A tall cloisonne garlic head vase or a Killarney wood sewing table? The choice is yours at upcoming sales by Hegartys in Bandon on September 11 and at Aidan Foleys in Doneraile on September 16 and 17. Decorated with flowers and birds in inlaid enamel the vase is estimated by Hegartys at €180-€250. The Killarney wood sewing table, last sold at Woodwards in 2010 for a hammer price of €5,200, is estimated by Aidan Foley at €4,000-€6,000.
Hegartys will offer garden furniture, antique furniture, silver, art and collectibles in an auction where feature lots include pink topaz diamond studded pendant, a late Qing Dynasty garden stool, a west of Ireland oil on canvas by Mabel Young and an etched glass jar. Aidan Foley’s sale features a country house contents from Co. Limerick and lots from a town house in Thurles.
Killarney wood sewing table at Aidan Foley’s sale. UPDATE: THIS MADE 4,400 AT HAMMER
The Armorial ‘hatchment’ for Anglo-Irish military officer, statesman and twice-serving UK Prime Minister Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) at Dreweatts fine furniture sale on September 10 and 11. A hatchment is a panel on which a coat of arms of a deceased person is temporarily displayed and lot 414 is estimated at £4,000-£6,000. It bears the motto ‘Virtutis Fortuna Comes’ (Fortune favours the brave). Wellesley is revered as one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during the late 18th and early 19th centuries and in his military role, was one of the pivotal commanders to end the Anglo-Mysore and Napoleonic wars – most famously he is celebrated for ending the Napoleonic Wars in victory, when the Seventh Coalition defeated Napoleon at the legendary Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Born into Irish aristocracy (his grandfather was Richard Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington, who served in the Irish House of Commons representing Trim in County Meath), his childhood was spent between the family homes of Mornington House in Dublin and Dangan Castle near Summerhill in County Meath.
Paul Henry RHA (1877-1958) – The Bog Pool (c.1921-22). UPDATE: THIS MADE 160,000 AT HAMMER
The Bog Pool by Paul Henry is the most expensively estimated lot at the James Adam Important Irish Art sale in Dublin on September 25. It was exhibited at The Dublin Painters Gallery in 1922 and in New York in 1930. The setting is most likely Achill. The estimate is €120,000-€160,000. The catalogue, with 150 lots, is online.
This Gibson Flying V electric guitar formerly owned by Johnny Marr and used by Noel Gallagher during The Monnow Valley sessions prior to the final recording of Oasis’ 1994 debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’ at Sawmills Studio is at Sotheby’s inaugural Popular Culture sale which runs until September 12. Lot 45 is estimated at £60,000-£80,000. There are 64 lots on offer in a sale of artefacts from the worlds of music, film and celebrity.
Van Cleef & Arpels diamond brooch c1945-50. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This Van Cleef & Arpels diamond brooch is among the leading lots at the James Adam auction of fine jewellery and watches in Dublin on September 10. It is designed as two elongated stylised leaves, both set with brilliant, baguette and tapered baguette-cut diamonds of 8.0 – 10 carats in total. Signed VCA it is mounted in platinum and 18 carat gold. There are French assay marks and a partial indistinct maker’s mark. The estimate is €35,000-€40,000. There are 220 lots in total in the sale.
Irish Georgian silver, Art Nouveau, contemporary Irish art, vintage fashion and accessories, Lady Lavery banknotes, Art Deco, Victoriana, well crafted Edwardian furniture, vintage bakelite radios, Oriental rugs, diamond jewellery, a musical drinks trolley – you name it and there is a good chance you will come across it at Ireland’s biggest antique, art and vintage fair at Limerick Racecourse on September 7 and 8.
Whether you are in search of inspiration or want to exercise a connoisseur’s eye, a seasoned collector or simply curious, seeking a bargain or a particular prime piece this comfortable indoor venue with ample parking is the place to be. You might happen across something special you did not even know you were looking for or delight in a discovery like a large stoneware wine flagon stamped Maziere & Sainthill, Cork.
A Cork flagon with an interesting stamp.
Lost in the mists of time they were a firm of wine merchants trading in Cork as early as 1750 when wine from Bordeaux was one of our major imports. Located at Nelson’s Place, the older name for Emmet Place in the city centre, the firm was bought out by Woodford Bourne in 1869. Dan Harnett will offer a flagon engraved as follows: Woodford Bourne & Co Wine & Spirit Merchants, Successors to Maziere and Sainthill, Cork.
Weldons will bring a highly collectible c1770 Cork silver coffee pot by John Nicholson and other rarities like a c1715 Dublin silver tea pot and a large Irish George III silver salver made in 1794 by John Laughlin. Courtville Antiques of Dublin is another member of the Irish Antique Dealers Association who will attend. Sadly the annual IADA fair in Dublin will not go ahead this autumn.
A complete collection of Lady Lavery banknotes
There will be no shortage of dealers in coins and banknotes. Robert Hutchinson will bring a complete collection of Lady Lavery banknotes from ten shillings to £100. Eily Henry will offer a big selection of vintage fashion including hats and accessories and there will be plenty of collectibles, gold chains, bracelets and costume jewellery to browse through at Bedlam antiques.
Deep in the Woods by Mark O’Neill.
Mark O’Neill is a popular artist and a selection of his work can be found at Treasures of Athlone and there will be a diverse range of art at the Purple Onion Gallery. A musical table drinks trolley in the form of an elegant carriage will be a feature at La Belle Epoque and along with an array of interesting pieces including old bakelite radios Annamore Antiques will offer 80 vintage and antique Persian rugs and runners.
There is no shortage of smaller collectible items like glorious antique porcelain, Clarice Cliff ceramics at Brian Hurley’s stand, silver and brass candlesticks, treen and even an unusual Free Will Offerings collection box at Edwin Mercer. This is a wonderful assembly of antique shops, art galleries and vintage dealers from right around Ireland. Opening times are from 11 am to 6 pm on both days.
Heart of Darkness – an etching by Sean Scully UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,000 AT HAMMER
Bidding on the current Irish art online auction by Morgan O’Driscoll runs until September 9. The sale features work by Sean Scully, Mainie Jellett, Donald Teskey, Francis Tansey, Kenneth Webb, Nano Reid, Dan O’Neill, Graham Knuttel and many other artists. The catalogue is online.
A surreal collection described by Christie’s as a true theatre of the imagination that perfectly captures its founders’ creativity and intellectual curiosity comes up in Paris on September 24. A total of 150 lots from the collection of Paul and Jacqueline Duchein of Montauban will come under the hammer. Artists featured include Marie Toyen, Yves Tanguy, Max Ernst, Wolfgang Paalen, André Breton, Salvador Dalí, Victor Brauner, Josef Sima and Man Ray. Their collection combines Surrealism with folk art, Art Brut, and tribal art and their home, illustrated here, would become a cabinet of curiosities, rapidly earning a reputation as the city’s second major museum alongside the Musée Ingres Bourdelle. Highlights of the sale include Flux et reflux de la nuit by Marie Cermínovà, also known as Toyen (€800,000–1,200,000), and Trois monstres ou la Horde, a remarkable oil on canvas painted by Max Ernst in 1927 (€400,000–600,000). The global estimate is €4.6-7 million.
Saint Joseph with the Christ Child, c.1637, Artist: Guercino (1591-1666). National Gallery of Ireland, Purchased 1882
Guercino & Gris: Conserving Canvas from Different Eras, which explores historical and modern conservation treatments on works of art, has just been released by the National Gallery of Ireland. It focuses on three works from the National Gallery of Ireland’s collection: Saint Joseph with the Christ Child (c.1637), by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as Guercino (1591-1666), and two collages A Guitar, Glasses and a Bottle and Carafe, Cups and Glasses (1914), by Juan Gris (1887-1927), which was initially one double-sided artwork.
The 64-page hardback publication explores structural conservation treatments on works of art and the changing approaches to these treatments over time. It discusses treatments and processes informed by research carried out by the National Gallery of Ireland’s new Scientific Research Laboratory, and how scientific advancements in conservation are contributing to the care of the collection. The publication marks the completion of the conserving canvas project at the National Gallery, made possible by a grant from the Getty Foundation. It is available to purchase online and in-shop at the gallery priced €29.50.
The first major US exhibition of the work of Father Browne opens today at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at Notre Dame University in Indiana, formerly the Snite Museum. The exhibition Through the Lens of Fr. Francis Browne SJ: The Photographic Adventures of an Irish Priest will run until December 1. His work documents Ireland’s involvement in some of the most memorable events of his era.
In April 1912, Browne received a gift of a ticket for the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic. He took his camera along on the journey from Southampton, England, to Cherbourg, France, then to Cobh, County Cork. Browne debarked in Ireland before the Titanic sailed to disaster in the North Atlantic. Afterwards, his photographs of the liner, her passengers, and crew appeared in newspapers and magazines worldwide. After his ordination in 1915, Browne became a chaplain in the Irish Guards. He worked in France and Flanders for the entirety of World War I, and was allowed to carry his camera with him. Often on the front lines, ministering to the wounded and the dead, he was wounded five times. After the war, the Church sent Browne to Australia to recuperate from the effects of poison gas. He photographed his travels to the other side of the world and back to Ireland. In 1925 he became Superior of Saint Francis Xavier Church in Dublin. Over the balance of his career, he traveled extensively in Ireland and England to preach at Jesuit gatherings, missions, and retreats. He also pursued his hobby of observing the rapidly changing life across Ireland.
