Sales rooms have been busy in the past few weeks – and there’s a house sale in Terenure, a country sale and Adam’s Attic sale coming up
DUBLIN fine art and antiques auctioneer, Malahide-based Denis Drum said this week that people have lost all confidence in the banks and are putting money into arts and antiques. He was commenting on the success of his packed sale last Sunday of the contents of a house in Sutton (see results). Drum’s comment is echoed by other auctioneers.
Dolan’s, a Galway-based art auction house, held its first ever sale in Dublin last weekend and said the event, at the Clontarf Castle Hotel, was its best-ever attended auction. Over 90 per cent of 230 lots sold, including all 40 paintings from the studio of Dublin artist, Norman Teeling.
Meanwhile in Cork fine art auctioneer Morgan O’Driscoll was delighted with his sale of Irish art at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Little Island. He said interest in auctions at the moment must be near record levels. He reported that an exceptionally large number of people attended the viewing and there was good attendance at the auction where 71 per cent of lots were sold.
The positive news will be music to the ears of auctioneers holding sales next week. On Tuesday, Herman and Wilkinson will hold what it calls an extremely interesting sale of the contents of a house in Terenure, Dublin 6W.
The sale at 33 Rathdown Park is described as a genuine old-style house clearance auction.
Later on Tuesday, Damien Matthews promises a good country sale worth viewing at his auction rooms in Oldcastle Co Meath.
Among the lots is a most unusual – and “very rare to find in Ireland” – piece of Australian furniture.
The carved tiger-maple wood desk, made circa 1900, was probably imported to Europe as an exhibition piece for one of the great Victorian showcases of imperial industry.
It was found, improbably, in a house in Navan. With an estimate of just€300-€500, Mr Matthews said it might greatly appeal to Australian expatriates living here.
Anyone hesitant of venturing as far afield as Co Meath – let alone Terenure – will find much of interest in the rather more refined location of St Stephen's Green where Adam's will hold what it describes as an Atticsale on Wednesday.
The term eclectic is, for once, utterly appropriate. The 600 lots range from the bizarre (a pair of bronze Mongolian stirrups estimated at €60-€100) to the delicately precious Berlin porcelain teacups and saucers which once graced the table of the late 3rd Earl of Iveagh at Farmleig in Castleknock (€300-€500).
And who could resist lot 341, a miscellaneous collection of jewels which has the lucky-bag estimate of just €5-€10.
