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Adam’s sale of Important Irish Art on September 28 is a showcase for the west of Ireland with works ranging from the late 19th century up to the present day with diverse representations of life and landscape by artists such as Charles Lamb, Thomas Rose Miles, Gerard Dillon and Donald Teskey and many more. There are 161 lots and the catalogue is online. This work by Gerard Dillon is estimated at €50,000-€80,000.
The autumn selling season is underway with a vengeance. Art auctions, fairs and large sales of antiques and collectibles will keep many people busy next week. The choice confronting auction goers and collectors in Ireland right now is nothing short of dizzying. Collectors of art can sharpen their focus as viewings are underway in Dublin for sales of Important Irish Art by Whyte’s on September 26 and at James Adam on September 28. A trip to Dublin this weekend also creates an opportunity to drop in to Timeless, the Irish Antique Dealers Fair which continues at the RDS today and tomorrow.
The capital is exerting a strong pull but an online sale of affordable Irish art by Morgan O’Driscoll until Tuesday (September 27) offers opportunities to view in Skibbereen and a number of important sales around the country are on view too.Against a background where the Irish art market is growing year on year Whyte’s will offer two 1946 works by Yeats, The Changing Dawn (€250,0000-€350,000) and River Mouth (€200,000-€300,000). Among the artworks of a completely contrasting styles on the catalogue of 150 lots are William Scott’s Chinese Orange III (€40,000-€60,000), Black and White She Scarecrow by John Shinnors (€25,000-€35,000) and Stephen McKenna’s Interior Scene (€8,000-€10,000).
The choice at James Adam ranges from the late 19th century to the present day. A c1891 portrait by Roderic O’Conor, Le Marin Barbu (€60,000-€80,000) and a self portrait by Gerard Dillon titled Man on a chair (€50,000-€80,000) are the most expensively estimated lots. Fisherman with Lobster c1937 (€15,000-€20,000) by Charles Lamb which depicts Padraic Ghrealis of Rinn, Connemara was once a key work on the wall of Lambs Restaurant at the Seagoe Hotel in Portadown, hometown of the artist.Two paintings in the unmistakable Modern style of Norah McGuinness, Waterweeds and Day’s End, Dublin Bay – each estimated at €30,000-€40,000 – once adorned the walls of Ballymascanlon House Hotel near Carlingford in Co. Louth. A panoramic view of Clifden on a grand scale by Maurice MacGonigal comes with an estimate of €15,000-€20,000, as does Portrait of a Young Woman by Dan O’Neill.
THIS mystery set sapphire and diamond flower brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels made a hammer price of €110,000 at James Adam sale of Fine Jewellery and Watches in Dublin on September 13. Described by the auctioneers as rare and collectible it had been estimated at €30,000-€50,000. Patented by Van Cleef & Arpels in 1933 the Mystery Setting “is a technique which allows the jeweller to model any form, any movement”. The apparently invisible mounting of the stones without visible claws or prongs creates an effect which makes them almost look as though they are floating.
This emerald and diamond serpent brooch comes up as lot 85 at the James Adam sale of fine jewellery and watches in Dublin on September 13. The realistically modelled snake with brilliant and single-cut diamond highlights and emerald cabochon eyes, with engraved body and underside is by Zurich based jewellery Meister and was made c1968. The estimate is 4,500-5,500. The auction offers a selection of 243 lots, the catalogue is online and viewing gets underway today in Dublin.
This 19th century Danish walnut crossbanded drinks cabinet is lot 465 at the James Adam At Home sale in Dublin on September 4. Viewing for this auction is now underway and the catalogue is online. There is a selection of furniture, silver, art, jewellery and collectibles among the 518 lots on offer. The cabinet here is estimated at 1,000-2,000.
Silver, antique furniture, jewellery, artworks, porcelain, rugs, chandeliers, mirrors, lamps and even an elmwood shovel feature at the James Adam At Home sale Dublin on September 4. The selection from 518 lots is wide ranging and appetising. If your mind is turning towards autumn home renovations and style changes, or if you are seeking singular inspiration, then this sale is an ideal place to start.The most expensively estimated lot, at €7,000-€8,000 is a sapphire torque necklace. Furniture, like a 19th century tilt top circular mahogany tea table €200-€300) or a lady’s rosewood writing desk (€300-€500), offers good value. There is Oriental porcelain, Meissen, Dresden, Worcester and Sevres pieces and a Satsuma tea set and silver wine jugs in Italian contemporary or George IV London 1788 style. The catalogue is online.
This blue and white tureen and cover in the Chinese taste is lot 72 at Adams timed online warehouse clearance sale and is estimated at €50-€80. There is a wide selection of lots at affordable estimates on offer and the catalogue is online. The sale begins to close at 11 am on August 24. UPDATE: THIS MADE 110 AT HAMMER
This walnut marquetry and gilt mounted credenza is one of the top furniture lots at the James Adam At Home sale in Dublin on September 4. This will be the opening auction of the post summer period at Adams. The 19th century piece with bowed outline has a shaped top with moulded edge, glazed rounded corners and a plinth base. It is estimated at €3,000-€5,000. A pair of French boulle marble topped side cabinets and a side table in the Irish 18th century style carry similar estimates. The most expensively estimated lot in the auction is a sapphire torque necklace. The catalogue is online.
This 1930’s poster depicting the Northern Ireland beauty spot Dunluce Castle in Co Antrim was the top lot at the James Adam sale of the John Rogers Vintage Poster Collection in Dublin this week. Designed by Julius Olsson it tripled its estimate to sell for €3,200. Five bidders competed and executed a total of twenty two bids before the hammer came down. The online auction was 96% sold and made €103,000, which exceeded the top estimate. One unusual result was that on average each purchaser bought three lots.
Nothing evokes a bygone era or jogs a memory quite like a poster. There are some wonderful ones at the James Adam online sale of the collection of John Rogers which runs until July 27. On offer are 420 posters, many anonymous, others designed by famous and collectible artists from Andy Warhol to Rene Gruau. There is highly affordable work here from artists like Walter Hofmann, Niki de Saint Phalle, Dick Eiffers, Ludwig Hohlwein, David Klein and Piet Sluis, the late Dutch artist who came to live in Ireland in the 1950’s.
A poster advertising train travel in Spain put me in mind of Dorothy Parker travelling from France to Madrid with a linguistically gifted companion. At the border he spoke no Spanish. By the time they reached their destination she reported that he was helping the natives along with their subjunctives. Armed with a post grad in Art History and some experience gained at Christie’s the late John Rogers opened Gallery 29 in Dublin in 2004. This was a lot more than just another poster shop and the sale is a tribute to his discriminating eye for quality.
