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    • EMIGRATION THEME OF JAMES BRENAN WORK AT WHYTE’S

    March 5th, 2011

    The Finishing Touch by James Brenan. (click on image to enlarge) UPDATE; IT MADE 22,000

    James Brenan RHA (1837-1907) was headmaster at the School of Art in Cork. Emigration – one again a timely issue in recession torn Ireland – was a subject that captured his imagination in the 19th century. It is the theme of this 1876 work in a farmhouse setting.
    Entitled The Finishing Touch, it tells the story of a young woman on the eve of her departure for America. Her father takes centre stage. The title refers not only to his hand on the emigrant’s box, but also to the painter completing work on the green box on which the words O’Connor, New York can be deciphered.
    This picture was exhibited in the year it was painted at the Royal Hibernian Academy. It features at Whyte’s Irish and British art sale at the RDS in Dublin on March 14.  The work is estimated at 15,000-20,000.
    UPDATE  IT SOLD FOR 22,000

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    ROYAL FAMILY SALE AT SOTHEBY’S, AMSTERDAM

    March 3rd, 2011
    Furniture, porcelain, glass, silver, paintings and drawings which encompass the long and varied history of the Dutch Royal family are about to come under the hammer in Amsterdam.  Sotheby’s will conduct the four day sale of around 1,600 lots from the estate of the late Queen Juliana of The Netherlands at the RAI Theatre, Europaplein 14, Amsterdam from March 14-17.
    The sale is taking place at the instructions of the Executors on behalf of the  Queen’s daughters, Her Majesty the Queen and Their Royal Highnesses Princess Irene, Princess Margriet and Princess Christina, who have stipulated that the proceeds go to four charities. Many of the lots are from the Palace Soestdijk where Queen Juliana lived throughout her married life, while other items come from the attics of other Royal Palaces, with many drawings and prints previously held in the Royal Archive.
    Only a small number of the pieces were acquired by Queen Juliana and her spouse Prince Bernhard, and by far the greater share was accumulated over the last 150 years from Kings Willem I, II and III, Queen Emma and Queen Wilhelmina. Many of the works still bear inventory marks and  labels to show their origins in the seven Royal Palaces and Royal Residences throughout the Netherlands.

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    ANTIQUE AUCTION IN SKIBBEREEN

    March 2nd, 2011

    Cows in a Field by Thomas Sydney Cooper from Morgan O'Driscoll's sale in Skibbereen on March 13. (click on image to enlarge)

    A Georgian chest of drawers from the Morgan O'Driscoll sale in Skibbereen. (click on image to enlarge)

    Morgan O’Driscoll will have an auction of general antiques in Skibbereen in west Cork on Sunday, March 13 at 4 p.m.

    The sale will include contents from The Castle, Castletownshend.

    It will feature antique furniture, art, silver and a variety of items.

    The painting on the left by Thomas Sydney Cooper is estimated at 6,000-8,000.  The chest of drawers is estimated at 500-700.

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    GREAT RESULTS FROM SOTHEBY’S, OUTLOOK GOOD

    March 1st, 2011
    Sotheby’s delivered net income of $161.0 million in 2010, which apart from peak of the boom 2007 is the best yearly result ever.  “It is a remarkable accomplishment,” said Bill Ruprecht, President and Chief Executive Officer.  “The recovery of the global art market which was aided in part by the increased buying activity of clients from new markets certainly contributed to these results, as did the difficult decisions we had to make beginning in the autumn of 2008 – the headcount reduction, tightening of our cost structure and steadfast focus on auction commission margins – which have paid off considerably.
    The positive moment is continuing into 2011. “Overall, aggregate auction sales through the first two months of 2011 solidly improved from the first two months of 2010. We hope that 2011 will be another strong year for Sotheby’s and for the art market,”  Bill Ruprecht said.

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    GEORGE CAMPBELL AT WHYTE’S IRISH ART SALE

    March 1st, 2011
    Woman and Bag is the title of this work by George Campbell.  It comes under the hammer at Whyte’s Irish art sale in Dublin on March 14 at 6 p.m. The sale includes a Waterford collection put together from the 1950’s to the 1970’s.  These will comprise the first 40 lots of this 290 lots sale.
    The range of Irish art on offer is broad and estimates are realistic  The catalogue is now on-line and on-line bidding is also available.
    See antiquesandartireland.com posts for February 23 and January 27.
    UPDATE:  IT SOLD FOR 10,500

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    MASTERPIECE OF VENETIAN ART TO BE SOLD BY SOTHEBY’S

    February 26th, 2011

    A masterpiece by Guardi at Sotheby's. (click on image to enlarge) UPDATE: IT MADE A RECORD £26,697,250.

    A masterpiece of Venetian art is to be sold at Sotheby’s in London on July 6.  Francesco Guardi’s  Venice, Looking North, from the Fondamenta del Carbon is estimated to make in the region of £20 million.

    Monumental in scale (it measures 45¼ by 78½ inches) it is one of four works Guardi painted of this size.  All were executed at around the same time in the late 1760’s.  They are generally considered to be his greatest work, the  fullest expression of his mature style.

    One of the four was destroyed by fire in the mid-20th century. The last in the group was sold by Sotheby’s in 1989 for almost £10 million – then the second highest price ever achieved at auction for an Old Master painting and still the record for the artist.

    Throughout its existence, the painting has almost always hung in private. With the exception of a short period recently, when it was on loan to the Iveagh Bequest at Kenwood House in London, its last public showing was in the great 1955 exhibition at the Royal Academy, European Masters from the 18th century.

    UPDATE: IT MADE  A RECORD £26,697,250.

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    MUGHAL EMPEROR PORTRAIT AT BONHAMS

    February 26th, 2011

    Jahangir. (click to enlarge)

    The largest known Mughal painting is to be offered  at Bonhams on April 5 for an estimated price of upwards of £1m. The portrait  of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir who ruled India 1605-1627 is in the style of a European portrait of the early 17th century.

    Jahangir was the father of Shah Jehan, under whose rule Mughal art and architecture reached their zenith. He ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal, Jahangir mausoleum and Shalimar Gardens in Lahore.
    The portrat of Jahangir  is attributed to the Mughal artist Abul Hasan, Nadir al-Zaman or “Wonder of the Age”.  It was shown at England’s National Portrait Gallery in an exhibition on the Indian Portrait in 2010.
    The Emperor is shown seated on a gold decorated throne holding a globe, wearing elaborate robes and jewellery. The surrounding Persian inscription states it was painted at Mandu in the
    AH1026/AD1617.
    UPDATE:  It sold for £1,420,000 and was bought by a Middle Eastern museum.

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    MICHAEL DOWNES AT THE KENNY GALLERY, GALWAY

    February 26th, 2011

    Bog Pool by Michael Downes. (click on image to enlarge)

    Bog Pool is the title of this acrylic work by the Cork artist Michael Downes.  The  artist is inspired by the effects of light.  The way in which light moves on the Irish landscape  is a particular feature of his work.

    A director of the Crawford Gallery in Cork his solo show at the Kenny Gallery in Galway until March 10 has proved to be popular.

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    ANTIQUE LIMERICK SILVER BOWL SELLS FOR 20,000

    February 25th, 2011

    The Limerick Silver bowl by John Robinson.

    A Limerick silver bowl by John Robinson, made c1735 and stamped with the Arms of Molloy sold for 20,000 after the inaugural sale at Limerick Auction Rooms.  The highlight of this first sale in Limerick, which up to now has not had its own auction rooms, was a collection of Provincial Irish silver.

    There was some disappointment during the sale when the main pieces, a rare Queen Anne Kinsale cup circa 1710 by J&W Wall and the Limerick bowl failed to find buyers.  The bowl was estimated at 20,00-25,000, the cup at 40,000-50,000.  The Kinsale silver had attracted interest from around the country and the auctioneers even had an active bidder from a Boston museum.  It is now under active negotiation. A Limerick silver serving spoon by Patrick Connell sold for 1,000.  The bowl was bought by a private collector in Kildare with Limerick connections.
    The Limerick sale demonstrated considerable local interest.  It also underlines how potential collectors need to accustom themselves to buying at auction. There were large numbers at the viewing and the sale. Buyers were hesitant during the auction.  This changed afterwards.  The organisers were busy with buyers for several hours after the auction ended and a further 30 lots sold on the day after the sale.
    See antiquesandartireland.com post for February 14.

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    RARE CORK REPUBLICAN SILVER DISH AT WOODWARDS

    February 24th, 2011

    This Republican Silver strawberry dish will feature at Woodwards auction on April 6. (click to enlarge)

    A Cork Republican Silver strawberry dish is to be the centrepiece of  the Woodwards spring auction on April 6.  The rarity of Cork Republican Silver is such that only about 60 to 80 pieces are thought to have been made.

    All were fashioned during the Irish Civil War period from July to September 1922.  The Irish Civil War was raging and communication between the cities of Cork and Dublin was cut off.  Cork was held by Republicans, Dublin by the Free State troops.

    The Republican Silver mark.

    Unable to send their silver to the Assay Office in Dublin yet determined to keep their silversmiths employed the venerable Cork firm of William Egan and Sons made their own stamp  The firm had marks engraved, one a castle and the other a ship.  It was not unlike the marks used by Cork silversmiths in the 17th and 18th centuries and not too dissimilar to the Coat of Arms of the City of Cork.
    Silver made at this time in Cork was stamped with these marks and the initials of the firm, “WE”. When the situation became more normal and communications were restored Egans destroyed the Republican marks.
    Woodwards will offer a Republic Silver strawberry dish, with the sides fluted in thirteen panels with wavy rims, bearing these Republican marks.  The dish is eight and a quarter inches in diameter and weighs ten ounces.  It is estimated to make 15,000-20,000 euro.
    UPDATE:  It was bid up to 9,500, now under negotiation.

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