Latest news with #Adam's
Irish Examiner
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Art worth millions to change hands at Dublin sales
An array of exciting choices will come up at major sales of Irish art in Dublin by Whyte's, deVeres and James Adam on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Art worth a couple of million euro is set to change hands at sales headed by Paul Henry (Whyte's), Gerard Dillon (de Veres) and Roderic O'Conor (Adam's). All are on view this weekend. A spectacular 1933 oil, Achill Horses (€70,000-€100,000) by Mainie Jellett, will create interest among serious collectors. This modern abstract style was in marked contrast to the prevailing realist mode of her contemporaries like Paul Henry and Charles Lamb. Jellett was chosen to create murals of the life and people of Ireland for the Free State Pavilion at the Empire Exhibition, Scotland, of 1938 in Glasgow. Another version of Achill Horses is included in the Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone exhibition at the National Gallery until August 10. The most expensively estimated work at all three sales is West of Ireland Bog by Paul Henry (€120,000-180,000). It is one of three works by the artist at Whyte's, where Cottages, West of Ireland (€60,000-€80,000) and Keel Bay, Achill (€50,000-€70,000) also feature. In Hill Fair at Achill Island by Letitia Hamilton (€15,000-€20,000), the viewer joins the busy scene through an uneven path between two large limestone rocks. 'West of Ireland Bog' by Paul Henry at Whyte's. There is international art by John Atkinson Grimshaw, Ferdinand Roybet, Paula Rego, Bridget Riley and Maurice Poirson as well as a sketch of James Joyce by his close friend Frank Budgen. The auction offers major works by William Leech, Dan O'Neill, Colin Middleton and George Russell, Dublin scenes by Flora Mitchell, prints by Patrick Scott, William Scott and Louis le Brocquy, sculpture by Rowan Gillespie and John Behan and work by popular artists like Kenneth Webb, Graham Knuttel, Cecil Maguire and Arthur Maderson. 'Achill Horses' by Mainie Jellett at Whyte's. The piece Little Girl's Wonder by Gerard Dillon is the top lot at the art and sculpture sale by deVeres next Tuesday. In tune with the naive style and strong use of colour for which Dillon is known, it was shown in 1955 at the Irish Exhibition of Living Art in Dublin, which was established in 1943 to promote modernism in Ireland. This work is estimated at €50,000-€80,000 The sale at deVeres offers art by Louis le Brocquy, Colin Middleton, Daniel O'Neill, Patrick Collins, John Shinnors, Peter Curling, Lillian Davidson, George Russell (AE), May Guinness and Mainie Jellett. The sculpture in the auction, on view in the garden of The Merrion Hotel, includes work by Rowan Gillespie, FE McWilliam, Patrick O'Reilly, Jason Ellis and Michael Warren. 'Black and White Scarecrows' by John Shinnors at Adams. A reclining nude and a night scene of a boat in a storm, both by Roderic O'Conor and estimated respectively at €40,000-€60,000 and €15,000-€25,000, lead the sale of Important Irish Art at James Adam on Wednesday evening. A dreamlike image by Hughie O'Donoghue, The Sea, The Sea from 2003, is estimated at €15,000-€20,000. Among 100 lots on offer is The Path of the Lamb (1966), an oil on canvas commissioned by the Dominican Order for St Saviour's Church on Dominick Street in Dublin (€10,000-€15,000). The work Figures Asleep by Mary Swanzy from the 1940s (€10,000-€15,000) shows a makeshift arrangement that possibly depicts neighbours sheltering during air raids. Two arresting and contrasting works by renowned artists are the dense and restrained Black and White Scarecrows by John Shinnors (€5,000-€8,000) and Silent Gardens, a colourful piece from 1985 by Tony O'Malley (€12,000-€15,000). A bronze by Rowan Gillespie, Convict Woman (€8,000-€12,000) is based on one of the life-size figures by the artist unveiled in Hobart, Tasmania in 2017, known as the footsteps-toward-freedom statues. It represents the 13,000 convict women and 2,000 of their children who were transported to Van Diemen's Land. A selection of sculptures by John Behan and Oisin Kelly is also on offer. Viewing is underway and all catalogues are online.
Irish Independent
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
In the salerooms: A record-breaking Kashmir sapphire, Jack B Yeats and more
A sapphire and diamond ring formerly estimated between €8,000 and €12,000 fetched a record-breaking €550,000 at Adam's on May 13. The estimate increased to €150,000 to €250,000 when the gemstone was found to be from Kashmir, where it was mined in the 19th century. See Whyte's Whyte's auction of Irish & International Art takes place Monday, May 26. The highest estimate in the sale is for Paul Henry's West of Ireland Bog (Lot 18: est €120,000 to €180,000). In contrast, Achill Horses, 1933, by Mainie Jellett (Lot 37: est €70,000 to €100,000), depicts the west of Ireland in an abstract style radically different to those of her peers, Paul Henry and Charles Lamb. See Dolan's The Summer Auction of Irish Art & Whiskeys closes at Dolan's on Monday, May 26. The highlight of the sale is an oil painting by Jack B Yeats, Man Running (1947) (est €100,000 to €150,000). 'It was painted in a period when Yeats was confronting his own mortality and his paintings often centred on elderly male figures wandering across an uncultivated but impressive terrain,' writes art critic Roisin Kennedy. See Hegarty Antiques The auction of The Kingsland Collection Part II takes place live online at Hegarty Antiques on Wednesday, May 28. Highlights include some rare provincial Irish silver: a set of 10 silver dessert spoons by Patrick Connell of Limerick, circa 1785 (Lot 6: est €4,000 to €5,000); and a silver sugar castor by Daniel McCarthy of Cork circa 1770 (est €2,200 to €3,200). See
Irish Examiner
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Paintings by old masters and contemporary artists in the frame
Art from Irish old masters to the contemporary will take centre stage at auctions by Morgan O'Driscoll, on Monday, Sheppard's, on Wednesday, and James Adam, on Thursday. The catalogue cover lot for the Irish Old Masters evening sale at Adam's is an arresting portrait of Jane Bryan of Cong by Maria Spilsbury (€8,000-€10,000). The London-born artist relocated to Ireland in 1813. Her work is represented in major institutional collections like the National Gallery of Ireland, the British Museum, Tate Britain and the Museum of Methodism in London. Spilsbury painted portraits, genre scenes and religious work. Her depiction Patron's Day at the Seven Churches, Glendalough, c1816, at the National Gallery is regarded as one of the most significant visual records of early 19th-century devotional life in Ireland. Maria Spilsbury's 'Portrait of Jane Bryan of Cong' at James Adam. The most expensively estimated painting in the sale is Figures by the Temple in the Park at Mount Merrion by William Ashford (€50,000-€80,000). The auction offers a choice of Irish landscapes by artists like James Arthur O'Connor, Thomas Roberts, George Mullins, William Sadler and George Barret. There are portraits by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, Nathaniel Hone, Robert Hunter and others, along with seascapes by Edwin Hayes, Richard Brydges Beechey and John Thomas Serres. The sale kicks off with six etchings and engravings by James Barry, offers a set of Malton's Views of Dublin and a preparatory scheme for the mythological murals at Lyons, Co Kildare, by Gaspare Gabrielli among 66 lots. 'Female Profile', Ya Tsai Chiu, at Morgan O'Driscoll. Two names from the east stand out in Morgan O'Driscoll's current online auction. Ya Tsai Chiu paints gracefully elongated figures that, though different, somehow recall Modigliani, while the sensitive female subjects of Zhao Kailin are endowed with a wistful, enigmatic quality. Both artists have wide appeal and thriving market records. The auction offers highly collectable works by Peter Curling, Donald Teskey, Michael Flatley, Evie Hone, Mr Brainwash, Dan O'Neill, Conor Fallon, Sean Scully and many other artists. A study The Grey Mare, Renvyle was painted in 1933 by Harry Kernoff. A le Brocquy tapestry titled Shimmering Light was woven by Donegal Carpets in 1956 and George Campbell's affectionate study of flamenco performers has all the elan of a man who could play the guitar as well as wield the brush. An Aubusson tapestry, Garlanded Goat, by le Brocquy, leads the Irish and International art auction at Sheppards with an estimate of €80,000-€120,000. Emer, a unique life-sized bronze horse by Anthony Scott, is a significant example of Irish contemporary bronze sculpture. Howard Helmick's 'Whiskey by the Hearth' at James Adam. Scott's sculpture, dedicated to the champion racehorse Sea the Stars, was unveiled at the National Stud by the late Queen Elizabeth during her State visit to Ireland. Sheppard's estimates this one at €30,000-€50,000. Among 166 lots is In Memory by Daniel O'Neill, which was last at auction at The Irish Sale at Christie's in 2007. It is now estimated at €20,000-€30,000. A rare work by William Crozier, Still Life with Jug and Shapes, painted in oil on a tin metal tray, is estimated at €2,000-€3,000. There is a similar estimate on a watercolour by Pauline Bewick, Taurus. Graham Knuttel's 'Still Life: Table Top' at Sheppard's. With art by Markey Robinson, Arthur Maderson, Evie Hone, Fr Jack Hanlon, Mark O'Neill, Henry Healy, Roderic O'Conor, Melanie le Brocquy, Michael Mulcahy, John Doherty, Michael Hales, Hughie O'Donoghue, John Luke and many more renowned Irish artists, this sale has much to hold the interest.
Irish Independent
02-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Rare Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring in 1940s setting goes under hammer at Irish auction
The discovery put another zero on the price. Kashmir sapphires are the rarest, finest and most beautiful in the world. They come from the Zanskar range of the Himalayas, and were mined between 1882 and 1887. The stone (Lot 23: est €150,000 to €250,000) is going under the hammer at Adam's sale of Fine Jewellery and Ladies' Watches on May 13. The story of Kashmir sapphires reads like historical fiction. In 1890, Tom D LaTouche, the deputy superintendent of the Geological Survey of India, described how the first sapphires were brought into Shimla, now in Himachal Pradesh, in India. They had been uncovered in 'the mountains on the borders of Zanskar, where a landslip had laid bare the rocks beneath the soil, and disclosed the presence of the gems.' LaTouche tells the tale of a shikari (hunter) who lost the flint from his gun while hunting and, with no other way of lighting his pipe, searched for a piece of rock to strike a spark. He 'picked up a small sapphire, and finding that it answered his purpose better than the ordinary fragments of quartz he was in the habit of using, carried it about with him for some time.' Eventually, the hunter sold the stone to a Laholi trader, from 'whom it was taken to Simla, where its value was recognised.' Enquiries were made, the location was discovered, and guards were posted to prevent the locals from selling the stones at what LaTouche describes as 'absurdly low prices, the Laholis only asking about one rupee per seer for them.' Now, they can fetch astounding prices at auction. On April 25, an 11.56 carat Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring sold at Sotheby's in Hong Kong for HKD $6,350,000 (€721,514). 'I think this is the first time a Kashmir sapphire has been auctioned in Ireland,' says Claire-Laurence Mestrallet, head of jewellery at Adam's. The stone is mounted in a retro sapphire and diamond ring, circa 1940, and catalogued as 'of tank design, centring a cushion-shaped sapphire weighing 6.22cts, between old brilliant and tapered baguette-cut diamond shoulders, and between baguette-cut diamond borders.' It comes from a private collector in France, who bequeathed the collection to her son. Before the stone was identified as a Kashmir sapphire, it was expected to sell for between €8,000 and €12,000. ADVERTISEMENT A fine, classical Kashmir sapphire can be sold for many times more than a Madagascar sapphire of exceptional quality and size It's famously impossible to identify a Kashmir sapphire by sight, but something in the quality of the stone alerted Mestrallet to the possibility. 'Kashmir sapphires have an intense blue colour and a velvety appearance,' she says. 'It's unusual to find one in a 1940s ring.' Because of the short period of their mining, most Kashmir sapphires were mounted in Victorian jewellery. The stone was removed from its setting and sent to a Gemmological Certification Services (GCS) London for testing and pronounced 'of Kashmir origin, with no indications of heating.' These milky bands are the cause of the sleepy, velvety texture so admired in fine Kashmir sapphires Many sapphires are heated at extremely high temperatures to intensify their colour and improve their clarity. This one is a natural stone. It then went off to Switzerland where the Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF) confirmed it as a Kashmir sapphire. Finding out where a sapphire came from is neither straightforward nor easy. A hundred years ago, it was much less of a problem. Then, according to an article in Gems & Gemology (2019), the only major sources of these sapphires were Kashmir, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. About 25 years ago, Madagascar started producing large volumes of sapphires. Since 'a fine, classical Kashmir sapphire can be sold for many times more than a Madagascar sapphire of exceptional quality and size', finding out the source is undertaken with care and deliberation. All the information about Kashmir sapphires comes from historic stones with provenance that can be proven. 'The mine was only open for five years,' Mestrallet explains. 'Then it closed. It's been closed for more than 100 years.' Sapphires can be identified by mineral inclusions (materials trapped within the crystal's structure) or by identifying the 'patterns of silk and particle clouds' within the stones, which are described in a language akin to poetry: 'These milky bands are the cause of the sleepy, velvety texture so admired in fine Kashmir sapphires.' See
Irish Times
26-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Stand-up desks in the 1700s? Design visionaries old and new showcased in upcoming sales
Interior designers often make bold decisions by placing antique pieces of furniture in modern homes, thus bringing an air of gravitas to what might otherwise be minimalist sleek interiors. And with remote working now a well-established part of most office workers' weekly routines, creating a stylish, dedicated work space in a living or diningroom is often preferable to working from a spare bedroom. But where to find such furniture? Auction rooms are often the best place to find a desk that is both functional and elegant when not in use. Adam's Library Collection auction on Tuesday, April 29th, and deVeres ' 20th century contemporary art and design auction on the same day are both excellent places to look for such pieces. Take, for example, the George IV pale mahogany writing desk at Adam's (€6,000-€8,000), which is designed for both sitting and standing at. According to Adam's, this type of bureau writing desk was supplied to accountancy firms and gentlemen's libraries in the 18th century by the English furniture making firm Gillows of Lancaster and London. READ MORE For those who prefer a more slimmed-down writing desk – with little room for clutter in a paper-free working environment – the rosewood model 530 desk designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Milan-based manufacturer, Bernini (€2,000-€3,000) in the deVeres auction is an option. Rosewood model 530 desk designed by Gianfranco Frattini for Bernini of Milan (€2,000-€3,000), deVeres An Italian architect and designer, Frattini was an important figure whose 50-year career contributed significantly to the global profile of the Made-in-Italy brand in the 20th century. For those who like a daytime nap without retreating to a bedroom, the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Barcelona day bed (€6,000-€8,000), also at deVeres, might be tempting. With a hardwood frame and tubular steel legs, its brown leather panels were created from a single hide. Born in Aachen, Germany, Mies van der Rohe was part of the Bauhaus school of modernist art, design and architecture. He emigrated to America in the late 1930s and settled in Chicago. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Barcelona day bed (€6,000-€8,000), deVeres The Coco Chanel wheat table (€600-€900) is another standout piece in the deVeres auction. The table – made from a gilt metal sheaf of wheat with a glass top – is similar to one designed for the French fashion designer by jeweller Robert Goossens, inspired by the drawing of wheat by the Spanish artist Salvadore Dali. Also at deVeres is an Italian rosewood bar table with a fitted vinyl turntable, and hidden compartments with lift up lids (€800-€1,200). Coco Chanel wheat table (€600-€900), deVeres Italian rosewood bar table with a fitted vinyl turntable and hidden compartments with lift-up lids (€800-€1,200), deVeres Rory Guthrie from deVeres says there are two types of buyers of mid-century modern furniture in Ireland. 'One is the collector, who is very much looking for signed, stamped pieces or those made by the licensed manufacturer. These are produced to the artist's original design. The second type of buyer is one looking for something a little different in a saturated furniture market that offers generic styles, or flat pack.' Guthrie says Ireland has a poor reputation for allowing reproduction copies of original furniture. 'Some very low-quality replica pieces are widely sold here, often described as 'Eames style' or 'in the style of'. These are neither original nor licensed works, yet they come with a high price tag attached,' he explains. According to Guthrie, replicas have little or no resale value. The deVeres auction has a number of licensed pieces (each stamped and labelled) in its design auction by designers including Eileen Gray, Arne Jacobsen, Charles Eames, Mies van der Rohe and Finn Juhl. The pieces for sale come from collectors in Ireland and mainland Europe, particularly France and Italy. Meanwhile, Anne-Louise Mitchell from Victor Mitchell Auctioneers in Roscrea, Co Tipperary, is excited about the auction of the belongings of the late Mabel Wallace, the former owner, with her late husband, Hume Wallace, of Ballincor House, Shinrone, Co Offaly. While Ballincor House and Estate was sold in 2006, the family is now selling much of Wallace's remaining antiques. An avid fan of the Ormond Hunt and point-to-point racing, there are plenty of equestrian prints, accessories and ornaments among the lots for sale. Also, eclectic collectors will be interested in more than 40 lots of 'Grand Tour' souvenirs, as well as ivory games board (€300-€500). Ivory games board (€300-€500), Mitchell's Fun of the fair Finally, Victor Mee auctioneers in Cavan has some unusual items in its Spring Carnival and Collectables sale on April 29th and 30th from 6pm each day. With an established reputation for selling advertising memorabilia and signs, the auctioneers have taken a step further this time, with items for sale from fairgrounds in Warrenpoint, Co Down, and Buncrana, Co Donegal. Fairground motorcycle (€200-€400), Victor Mee Child's carousel ride (€600-€1,200) Victor Mee Antique marionettes at Victor Mee's auction The items for auction include fairground rides (a child's carousel ride for €600-€1,200 and a fairground motorcycle for €200-€400), as well as antique puppets and marionettes. The 1,200 lots can be viewed tomorrow from noon to 5pm, and on Monday from 10am-5pm. ; ; ; What did it sell for? The Trinity by Seán Keating Seán Keating, The Trinity Estimate €10,000-€15,000 Hammer price €13,000 Auction house Adam's Silver replica of Ardagh Chalice Silver replica of Ardagh Chalice Estimate €5,000-€7,000 Hammer price €5,000 Auction house Adam's Painted pine 19th century 'meat safe' Meat cupboard Estimate €500-€800 Hammer price €460 Auction house Adam's Tim Goulding's Land Burn, 2002 Land Burn, Tim Goulding Estimate €500-€700 Hammer price €1,400 Auction house Morgan O'Driscoll Victorian writing desk made by Irish 19th century Dublin furniture maker, Arthur Jones. Victorian writing desk by Arthur Jones (c1870) Estimate £4,000-£6,000 (€4,659-€7,000) Hammer price £15,120 (€17,614) Auction house Woolley & Wallis
