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  • Posts Tagged ‘Sotheby’s New York’

    HISTORIC DOCUMENT ESTIMATED AT $20-$30 MILLION AT SOTHEBY’S

    Tuesday, November 1st, 2022

    One of only two known copies of the official edition of the US Constitution in private hands – the First Printing of the Final Text of the Constitution – will come to auction at Sotheby’s in New York on December 13. One of just 13 copies known to exist, The Adrian Van Sinderen Constitution Is estimated at $20/30 million. This follows the historic November 2021 sale at Sotheby’s of the Goldman Constitution, the other privately owned copy, which made $43.2 million and established a new record for any book, manuscript, or printed text sold at auction.

    It last appeared at auction in Philadelphia in 1894, as part of the legendary collection of Charles Colcock Jones, a Georgia lawyer, politician, and amateur historian. The Constitution was acquired as a gift for the young Adrian Van Sinderen (1887-1963) and spurred his early interest in American history and book collecting. Van Sinderen later received encouragement from from his wife’s uncle, William Augustus White, one of the titans of American bibliophily. Van Sinderen himself became one of the most accomplished, if now little recognised, book collectors of the mid-twentieth century.

    235 years ago, America’s Founding Fathers signed the United States Constitution at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, marking the formation of the country’s most significant and lasting document—as well as the longest continuing charter of government in the world. 

    UPDATE: Just hours before the sale Sotheby’s called it off, citing institutional interest in the manuscript. The sale was postponed after consultation with the seller to provide interested institutional investors more time to pursue fundraising efforts.

    IRISH SILVER AT SOTHEBY’S IN NEW YORK

    Tuesday, April 5th, 2022
    Irish Silver Soup Tureen and Cover, Richard Sawyer, Dublin, 1807. UPDATE: THIS MADE $8,820

    This silver soup tureen and cover, made more than two centuries ago by Richard Sawyer, comes up at Sotheby’s sale of European furniture, silver and ceramics in New York from April 7-12. It is estimated at $8,000-12,000. Weighing 169 ozs  the tureen is engraved with a key pattern collar between bold dolphin handles. The lower body is chased with vertical stiff leaves and engraved with talbot’s head crest. Other Irish silver lots in the sale include a two handled cup by Ambrose Boxwell, Dublin 1779 ($1,500-2,500) and a pair of large sauce boats by William Hughes c1775 ($1,500-2,500). UPDATE: The two handled cup made $1,008, the sauceboats made $2,772.

    A SNEAK PEAK AT MASTERS WEEK AT SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK

    Friday, January 21st, 2022

    HERE is a video on Sothebys Masters Week in New York.

    IRISH LOTS AT SOTHEBY’S STYLE SALE IN NEW YORK

    Saturday, April 18th, 2020

    An early 19th century Irish walnut side table from a private collection in Connecticut is one of a number of Irish pieces at an online sale now running at Sotheby’s in New York. It is estimated at $8,000-12,000. Among other Irish offerings at Style: Silver, Furniture, Ceramics at Sotheby’s New York until April 22 are a pair c1835 of William IV giltwood caned armchairs in the manner of James Del Vecchio, Dublin ($6,000-10,000) and a large 1747 silver salver by Thomas Walker, Dublin with the arms of St. Leger with Deane in pretense for St. Leger Aldworth MP.  He assumed the name St. Leger on inheriting the estate of his maternal ancestors and in 1776 became Baron Doneraile of Doneraile ($15,000-20,000). A pair of silver candlesticks by John Walker is estimated at $3,000-5,000. A George IV two handled tray by John Bridge of London bears the arms of the See of Tuam, Killala and Achonry, impaling Trench for the Most Rev. Power Trench,Bishop of Tuam and brother of Richard, 2nd Earl of Clancarty. It is estimated at $12,000-18,000.

    Irish George IV table with a light brown marble top. Update: This was unsold

    SALVER WITH DONERAILE LINKS AT SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK

    Thursday, April 9th, 2020

    THIS large Irish silver salver by Thomas Walker, Dublin comes up at Sotheby’s New York Style Online, silver furniture and ceramics sale which runs until April 22. Dated 1747 the arms are those of St. Leger with Deane in pretense for St. Leger Aldworth M.P. He assumed the name St. Leger on inheriting the estates of his maternal ancestors and in 1776 became Baron Doneraile of Doneraile. It is estimated at $15,000-20,000.

    UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $37,500

    IRISH FURNITURE AND SILVER AT SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK

    Monday, October 21st, 2019

    This early 19th century table is one of a number of Irish lots at Sotheby’s Style, Furniture and Ceramics sale in New York on October 24.  The George IV  walnut marble topped table with a light brown marble top is from a private collection in Connecticut.  It is estimated at $20,000-30,000 US dollars.  An mid 18th century Irish George III console table is estimated at $30,000-50,000 and a c1740 walnut and rouge royale marble wine cooler described as possibly Irish has an estimate of $50,000-80,000.  There are a number of lots of Irish silver in the sale including a 1769 beer mug by John Tudor, Dublin ($4,000-6,000), an 18th century salver by John Hamilton, Dublin  ($3,000-5,000), a 1717 octagonal sugar bowl with the makers mark WP ($10,000-20,000) and an octagonal teapot by Mark Twelves, Dubin 1714 ($12,000-18,000).

    MARTINIQUE PAINTING BY GAUGUIN AT SOTHEBY’S

    Sunday, May 12th, 2019

    This 1887 work by Paul Gauguin, Chemin sous les palmiers comes up at Sotheby’s evening sale in New York on May 14. It is one of a series completed by Gauguin on his trip to the Caribbean island of Martinique from June to November of 1887.  This was his initial experience as an artist in an island environment.  Enthralled by the tropical landscape and native people Gauguin’s strong desire for a life outside Europe was born in Martinique.  The paintings he created there foreshadowed the works he would later complete in Tahiti. He departed for Polynesia in 1891. This work from the Levy family collection of Dallas is estimated at $6-8 million.

    IRISH SILVER AT SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK SALE

    Wednesday, April 10th, 2019

    A number of lots of Irish silver and an Irish wine cooler will come up at Sotheby’s sale entitled Style: Silver, Ceramics, Furniture in New York on April 16. There are salvers, coffee pots, cruets, tankards, a dish ring, a punch strainer, tureens, salts, a beer jug and a carved mahogany wine cooler, probably by Williams and Gibton ($12,000-18,000). The most expensively estimated Irish silver lot is a coffee pot by Robert Calderwood, Dublin 1728 ($12,000-18,000). The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:

    An unusual coffee pot by Robert Calderwood ($12,000-18,000)
    A wine cooler probably by Williams and Gibton ($12,000-18,000)

    ANOTHER PORTRAIT OF MARIE-THERESE FOR AUCTION

    Sunday, March 4th, 2018

    Pablo Picasso – Le Repos

    Pablo Picasso’s intimate depiction of his ‘golden muse’ Marie-Thérèse Walter – Le Repos from 1932 – is set to highlight Sotheby’s  Impressionist and Modern evening art sale in New York on May 14.  It is estimated at $25-35 million.  This follows the sale in London last week of a 1937, shadowed portrait of Marie-Thérèse for £49.8 million following the arrival of new love Dora Maar into the life of Picasso.  Meantime Tate Modern’s first solo exhibition of Picasso’s work, The Ey Exhibition: Picasso 1932 – Love, Fame, Tragedy, opens in London this week.

    Picasso’s paintings of Marie-Thérèse are arguably the finest emblems of love, sex and desire in 20th century art. He executed his major series of paintings depicting her in January 1932, in anticipation of Picasso’s first retrospective that coming June at Galeries Georges-Petit in Paris.

    Simon Shaw, Co-Head of Sotheby’s Worldwide Impressionist & Modern Art Department, commented:  “We are thrilled to offer this stunning painting from Picasso’s greatest series this May. As we saw last week in London, there is a vigorous global demand for depictions of Picasso’s golden muse. This classic, dreamy example from his critical year of 1932 is immediately recognisable, and captures the key elements of his work inspired by Marie Therese. Its lush, painterly quality and vibrant colours stand in stark contrast to Picasso’s final portraits of his first wife, Olga Khokhlova, which immediately precede this extraordinary period – generally considered the strongest in Picasso’s entire career.”

    COLLINS LETTER TO KITTY KIERNAN AT SOTHEBY’S, NEW YORK

    Saturday, April 15th, 2017

    “Ireland will have cause to remember her present day extremists” the Irish patriot Michael Collins wrote with considerable prescience to his fiancé Kitty Kiernan on June 1, 1922 during the Treaty negotiations. The letter is part of an extensive archive of Easter Rising material due to come up at Sotheby’s in New York on April 24. They were to have been married the following November. Just over two months later he was shot dead at Beal na mBlath in Co. Cork. Lot 89 in the sale of the Maurice Neville Collection of Modern Literature (Part III) relates to the Easter Rising and the Irish Rebellion.

    It comprises 22 pamphlets and books, eight broadsides and handbills and about about 28 autograph items from Dublin and London from 1910 to 1925.  There are two letters to Kitty Kiernan, dated March 31 and June 1, 1922 when Collins was part of the Irish delegation negotiating the Treaty. In March he wrote:  “We came to an agreement on certain things with Craig yesterday – I am not very sanguine about the future from any point of view. We have however secured release of all the prisoners…. but the news from Ireland is very bad and the “powers that be” here are getting very alarmed that there may be a bust up at any moment.  Were it not for the awful consequences I’d almost welcome it…. yet one has the responsibility. It would be cowardly to shirk from standing up to it. The whole business is casting a gloom over me and in spite of what is a big human hope I cannot  keep thinking that as a people we are destined to go on dreaming, vainly hoping, striving to no purpose until we are all gone”.

    On June I he reported to his fiancé:  “Things have got very much worse overnight & I am looking forward now to my last appointment with them.  I’m returning tonight no matter what happens as I feel I can do no more good here.  Ireland will have cause to remember her present day extremists. The whole thing is ghastly but I’ll tell you more about it when I see you. It was only after my scribble yesterday I heard about Joe McGuinnesses death. He is a great loss to us but apart from that I feel the personal loss more keenly. He was the one most responsible for the recent peace. It makes the present position all the more tragic”.
    Lot 89 contains a copy of the Proclamation, two copies of the Irish War News and letters and signatures of Charles Stewart Parnell, de Valera, Childers, McBride,  WT Cosgrave, The O’Rahilly, Kevin O’Higgins, Desmond FitzGerald and others. There is a souvenir programme of the funeral of O’Donovan Rossa to Glasnevin Cemetery in August 1915 and Eamon de Valera’s copy of Frank Gallagher’s The Invisible Island:  The History of Partition in Ireland, London ,1958 signed and dated May 3, 1958 by de Valera. The lot is estimated at $7,000-10,000.

    Letters from Michael Collins addressed to Miss Kitty Kiernan, Granard, Co. Longford

    The archive of material relating to the Easter Rising