A ‘Dutch’ auction in Blackrock

The first auction of the year at south Co Dublin auctioneers Adams Blackrock has an unexpected Dutch feel. The Fine Art & Interiors auction, on Tuesday at 11am, includes the contents of the Kenmare, Co Kerry, home of the late Eva Tenback-Biesta, who moved from the Dutch city of Groningen to Ireland in 1980 with her husband, Bob, who, according to the auctioneers, had been a member of the Dutch Resistance during the second World War. He died in 2012; she in 2014.

Among the lots is a burr walnut musical grandfather clock made, in 1820, by Douwe Jelles Tasma in the central Dutch town of Grouw, and estimated at €6,000-€8,000.

Viewing for the auction is underway at 38 Main Street, Blackrock (on Sunday afternoon from 2pm-5pm) and other items of interest among the 400 lots include: Lot 45, a set of four Biedermeier-style chairs (€180-€250); Lot 56, a table inlaid with Dutch coins (€100-€200); Lot 68, a collection of prints including a 19th-century view of Rotterdam (€300-€500); Dutch street scene with figures and horses, an oil on canvas by JA Hesterman (€1,000-€1,500); and Lot 383, “two World War II Dutch Marine Corps berets” (€40-€60).

The eclectic sale also includes mink coats, Chinese porcelain, antique furniture, Dutch silver and a selection of art and antiques from other clients. Normal bidding rules apply – unlike a traditional “Dutch auction” in which the auctioneer begins with a high price and keeps lowering it until a willing bidder is found.