19th-century ormolu-mounted marquetry Boulle cabinet. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
This historically important Irish cabinet is one of a pair that will highlight Sheppards three day sale of contents from Grange Manor, Kilkenny and other clients on November 26, 27 and 28. Research indicates that the ebony, pewter, brass and tortoiseshell marquetry cabinets were sold as separate lots at the Kilkenny Castle dispersal sale in 1935 as lots 311 and 312. One of the cabinets was sold for 37 pounds and ten shillings then. Almost 90 years later the estimate for the pair of €100,000-€150,000. There is a photograph by Robert French showing them in the Long Gallery at the castle in 1865.
Each sports a rectangular shaped top above two glazed leaf scroll inlaid doors flanking a bacchic mask and ram’s head. There is a decorated central panelled door between fluted brass inset columns. These magnificent cabinets stand on gadroon moulded bases fronted by lion masks terminating on turned toupie feet. The auction will be on view at Grange Manor from November 23-25 and the sale will be in Durrow and online.
These chairs are from a set of 12 plus two carvers which Sheppards will offer at their Legacy of the Big House sale in Durrow from September 24-26. Described as 19th century stately home chairs each one has a gadrooned crest rail above an upholstered panelled show framed back, and an upholstered seat, raised on turned and fluted legs to the fore. The estimate for lot 1162 is €5,000-€8,000. More than 1600 lots will come under the hammer. The catalogue for the auction is online and there will be viewing in Durrow from September 21 – 23. UPDATE: THESE WERE UNSOLD
This Empire style pier table made €160 at Adams in June.
Beautiful, green, sustainable and unwanted …. good antique furniture continues to offer spectacular value to consumers. Armed with just €100 euro you can pick something up at many sales. The choice widens considerably with €300, €500 or €1,000. Disinclined to believe me? There are lots of examples from auctions in the first half of the year in Ireland as follows:
An Empire style circular pier table with brass sphinx head capitals sold for a hammer price of just €160 at the last At Home sale at James Adam in Dublin in June. At the same auction a 19th century circular convex mirror surmounted by an eagle with outstretched wings made €320, a Victorian walnut and parquetry games table made €130 and a Victorian mahogany hall chair made €170.
This George III bureau made €150 at Sheppards in May.
At Sheppards Great Irish Interiors sale in May a 19th century pine pedestal plant stand made €50 at hammer, an Irish 19th century drop leaf kitchen table made €90, a George III mahogany wash stand made €160 and a George III writing bureau sold for €150.
At Woodwards in Cork in April an Edwardian occasional table on tripod base made €40, a Victorian Sutherland table made €90, a Victorian chest on stand made €120 and a Victorian lowboy with herringbone crossbanding made €140. At Marshs in June a two tier centre table made €40, a French escritoire made €120 and a Victorian lady’s work table made €160.
This Victorian lowboy made €140 at Woodwards in April.
An Edwardian oak hall stand made €90 at Lynes and Lynes in April, a Victorian dressing table made €100, an antique side table made €160, a Victorian circular dining table made €50 and a Victorian dumb waiter made €140.
An Edwardian four tier waterfall what not sold for €40 at Fonsie Mealy in February, while at an auction in Castlecomer in May a Georgian glazed bookcase made €210, a Pembroke table made €170 and a Victorian walnut lady’s work table made €180.
The late Cork auctioneer Joe Woodward once remarked that: “There is a bargain at every auction”. That was then and this is now. When it comes to good serviceable antique furniture that has already given years of service and is ready for much more many bargains can be found at every sale nowadays. The prices quoted here are hammer prices and do not include auctioneers fees, but fees on €100 euro do not amount to much. Some auctioneers will even refuse to accept some furniture for sale. Who can blame them? When pieces do not attract any bids and are unsold they must be returned and carriage costs money.
This Victorian dining table made €50 euro at Lynes and Lynes in April.
Not everything is unwanted. Some furniture is sought after and some particularly good pieces make lots of money. Just last October a pair of c1760 George II carved giltwood armchairs, one with a Strahan label, made $152,400 (€139,949) at Sotheby’s in New York. It helps when something is exceptional, with impeccable provenance and preferably a celebrity owner or two.
A 17th century Tibeto Chinese meteorite iron phurba, or dagger.
Irish auctioneers Sheppards of Durrow are likely to be propelled into tv stardom thanks to the Country House Auction, a series of four one hour programmes on Channel 4. The show, which is about to be broadcast, captures all the suspense and excitement of a live sale Sheppards conducted at Castle Durrow early last November.
While Sheppards, Durrow and its castle are the stars of the show a sacred Tibetan meteorite iron Phurba, which made €140,000 at hammer over an estimate of €20,000-€30,000, is the star of the auction and the opening episode. There is much excitement around a Neoclassical chimneypiece in Carrara marble, a gold Cartier collar, a guitar signed by the Rolling Stones and a five stone diamond ring. There is focus too on the owners of 18th century Castle Durrow opening their doors to a public auction for the first time in an opening episode gorgeously narrated by Hattie Morahan which show Durrow and its world renowned auction house in a most beautiful light. The first episode is on August 13 at 9 pm.
A Palitoy Star Wars vinyl cape made a hammer price of €18,500 over an estimate of €8,000-€12,000 at Sheppards in Durrow today. The vintage original carded figure with vinyl cape and laser gun measures two and a quarter inches. It was part of a collection of Star Wars Palitoy toys on offer in the three day auction of contents from St. Austins, Gorey, Co. Wexford taking place in Durrow. Palitoy was a British toy manufacturer which made Star Wars action figures and vehicles on the release of the original trilogy, Star Wars in 1978, The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Return of the Jedi in 1983 along with The Power of the Force in 1985. The company also made Action Man and Care Bears but the Star Wars franchise became Palitoy’s biggest seller and original Star Wars figures are highly collectible nowadays. A Palitoy Star Wars Jawa with a cloth cape made €2,800 at hammer at Sheppards today. Other Palitoy Star Wars lots made hammer prices from €520 to €950. The auction of contents from St. Austins continues at Sheppards tomorrow.
19th century gilt framed overmantle UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
A contents auction is always a draw so it would be wise to anticipate plenty of bidders and buyers to see treasures aplenty at elegant 18th century St. Austin’s, Coolgreaney, Co. Wexford.
More than 1,390 lots from this beautifully restored and modernised two storey over basement period home dating to 1763 will come under the hammer at Sheppards in Durrow on July 16, 17 and 18. There will be viewings at the house, located between Gorey and Arklow, today, tomorrow and next Monday from 10 am to 5 pm on each day.
A pair of 18th century console tables UPDATE: THESE MADE 4,000 AT HAMMER
Art and furniture highlights include Achill Island by Grace Henry last sold at Sotheby’s in 2007 (€8,000-€14,000), On the Liffey and The Monastery Wall by Letitia M Hamilton and Gathering Turf by James Humbert Craig (all €5,000-€8,000), a pair of 18th century parcel gilt console tables (€5,000-€8,000), a 19th century large carved giltwood overmantle mirror and an 18th century Dublin longcase clock by William Edwards (both €3,000-€5,000), a c1820 French Restoration ormolu and bronze mantle clock (€1,500-€2,500) and a large Cork Regency brass fender (€1,400-€1,800).
The property which has been sold was home for over 30 years to Alan and Aine Deacon, who had lived in Hong Kong for some time. This is reflected in an eclectic collection of Irish, European and Oriental art and furniture as well as early Irish cartography and collectibles. Much of the furniture, of which there is lots, was acquired from the sale of the original contents when St. Austin’s was home to Major and Mrs. H M E Grogan.
Chinese Famille Jaune table lamp UPDATE: THIS MADE 360 AT HAMMER
Included is a collection of Bordeaux wines, rare whiskeys, kitchenalia, contents of the stables, out offices, garden furniture and statuary. There are some rare edition Snaffles prints (€6,000-€8,000) and the most expensively estimated lot is a white gold Art Deco target ring with sapphires and a three carat diamond (€25,000-€35,000). A Dun Emer Donegal Phoenix carpet, a Mughal hand woven carpet, a Sarouk Tree of Life Carpet and a Persian Kirman carpet are all estimated at €5,000-€8,000.
The garden selection includes urns, furniture, planters, lighting and ornaments. Irish vernacular lots include a settle bed, chairs, stools and some pewter and metal tankards. There are two Japanese silk embroidered wedding kimonos (€100-€150 each), a good selection of various sorts of lighting, 33 lots of wines and spirits, two vintage telephones, 37 lots of arms and armour and a selection of antique boxes. Sales, broken into five sessions for the convenience of bidders, get underway in Durrow and online at 10 am on Tuesday.
One of a pair of large neo-classical garden urns UPDATE: THESE MADE 3,400 AT HAMMER
Cork Regency brass fender. UPDATE: THIS MADE 1,300 AT HAMMER
Sheppards will offer contents from St. Austins, Gorey, Co. Wexford on July 16 and 17 with viewing on the premises on July 13 and 14. More than 1,300 lots will be on offer and highlights include a large 19th century gilt overmantle, an 18th century Dublin longcase clock, a large Cork brass fender and art by Letitia M Hamilton, James Humbert Craig and Grace Henry. The sale will be held in Durrow and the catalogue is online now.
19th century lead fountain. UPDATE: THIS MADE 340 AT HAMMER
Maybe this is not the best June ever to talk about such garden features but water, as distinct from incessant rain and cool weather, can add interest, tranquility and even a touch of glamour to many gardens. You can take your pick from various ways of introducing decorative water at two days of sales at Sheppards in Durrow where the annual Glantelwe Gardens sale will be held next Tuesday and Wednesday.
The daddy of them all is a large bronze neo-classical fountain (€20,000-€30,000). Among the other choices are moulded stone fountain heads (€250-€350), a large Italianate stone fountain (€2,000-€3,000), a cast iron wall mounted miniature (€100-€150), an 18th century carved stone basin (€800-€1,200), a 19th century lead fountain (€300-€500), a set of Regency cast iron fountain heads (€500-€800), large moulded fountains and some wonderfully weathered offerings.
Nestled along the River Erkina at Durrow Glantelwe – by renowned garden designer Arthur Shackleton – is a superb showcase for a sale which includes statues, lions, urns, sundials, planters, benches, seats, patio set, staddle stones, estate railing and stone troughs. Viewing gets underway today and continues on tomorrow and Monday.
A large Portland stone arch. UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,000 AT HAMMER
This mosaic mural made with hand cut Venetian tiles is lot 433 at Sheppards Glantelwe gardens auction in Durrow on June 25 and 26. It is a large piece and the estimate is €3,000-€5,000. The catalogue for the online and live in Durrow sale of architural ornaments and garden lots is online and viewing gets underway on June 22. More than 600 lots will come under the hammer. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
A woodblock print by Hiroshi Yoshida. UPDATE: THIS MADE 7,000 AT HAMMER
A west Cork collection of 18th century Irish and Oriental artefacts assembled by an investment banker is included in four days of sales with more than 1,800 lots at Sheppards in Durrow next week. Among the lots from west Cork is a set of Japanese woodblock prints from the series Seto inland sea by Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950), a pair of 19th century Meissen parakeets and a pair of 19th century Meissen plates.
A 17th century Flemish tapestry, a pair of Chippendale elbow chairs from Malahide Castle, a 17th century silver chalice from the Tim O’Mahony Collection, Kilkenny, an Irish 18th century wake table, four 18th century Chippendale chairs from the estate of Yehudi Menuhin and a long Donegal runner supplied by Robert Kime to Clarence House, home of King Charles and Queen Camilla add considerable interest to this auction.
The Great Irish Interiors sale takes place on April 30 and May 1. Curated jewellery will come under the hammer at Sheppards on May 2 with top brands like Cartier, Boucheron and Dior and the Irish Vernacular sale on May 3 offers a c1880 three wheeled bike, dug out chairs, hedge chairs and a Penal Cross. Viewing for all these sales gets underway in Durrow today and the catalogue is online.
This blue ground with trellis panel Donegal runner at Sheppards was supplied by Robert Kime to Clarence House. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
