought by an anonymous telephone bidder.  Executed in 1914 at the height of Egon Schiele’s short career (he died in 1918 at the age of just 28), the painting is one of the most impressive of the artist’s few monumental cityscapes and is loosely based on motifs drawn from Krumau, the town known to have inspired some of his greatest works. It was this town in Southern Bohemia in which Schiele’s mother was born, and to which Schiele and his lover Valerie (Wally) Neuzil moved in 1911 in order to escape what they perceived as the claustrophobic atmosphere of Vienna.

    Overall, the sale achieved £96,968,000, within the pre-sale estimate of £77 to £111 million. It was  91.4% sold by lot and 98.4% by value. Records were also set for Marc Chagall’s Au-Dessus de la ville, which made £1,833,250, a record for a work on paper by the artist  and Tamara de Lempicka’s  La Dormeuse of 1930 which made  £4,073,250/$6,617,809, a US dollar record for the artist.

    The June Impressionist & Modern Art sale at Sotheby’s made £14,622,250, bringing the total for the June series to £111,590,250.

    See antiquesandartireland.com post for May 5.

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    CORK SILVER PEPPER POT MADE £5,040 AT BONHAMS

    June 22nd, 2011

    Irish silver at Bonhams.

    A George I/II Irish Provincial silver kitchen pepper pot (lot number 242 in the photograph) by William Newenham, Cork, circa 1720’s, sold for £5,040 inclusive of buyer’s premium at Bonham’s in London on June 22.

    Lot number 241, a George III Irish silver sauce-boat, by Matthew West, Dublin, circa 1775, made £1,440. Lot 243, a George I Irish silver bowl, by Henry Daniell, Dublin 1719, was unsold.  Lot 244, an 18th century Irish Provincial silver cream jug, sponsor’s mark over-striking another, only part of sponsor marks visible; a script “W” possibly for William Reynolds of Cork, also stamped “Sterling”, circa 1750, made £2,640.

    An 18th century Irish Provincial silver hook-end ladle, by Stephen Walsh, stamped twice Walsh and Sterling, Cork, circa 1760 made £2,640;  a George III Irish Provincial silver Old English pattern ladle, by Thomas Burke, stamped twice with maker’s mark and once with Sterling, Limerick circa 1790 made £7,920; a George III Irish silver two-handled tray, by James Scott, and retailed by West, Dublin 1812 made £3,360; a George III Irish silver ewer, probably of London manufacture, sponsor’s/retailer’s mark (?)W over-striking another R(?), probably that of Robert Hennell Dublin 1777 made £2,160; a mid 18th century Irish Provincial silver waiter, stamped thrice with maker’s mark only, IB by Jonathan Buck of Limerick, circa 1745, made £6,960; a set of four Georgian Irish silver cast candlesticks, by James Warren Dublin, no date letter circa 1760 made £5,520 and a rare 18th century Irish silver saffron teapot, maker’s mark W(T), possibly for William Townsend, Dublin, no date letter, second half of 18th century made £1,680.

    See antiquesandartireland.com post for June 7.

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    FOLIO OF 18TH CENTURY IRISH LANDSCAPE DRAWINGS AT SOTHEBY’S

    June 22nd, 2011

    An Irish landscape by John Laporte (click on image to enlarge).

    Ross Castle and the Lakes of Killarney by Paul Sandby. (Click on image to enlarge).

    A folio of 62 Irish landscapes by John Laport (Dublin 1761-1839 London) will be offered at Sotheby’s sale of Old Master and British drawings in London on July 7. It includes views of Belleek near Ballyshannon; Muckross Abbey, Killarney ; Killarney Lake from Innisfallen; Kenmare Church with Landsdown Lodge in the distance; Turk Lake, Killarney; Glenflesk near Killarney; the Brickeen Bridge, Killarney; the Ardtully Bridge on the Rowdy River; Blackwater Bridge; Loch Derg; the Dublin Lighthouse; and others.  Each one is inscribed with a title and two are dated to 1798.  The estimate is £6,000-8,000.

    A bodycolour over pencil drawing by Paul Sandby R.A. of Ross Castle in Killarney features at the same sale.  Sandby was born in Nottingham in 1730 and died in London in 1809.  The work was sold by the Fine Art Society, London in 1957.  It is estimated at £6,000-8,000.

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    PICASSO MASTERPIECE MAKES £13.48 MILLION FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AT CHRISTIE’S

    June 21st, 2011

    Picasso Jeune fille endormie. (Click on image to enlarge)

    An important and rarely-seen masterpiece by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Jeune fille endormie made £13,481,250 at Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale on June 21.

    The intimate portrait of the artist’s lover Marie-Thérèse Walter,  subject of many of Picasso’s most celebrated pictures, had been expected to realize £9 million to £12 million.

    Having resided in just two private collections since it was painted, Jeune fille endormie was given to the University of Sydney in 2010 by an anonymous donor on condition that it would be sold and that the University would dedicate the proceeds to scientific research. It was acquired by an anonymous bidder.

    The auction brought in £140,019,200 and sold  87% by lot and 80% by value. This is the third highest total for the category at Christie’s in London. Buyers were 54% from Europe, 42% from the Americas and 4% from Asia.

    The top three prices were paid for portraits of three different lovers of Picasso, led by Femme assise, robe bleue, a portrait of Dora Maar, which made £17,961,250 over a top estimate of  £8 million. Buste de Françoise, a 1946 portrait of  Picasso’s lover Françoise Gilot made £10,681,250.

    See antiquesandartireland.com post for April 27.

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    ANOTHER EARLY VAN DYCK AT SOTHEBY’S IN JULY

    June 21st, 2011

    SIR ANTHONY VAN DYCK STUDY OF A BEARDED MAN WITH HANDS RAISED. (copyright, Sotheby's, click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: IT made £457,250.

    Another Van Dyck created when the painter was working in the studio of Pieter Paul Rubens will feature at Sotheby’s sale in London on July 6.  (See antiquesandartireland.com post for June 10).

    A Bearded Man with Hands Raised was painted around 1616 and is estimated at £200,000-300,000.

    Sotheby’s has identified the model as one whom Van Dyck used for a variety of sketches. In the 2004 catalogue raisonné the painting was known only from the old photograph depicting it prior to cleaning and restoration. It was included under ‘Questionable Attributions’.
    However, all scholars who have viewed the painting since it was consigned to Sotheby’s agree that it is an autograph work by Van Dyck.
    George Gordon, co-chairman Old Master Paintings worldwide at Sotheby’s, said: “This work fits like a glove into Van Dyck’s oeuvre. The painting is a fine example of his working methods at the time he was painting in Rubens’ studio in Antwerp. This is a study of a man who appears in several of the artist’s works. It is a face we recognise from other finished works, with the model depicted in exactly this pose.”
    UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR £427,250

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