INTERIOR SCENE WITH WICKER ROCKER – ELIZABETH COPE. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,700 AT HAMMER
This oil on board by Elizabeth Cope is lot 21 at Whyte’s autumn online art auction on October 21. The estimate is €1,200-€1,800. Art by Graham Knuttel, Louise Mansfield, John Skelton, Ciaran Clear, Harry Kernoff, Imogen Stuart, Maurice MacGonigal, Sidney Nolan, Louis le Brocquy, Tony O’Malley, Patrick Caulfield, Neill Shawcross and Barry Castle is included in the sale.
RORY GALLAGHER’S 1961 FENDER STRATOCASTER SOLD FOR £700,000
After just seven bids Rory Gallagher’s legendary 1961 Fender Stratocaster electric guitar sold for £700,000 (£889,400 with fees) at Bonhams in London this afternoon. Estimated at £700,000-£1 million it was secured by the National Museum of Ireland and is coming home. It was bought by Live Nation Gaiety Ltd with a view to donation to the National Museum of Ireland under Section 1003 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997. Promoter Denis Desmond of Live Nation Gaiety, a joint venture with Live Nation, said the guitar made in Fullerton, California and purchased by Rory from Crowley’s Music Shop in Cork in 1963, will end up in Cork.
Bidding opened at £450,000 and quickly reached £650,000. After the next telephone bid there was a long pause, no more bidders emerged and the guitar was sold. Many lots in the auction of the Rory Gallagher Collection were hotly contested and went way above estimate after bidding battles on the internet, phone and in the room. The 1958 Fender electric guitar known as Rory’s back up Strat made £127,400. A Martin D-35 flat top acoustic guitar from 1968 made £102,000, a National Trifolian resonator guitar 1930 made £95,650, a Fender Esquire election guitar 1959 made £96,950, a Fender telecaster electric guitar made £82,950, a Martin mandolin 1942 made £51,200 and a green flight case made £14,080. The sale made a total of £2.3 million.
(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for October 5 and July 9, 2024)
Irish Victorian Giltwood Side Table and Mirror. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This Irish giltwood side table and mirror, crafted by Arthur Jones & Sons for the Great Exhibition of 1853, is the leading lot at Fonsie Mealy’s Chatsworth autumn fine art auction on October 23 and 24 in Castlecomer. A superb example of mid-19th century Irish craftsmanship and nationalist symbolism it is commonly referred to as “The Table of Ireland” as it captures the essence of Irish identity and national pride through a complex composition of decorative motifs. Among them are a harp, a carved mask of a bearded man crowned with a hat of shamrocks, an Irish round tower and a medieval tower house. This historic piece is estimated at €20,000-€30,000. There are 983 lots in the sale and the catalogue is online.
A silk Safavid silk Safavid ‘Polonaise’ carpet probably Isfahan, Central Persia, early 17th century
A recently discovered 17th century silk Safavid ‘Polonaise’ carpet probably from Isfahan will lead Christie’s Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds sale in London on October 24. It was woven in Persia during the reign of Shah Abbas the Great (1588-1629) and has remained preserved in remarkable condition in a Japanese private collection until very recently. This previously unrecorded rare silk carpet is estimated at £1 million – £2 million. The auction offers a curated selection of carpets, ceramics, manuscripts, textiles, works on paper and metalwork from across the Islamic world, with objects spanning over a thousand years of history.
Irish George II mahogany side table made €30,000 at hammer
Irish furniture of the mid-18th century can be identified by its specific idiosyncrasies, and in particular with tables and stands, where the frieze and aprons served as the area that furniture makers were able to show off their imagination and skill. Scallop shells were some of the most prominent carvings used as decoration on tables from this period. It emerged as an important part of the lexicon of Irish furniture and decorative arts in the 18th century. The pair of doves which also accompany the shell in the frieze of this table further expressed the symbolism of love, peace and harmony. They are position in opposing directions with wings spread, creating a wonderful balance and sense of movement to the carving. The remainder of the frieze is embellished with fleur-de-lys, foliage and rosettes. This Irish c1750 mahogany side table made a hammer price of €30,000 at the James Adam Townley Hall sale today against an estimate of €30,000-€40,000.
A portrait of Sir Francis Wyndham by John Michael Wright (1617-1694) last auctioned at the Adare Manor sale in 1982 made €73,000 at hammer; a half length portrait of Queen Mary attributed to Sir Godfrey Knellar made €22,000; a still life by Nicola Cassisa, Naples (1680-1730) made €15,000; a set of 12 George II silver dinner plates from Drogheda House, Dublin by by Robert Calderwood c1737 made €14,000; a set of four large George III silver candlesticks by Richard Williams, Dublin c1765 made €14,000; a Dutch Book of Hours made €12,000; a George IV twin pedestal partners desk made €11,000; a 19th century Continental School painting of a Red Ibis made €11,000; a French ormolu mounted commode made €11,000; an 18th century Irish mahogany side table made €8,000; a large Donegal carpet made €10,000, a Regency brass inlaid sofa table made €10,000 and a Victorian silver inkwell in the form of a donkey carrying panniers made €11,000.
A Red Ibis Standing in a Leafy Stream, Continental School, 19th century made €11,000 at hammer over a top estimate of €800.
Genieve Figgis (b.1972) – Untitled (2014). UPDATE: THIS MADE 28,000 AT HAMMER
This oil on canvas by Genieve Figgis is lot 20 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s current Irish and International art sale, which runs until October 22. The estimate is 25,000-35,000. Work by this Dublin born Wicklow based artist has been exhibited widely in Europe, the US and worldwide. Among the artists in the sale are William Scott, Sean Scully, Frank Auerbach, Callum Innes, Jack Butler Yeats, Roderic O’Conor, Hughie O’Donoghue and Norah McGuinness.
This Irish George II carved and figTCeramics which closes in New York on October 16. The estimate is $5,000-$7,000. A c1760 Irish silver soup tureen and cover in the same sale is estimated at $4,000-$6,000. UPDATE: The table and the tureen were unsold
A Second War St. Nazaire raid and Colditz “home-run” D.S.C. and Bar group of seven awarded to Commander W. L. “Billie” Stephens of Northern Ireland sold for a hammer price of £48,000 at Noonans latest sale of Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria.
Christopher Mellor-Hill, Head of Client Liaison at Noonans, said: Medals relating to Colditz and the heroic stories of those who tried to escape always attract strong interest. The story of William Lawson “Billie” Stephens, who was born in Holywood, Northern Ireland in August 1911 into a prominent Ulster family is no different. His Second War Distinguished Service Cross was awarded for his gallantry during both the St. Nazaire raid and Colditz. He had been taken prisoner after his own launch was set on fire, however he endeavoured to make a successful bid for freedom with three others from the infamous Colditz Castle in October 1942 during a breakout conducted by Douglas Bader that culminated with the four men squeezing naked through a narrow vent! It was being sold as part of a deceased estate.”
Patrick Hennessy – The Storm Lantern UPDATE: THIS MADE 5,000 AT HAMMER
Art by Colin Middleton, John Shinnors, Gerard Dillon and Donald Teskey will lead de Veres online auction of Irish art which runs until October 15. There is a good selection of work including a still life titled The Storm Lantern by Patrick Hennessy, estimated at €5,000-€8,000. This was exhibited at the RHA in 1978.
A sizzling painting by Sean Scully will lead Morgan O’Driscoll’s Irish and International online art auction which runs until October 22. Wall Dark Green (2021) is typical of Scully’s newer works in the continually expanding Wall of Light series, which are noted for an intensity of colour. This one is estimated at €500,000-€700,000. The sale is on view in Skibbereen on October 12, 13 and 14 and at the RDS in Dublin from October 18-21. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD