RORY BRESLIN (B. 1963) – Custom House Keystones. UPDATE: THESE MADE €125,000 at hammer
A complete set of 14 patinated bronze masks of the Custom House keystones of the rivers of Ireland by Rory Breslin made a hammer price of €125,000 at Sheppards Irish and International art sale in Durrow. The Original Set of 14 – Liffey, Erne, Foyle, Slaney, Nore, Suir, Lagan, Lee, Shannon, Bann, Atlantic, Blackwater, Barrow and Boyne – were from the artist’s private collection. They are cast after the original keystones carved by Edward Smyth (1749–1812) for the Custom House, Dublin, c. 1791. This exceptional series reimagines one of the great achievements of Irish neoclassical sculpture: the monumental keystones personifying the Atlantic and the principal rivers of Ireland. Smyth’s original carvings, designed under architect James Gandon, embodied the aspirations of an Irish Parliament-era Dublin. Each head is laden with symbolic attributes — maritime emblems, flora, fauna, and produce — evoking the geography, economy, and folklore of its river basin. Breslin’s Variations project captures these qualities with striking fidelity while revealing the energy, texture, and modelling of the originals through the medium of bronze.
An Abstract Constructivist Composition (Study) c1920’s by Thorvald Hellesen made €33,000 over a top estimate of €9,000.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for September 15, 2025).
THORVALD HELLESEN (NORWEGIAN, 1888 – 1937) – Abstract Constructive Composition (Study)
