An Irish Neolithic bog oak dug out canoe comes up at Bonhams in Edinburgh on January 26. Estimated at £2,000-£3,000 (€2,398-€3,597) it is among the highlights of the Jim Lennon collection of silver, Asian and European works of art. One day in the 1970s, a Church of Ireland clergyman the Reverend Con Auld was driving through rural county Fermanagh when he noticed a group of boys tending a bonfire. Curious, he stopped the car and discovered that the firewood consisted of bog oak canoes recently uncovered by contractors constructing a nearby road. Anxious that this this piece of Irish history should not be lost for ever, Rev Auld bought one of the canoes from the youths and drove off with it in his trailer. It will be offered at Bonhams with no reserve.
Jim Lennon built up his collection over 40 years in Northern Ireland and writing in the forward to the sale catalogue he explains his guiding principles: “I like to think that everything I bought showed skilled individual workmanship, whether in wood, stone, silver, ceramics or any other medium.”
Bonhams has announced the acquisition of Bukowskis, the leading auction house in the Nordic region. Established in 1870 and with its flagship saleroom in Stockholm, Bukowskis is renowned throughout Scandinavia. During recent years they have transformed themselves from a much-loved, traditional, and respected brand into an innovative digital presence that attracts more than one million users every month. Last year, Bukowskis sold 11 out of the 15 most valuable artworks in the Swedish market. The acquisition is part of Bonhams strategy to further the development of Bonhams into a digital leader and a truly global player with a balanced presence across the US, Europe and Asia.
Much loved actor Michael Caine is downsizing. His personal collection is to be sold at Bonhams in London on March 2. For six decades, he has lent presence and distinction to every role he has undertaken – from the era-defining Alfie to classic films such as Get Carter, Zulu and Educating Rita; from his Oscar-winning performances in Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules to Batman’s unflappable butler, Alfred. Among the highlights are his Rolex wristwatch, a portrait of Sir Michael Caine by John Bratby, a large Italian cinema poster for Zulu, a director’s chair associated with Get Carter and Les amoureux dans l’arbre by Marc Chagall.
Major works by Jack Yeats, Paul Henry, Roderic O’Conor, Sir William Orpen, Louis le Brocquy and Colin Middleton at de Veres on November 23 will kick off a sizzling winter season of Irish art auctions in Dublin and London. A very fine sale has been put together by de Veres with works they claim could grace any national collection. Viewing gets underway at Kildare St. on November 18 and the full catalogue is online now. A still life by Roderic O’Conor is signed and dated 1921 in which year it was exhibited at the Salon d’Automne in Paris. O’Conor still lives from these years were well received and were acquired by the French State (now the Musee d’Orsay), Roger Fry, Clive Bell, Somerset Maugham, Alden Brooks, Charles Hall Thorndike and the Contemporary Art Society. This one is estimated at €150,000-€250,000. Another highlight with a similar estimate is William Orpen’s After the Ball, a work of imagination based on the Venice Carnivale.
There are four oils by Paul Henry with Lakeside Cottages and Fishing Boats, Dugort each estimated at €200,000-€300,000. The auction features an across the board selection at varying price points.
A Welcome by Jack B Yeats at Sothebys. UPDATE: THIS MADE £226,800
A Welcome by Jack B Yeats will highlight Sotheby’s offerings at their flagship Modern British and Irish art sale in London on November 23. Paintings of horses by Yeats, like this one, are particularly sought after. The auction will be followed by an online sale of Irish art on the same day. Over 70 works from Sotheby’s upcoming Irish art auction are on view at the RHA in Dublin this weekend. Viewing times are from 10 am to 5 pm today and 10 am to 3 pm tomorrow. The sale at Sotheby’s – supported by a global marketing campaign – will include property from the collection of Sir Michael Smurfit.
Four Pears by William Scott (1913-1989) from 1976 leads a strong selection of work by Irish artists at Bonhams Modern British and Irish art sale at New Bond St., London on November 24. Estimated at €180,000-€290,000 it has not been seen in public since 1980 when it was exhibited at Irish Art in the Seventies: The International Connection. Kieran O’Boyle, Bonhams representative in Ireland said: “This sale has a great representation of high quality works by Irish artists – from William Scott’s exquisite and subtle Four Pears to an archetypal Paul Henry and John Luke’s nostalgia filled Mountain Composition. Meantime Bonhams Modern British and Irish art sale in Knightsbridge on November 23 offers works by Patrick Hennessy, Pauline Bewick, Arthur Maderson, Graham Knuttel, Norah McGuinness, Markey Robinson and Augustus John. Whyte’s sale of Important Irish Art takes place in Dublin on November 29. The James Adam winter sale of Important Irish Art takes place on December 8.
Four Pears by William Scott – UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £187,750
Four Pears by William Scott (1913-1989) leads a strong selection of work by Irish artists at Bonhams Modern British and Irish Art Sale in London on November 24. The painting has not been seen in public since it was exhibited at Irish Art in the Seventies: The International Connection in 1980. It is estimated at £150,000-250,000.
Four Pears was painted in 1976 and, with its two companion works Three Pears and Five Pears, was extensively exhibited in South America in the late 1970s. It was inspired by a pear tree growing outside the artist’s studio at Coleford in Gloucestershire.
Bonhams representative in Ireland, Kieran O’Boyle said: “This sale has a great representation of high-quality works by Irish artists – from William Scott’s exquisite and subtle Four Pears to an archetypal Paul Henry and John Luke’s nostalgia-filled Mountain Composition.
Antiques Roadshow presenter and Bonhams senior jewellery specialist Kate Flitcroft, will be visiting Belfast to share her expertise, answer queries and provide complimentary, no obligation jewellery valuations to clients in Northern Ireland on September 7. The jewellery valuation day will take place in the Brian Ballard room of the Merchant Hotel. To book an appointment please contact Bonhams Irish office by email on ireland@bonhams.com
THE most iconic treasure of early western history – the gun Pat Garrett used to kill Billy the Kid – comes up at Bonhams in Los Angeles on August 27. Sheriff Pat Garrett’s Colt Single Action which he used to kill Billy the Kid on July 14, 1881, at Pete Maxwell’s Ranch, is a relic of one of the most important and well-known stories of the Wild West. Now part of American mythology, Garrett’s friendship with the Kid, their mutual respect, and his subsequent hunt, capture, escape and death have become the stuff of legend.
Estimated at $2-3 million, this gun is one of the most important and well documented historical firearms and has never appeared at public auction. It is part of a collection of historical firearms belonging to Western Lawmen and Outlaw Legends, along with manuscripts, photographs, and memorabilia. The private collection which features rifles and revolvers from Billy the Kid, Bat Masterson, Wild Bill Hickok, John Wesley Hardin was amassed over five decades by Jim and Theresa Earle. There will be 265 lots in the sale.
Pat Garrett’s Colt Single Action Army Revolver. UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $6,030,313 A WORLD RECORD FOR ANY FIREARM
This George III Irish provincial silver-gilt freedom box by Carden Terry & Jane Williams, Cork, 1798 made £7,650 at Bonhams in London on July 28. The Peter Ticher collection of Irish Silver was one of the stars of Bonhams Silver and Objects of Vertu sale in Knightsbridge. The 58 lot collection made a total of £87,678 with only four pieces failing to find a buyer. More pieces from the collection are due to come up at Bonhams next October 19.
A set of four mid-18th century Irish cast silver candlesticks by Michael Fowler, Dublin c1755 made £8,925: a George III Irish silver dish ring by Richard Williams, Dublin 1771 made £3,570; a rare Irish silver scissor wax jack by Thomas Walker, Dublin, c1735 made £5,355and a George II Irish provincial silver bullet teapot by William Clarke of Cork, Dublin 1728 made £5,100.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for July 14, 2021)
There is art by William Conor, Charles Lamb, Derek Hill, Breon O’Casey and Markey Robinson at Bonhams sale of British and Irish art at Knightsbridbge in London on July 21. The auction is led by Summer Holiday by Sherree Valentine-Daines (born. 1959) which is estimated at £5,000-7,000.
A pair of George I Irish silver candlesticks Joseph Walker, Dublin 1714. UPDATE: THESE CANDLESTICKS WILL NO LONGER FEATURE IN THE SALE
An important collection of Irish silver comes up at Bonhams in London on July 28. The auction of silver and objects of vertu includes 28 pieces from the Peter Ticher collection including a 1798 Cork freedom box by Carden Terry and Jane Williams. This was awarded to Major General William Loftus, a British army officer and member of parliament. The collection includes many pieces inherited from his father, Dr Kurt Ticher who with his wife, Ellen, emigrated from Germany to Ireland in the 1920’s, settled in Dublin and became naturalised Irish citizens. Kurt developed a keen interest in Irish Georgian silver and built up a large collection and publishing several books and papers. Part of his collection was donated to the National Museum of Ireland and the rest was distributed to his family. His eldest son, Peter, had also developed a passion for Irish silver and continued to add to his collection throughout his life. Among the highlghts are a set of four mid 18th century cast silver candlesticks by Michael Fowler, Dublin c1755, a George III Irish silver dish ring by Richard Williams, Dublin, 1771, an Irish silver scissor wax jack by Thomas Walker, Dublin c1735 and an Irish provincial silver bullet teapot by William Clarke of Cork and Dublin, c1728.
UPDATE: The collection made £87,678. The Cork freedom box made £7,650. A set of four mid 18th century Irish silver candlesticks by Michael Fowler, Dublin c1755 made £8,925.
