Michael Angelo Hayes (1820-1877) – The Kildare Hunt 1858. UPDATE: THIS MADE 50,000 AT HAMMER
An 1858 painting of the Kildare Hunt by Michael Angelo Hayes will lead Fonsie Mealy’s winter fine art and antique sale in Castlecomer on December 3 and 4. Estimated at €40,000-€60,000 it is part of a range of items celebrating our equestrian heritage including the Tralee Races Cup, the Blennerhassett Plate and the Kilkenny Hunt Cup.
The Hayes painting is a large group portrait outside Bishopscourt House near Straffan, Co. Kildare. It depicts the Earl of Clonmel, Lord Cloncurry, the Marquis of Drogheda, Thomas Connolly, Captain Colthurst, Sir John Power and many more identifiable figures.
More than 1,000 lots of antique furniture, art and collectibles are to be auctioned. There is a Faberge link gold bracelet, a selection of gold coins, a 19th century dining table on four pods, a Peel P50 one person commuter car from the early 1960’s, a 1963 Morris Minor, a pair of French Empire four branch candelabra, a specimen marble table and a silver ladle by Samuel Johns, Limerick among the leading lots. The catalogue is online.
A vintage Peel P50 one person commuter car. UPDATE: THIS MADE 8,000 AT HAMMER
This 18th century scribal manuscript made €35,000 at hammer at Fonsie Mealy.
An original copy of the 1916 Proclamation was the top lot at Fonsie Mealy’s two day sale on October 1 and 2. It made €90,000 at hammer. Other top hammer prices were €35,000 for an 18th century scribal copy of Keating’s History of Ireland for Edward Denny and €18,000 for a collection of working papers for Seamus Heaney’s poem Remembering Malibu. The programme for the 1913 All Ireland hurling final at Jones Road made €11,000, a match ticket for the Bloody Sunday match at Croke Park in 1920 made €9,000 and a 1924 All Ireland hurling medal made €6,000. A collection of documents relating to the Sinn Fein bank of 1908-1924 made €7,500 and a c1599 rare first state Boazio map of Ireland made €6,000. The sale made more than €5,000 on the hammer.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for September 27, 2025)
A Rolls Royce Corniche at Victor Mee’s sale in Tipperary. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
An original copy of the Irish Proclamation in Castlecomer, a Sheik’s Rolls Royce at New Inn in Co. Tipperary, art in Dublin and a reminder of nuns on the run – what is not to like among the auction offerings in Ireland this week.
An original copy of the Proclamation, first, limited and signed editions by Irish and international authors, a collection of Seamus Heaney material, rare maps, fine bindings and the earliest extant programme for the 1913 All Ireland senior hurling final are all included in Fonsie Mealy’s rare book and collectors sale in Castlecomer on October 1 and 2.
An original copy of The Proclamation at Fonsie Mealy. UPDATE: THIS MADE 90,000 AT HAMMER
More than 1,200 lots, headed by the Proclamation with an estimate of €100,000-€150,000, will come under the hammer. Rarities include an 18 carat gold medal presented in 1846 to Timothy O’Brien of Johnston Mooney and O’Brien for his continued exertions in the manufacture of bread from Indian corn (Trevelyan’s corn) (€15,000-€20,000). A scribal manuscript of Keating’s History of Ireland, transcribed for the use of Edward Denny of Tralee Castle, is similarly estimated. The antiquarian and local history library of the late Tony Bocking of Kinsale is included. The sale will be at the Avalon House Hotel and the auction is on view at Fonsie Mealy’s next Monday and Tuesday. The catalogue is online.
A Rolls Royce in a convent auction recalls the group of elderly Poor Clare nuns who made international headlines in 1990 after selling their convent in Bruges and moving to a life of luxury in the South of France. Alas, Victor Mee’s sale of contents from the Convent of Mercy at New Inn in Co. Tipperary, which includes both a Rolls and a Bentley, will feature lots from other clients too.
The Hooper built Rolls Royce Corniche in the sale was once owned by Sheik Abdelaziz bin Ahmed Al Thani. Lot 914 and estimated at €60,000-€120,000. A 1992 Bentley is more modestly estimated at €6,000-€12,000. The wide ranging collection on offer will include antique furniture, collectibles, Irish art, clocks, lighting, kitchen equipment, carpets and rugs among 1,200 lots.
A 19th century Killarney work table at Victor Mee. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
There will be much interest in a Killarney wood work table (€5,000-€8,000), a specimen marble chess table (€5,000-€8,000), an Irish Georgian breakfront bookcase (€3,500-€5,500) and a 19th century French clock garniture (€2,000-€4,000). Artists Edwin Hayes, Louis le Brocquy, Peter Curling, Cecil Maguire and Graham Knuttel will feature along with an Adoration of the Christ Child, a 19th century Italian work after Corregio. A sandstone two tier fountain is estimated at €2,000-€3,000 and there is some garden sculpture. The auction on September 28 is both online and in room, the sale on September 29 will be online only.
An All-Ireland hurling final programme from 1913, the first final at Jones Road, at Fonsie Mealy. UPDATE: THIS MADE €11,000 at hammer
A very fine pair of enormous fossilized Irish Elk Horns and Skull, the horns with 14 points and spanning 98″ made a hammer price of €40,000 at Fonsie Mealy’s Chatsworth summer fine art sale in Castlecomer today. Oscar Wilde’s desk made €29,000, a second specimen Irish elk horns made €28,000, a pair of large early 19th century terrestrial and celestial globes by John and William Newton, London, 1818 made €15,000, a French bateau bed owned by Oscar Wilde made €15,000, a Louis XV Cartel clock and barometer set made €12,000 and a bronze of The Cossacks Crossing the Balkans by Evgeny Alexandrovich Lanceray made €9,000.
(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for June 14 and June 9, 2025)
A 19th century French gold brocade royal blue carriage bag owned by Queen Maria Amelia, the last Queen of France. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,200 AT HAMMER
With a range that spans everything from fossilised Irish elk horns to Oscar Wilde’s desk, a landscape attributed to John Butts and a handbag owned by the last Queen of France heritage, history, beauty and rarity are not in short supply at Fonsie Mealy’s summer fine art and antique sale in Castlecomer on June 18 and 19.
Among many highlights are a pair of 19th century terrestrial and celestial globes on stands by John and William Newton, London 1818 (€15,000-€20,000), a Louis XV clock and matching barometer by Julian Le Roy, Paris (1686-1759) (€10,000-€15,000), a bronze of The Cossacks Crossing the Balkans by Evgeny Alexandrovich Lanceray (1848-1886) (€10,000-€15,000), a collection of 19th and early 20th century erotic Indian miniatures (€7,000-€10,000) and a four fold screen The Star of Bethlehem after Edward Burne-Jones (€4,000-€6,000).
Lots like these do not come cheap but this sale of fine art, antique furniture, silver, miniatures, decorative objects and religious artefacts sourced from private estates and collectors across Ireland offers a diverse collection to suit every taste and budget. Estimates are from €30 and €40 up for lots including a figure of Buddha and carved ebony elephants (€60-€80), a pair of Birmingham silver pillar candlesticks (€100-€150) and an Edwardian dinner gong with horn supports (€80-€120). More than 1,000 lots will come under the hammer.
The Irish giltwood side table and mirror by Arthur Jones, featured here last Saturday, is at €15,000-€20,000 among the most expensively estimated items.
The oversized slope front desk used by Oscar Wilde with, inset, a photo of the author, poet and playwright. UPDATE: THIS MADE 29,000 AT HAMMER
Fishermen by a River at Sunset attributed to John Butts (c1728-1765). UPDATE: THIS MADE 4,000 AT HAMMER
There will be literary interest in a large William IV slope top davenport attributed to Gillows with provenance to Oscar Wilde (€6,000-€8,000). Like many items at Wilde’s house at Tite St. in Chelsea it was quietly removed by friends who offered financial support and safeguarding of personal items before the court ordered auction of his possessions after his trial and imprisonment in 1895. The artist Mortimer Menpes, godfather to Wilde’s son Vyvyan, took this desk and a French bateau bed exhibited at the Paris World Fair in 1878. The bed, also in this sale, is estimated at €3,000-€4,000.
A c1740 oil on canvas of Fishermen on a River at Sunset is attributed to John Butts (€4,000-€6,000), the artist who started his career in Cork and was influenced by Claude Lorrain and Salvator Rosa. In a catalogue note Dr. Peter Murray explains that the attribution of this Claudean landscape to Butts is based both on the subject matter and the style of painting.
A 19th century French royal blue gold brocade carriage bag with coronet and trestle design was owned by the French Queen, Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily (1782-1866) who was married to Louis Philippe I. Maria Amalia, niece of Marie-Antoinette, was the last Queen of France. Gifted to the Ursuline sisters it comes to the auction by direct descent and is estimated at €800-€1,000.
A fine specimen of the elk horns and skull of the Gigantic Irish Deer with 14 points and spanning 98 inches is reputed to have been found in the Bog of Allen. It is estimated at €10,000-€15,000. Viewing for this brimful of interest and treasure filled sale gets underway in Castlecomer tomorrow at 1.30 pm and the catalogue is online.
An 18th century Louis XV Cartel clock and matching barometer by Julian Le Roy. UPDATE: THESE MADE 12,000 AT HAMMER
This Irish giltwood side table and mirror by the renowned Arthur Jones cabinetmakers was shown at the Irish Industrial Exhibition in Dublin in 1853. Known as The Table of Ireland it features motifs like a harp, carved masks, shamrocks, an Irish high tower and a medieval town house. Oak leaves, acorns and a saintly figure playing a harp are in sharp contrast to a warrior about to draw his sword. Together they depict the dual forces of peace and war in Ireland’s storied history as seen in Victorian times. The mirror is crested by a figure of Hibernia sat on a sword in front of a Celtic high cross. The table is one of the highlights at Fonsie Mealy’s summer fine art and antiques sale in Castlecomer on June 18 and 19. The estimate for lot 809 is €15,000-€20,000.
Mahogany and brass mounted country house letter box at Adams. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,700 AT HAMMER
Lots and lots of all types of lot will come under the hammer in Ireland next week with rare collectibles leading the charge.
With everything from a mahogany and brass mounted country house letter box that would not be out of place at Downton Abbey to a vintage alligator Gladstone bag the annual library collection sale at James Adam in Dublin on April 29 offers a selection of 344 lots with something of interest to most of us.
An old AA road sign at Victor Mee. UPDATE: THIS MADE 330 AT HAMMER
Vintage road signs are popular collectibles and feature at several sales. There is bound to be local interest in an old AA mileage sign for Blarney and Cork at Victor Mee’s sale at Belturbet on April 29 and 30. The online only auction offers advertising materials and a mix of nostalgic items. Among them are enough Irish carnival and fairground pieces from Warrenpoint in Co. Down and Buncrana in Co. Donegal to keep any keen restorer busy for months.
A vintage Italian bar at de Veres. UPDATE: THIS MADE €1,800 at hammer
A 1970’s vintage chrome and gilt Italian bar is not something you come across everyday. This one, complete with tinted mirror front and stainless steel counter, is at de Veres timed online design auction which runs until April 29. The auction is a mix of classic design pieces by Eileen Gray, Arne Jacobsen, Gianfranco Frattini and Gianni Versace and art by John Shinnors, Albert Irvin, Cecil King, Tony O’Malley, Felim Egan and Mark Francis.
A full length portrait photograph of Michael Collins with moustache on a balcony in London will create interest at Fonsie Mealy’s rare book and collectors sale in Castlecomer on April 30 and May 1. More than 700 widely varied lots will come under the hammer here over two days. These range from rare sporting memorabilia like Kerry’s first All Ireland football championship winners medal from 1903 to a limited edition illustrated volume of The Vatican Frescoes of Michelangelo and a scarce limited edition copy of Squarings, Twelve Poems by Seamus Heaney with four lithographic prints by Felim Egan signed by both author and artist.
There are all sorts of highlights at these sales. The Dedication of the Temple of Solomon by Franz Ludwig Hermann at Adams is monumental and depicts a fantastical view of the temple. Sacrifices to mark the dedication are said to have included 22,000 bulls and 120,000 sheep. A painting by George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson depicts a crowded harbour with paddle steamers.
A child’s carousel ride at Victor Mee will evoke many memories along with several antique puppets and a 1970’s tinplate fairground motorcycle.
A full length portrait photograph of Michael Collins in London by La Fayette at Fonsie Mealy. UPDATE: THIS MADE €600 AT HAMMER
A prototype of the Liam McCarthy cup, by tradition the sample maker Edmund Johnston of Grafton St. in Dublin presented to the committee for the Liam McCarthy, is at Fonsie Mealy. In the event a variant was chosen. Choices here include is a first (1955) edition of Moonraker, the third James Bond novel by Ian Fleming; a painting of George Best in action by the British artist Tom Croft, approved by Best and originally intended to be made into a limited edition print run, a plan that was abandoned when Best fell ill; five volumes of The Georgian Society records of 18th century domestic architecture in Dublin and an official Adidas Argentina team jersey signed by Diego Maradonna. Treasures abound everywhere….
There is a shameful history in this set of seven very rare original mounted photographs at Fonsie Mealy’s rare book and collectors sale in Castlecomer on April 30 and May 1. Mostly taken by T O’ Connor of Limerick they show evictions at the Vandeleur estate in Co. Clare in the late 1880’s. There are photographs of the police, battering rams, those who were evicted.
In the 1840’s it is estimated that up to 1,000 people were evicted from the Vandeleur estate. The evictions of 1888 do not compare in scale but they are the best remembered. By 1888 eviction was resisted in most instances, large crowds went along to watch, tenants had legal representation and were organised. In the famine years Captain Kennedy, the Poor Law Inspector in the area, calculated that over 6,000 people had been evicted in Kilrush Union between July and early December 1848. Less than a year later Mr. Poulett Scrope, a British M.P. who visited West Clare, estimated that 20,000 had been evicted in Kilrush Union in the previous two years-and that the greater number of these had died in the meantime. Not all were Vandeleur tenants. At Fonsie Mealy’s sale these photographs are estimated at €400-€600.
1903 All Ireland Football Championship medal at Fonsie Mealy. UPDATE: THIS MADE €8,000 at hammer
The Kingdom’s first All Ireland football championship in 1903, objects that might grace a great library or Modernist design spearheaded by Mies van der Rohe are among the array of fabulous choices at auction right now.
The market is positively heaving with the sort of lot that will set the pulses of serious collectors racing.
Among the highlights at Fonsie Mealy’s two day rare book and collectors sale in Castlecomer starting on April 30 is a 1903 All Ireland Football Championship medal. In the 17th staging of the competition Kerry, under the captaincy of Thady O’Gorman beat London, captained by Sam Maguire on a scoreline of 0-11 to 0-3 in front of a crowd of 10,000 at Jones Road. The historic nine carat gold inscribed and hallmarked Celtic Cross design medal in the auction is estimated at €5,000-€7,000. Kerry won back to back football championships and a 1904 winners medal is estimated at €3,500-€5,000. In 1904 the team was captained by Austin Stack.
Portrait of John Byron from the studio of Sir Joshua Reynolds at Adams. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
From a portrait of Captain Byron, grandfather of the poet, to a Carthaginian terracotta figure of the Tanith, mother goddess of fertility and the moon, the annual library collection sale at James Adam on April 29 is brimful of interest. The portrait of John Byron (1723-1786), also known as Foul Weather Buck, from the studio of Sir Joshua Reynolds is estimated at €20,000-€30,000. Once shipwrecked off Chile he was considered one of the finest sailors in England who circumnavigated the globe and claimed various Pacific islands for the crown. His numerous expeditions are commemorated in a line inscribed in the gilt frame from Byron’s Epistle to Augusta: Our grandsires fate of yore/He had no rest at sea.
A pair of brown leather button back armchairs at Adams. UPDATE: THESE MADE €2,800 at hammer
Desks, models of yachts and even a carved marble head of a philosopher once decorated many grand libraries and can be found here too. An important consideration in any library is a comfortable chair or two. This sale has the most seductive looking examples including a pair of brown leather button back armchairs and a pair of nicely worn Victorian armchairs designed for extreme comfort. Why anyone would ever construct a chair that is not comfortable is beyond me though sadly they exist in plenty.
The Barcelona day bed designed by Mies van der Rohe in 1930 is a comfortable classic to be found at de Veres Art and Design auction on April 29. In brown leather created from a single hide and labelled Knoll International it is estimated at €6,000-€8,000. Among the pioneers of modern architecture Mies was the last director of the Bauhaus before emigrating to the US after the rise of Nazism. In a furniture market flooded with replicas this auction offers unique items of quality in both art and design. The catalogues for these three sales are online.
Barcelona day bed by Mies van der Rohe at de Veres. UPDATE: THIS MADE 6,000 AT HAMMER
Irish 19th Century mahogany Bureau stamped J.Kerr & Co., No. 68931. UPDATE: THIS MADE 9,500 AT HAMMER
THIS Irish bureau with an estimate of €1,000-€1,500 sold for a hammer price of €9,500 at Fonsie Mealy’s sale in Castlecomer today. The high price achieved was driven by a celebrity connection to Sir Winston Churchill. By family tradition it was gifted by Churchill to Sir Bindon Blood. Churchill had served under Blood at the North West Frontier in 1897 and dedicated his first non-fiction book – The Story of the Malakand Field Force – to him.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for February 19, 2025).
