FitzGerald silver service among items in At Home sale

Adam’s of St Stephen’s Green autumn season gets underway with its At Home sale on Tuesday, September 21st. From a late Victorian Battle of the Boyne commemorative toasting glass (lot 426, €100-€150) to a gentleman’s travelling vanity case filled with silver accessories (lot 273, €500-€800) it is quite the eclectic mix, and the catalogue makes for interesting bedtime reading.

If porcelain is of interest, there are in excess of 20 lots from a private collection, to include a rare James Pennington of Liverpool blue and white sauce boat (included in lot 250, €200-€400) and a large selection of blue and white tea bowls (lot 255, €250-€350).

With hybrid working looking like the future for many, the sale has some work desks which may be of interest to those who found them hard to source during lockdown. Lot 394 is a lovely mid-20th century walnut veneered kneehole writing desk with a brown leather top above three frieze drawers (€500-€800) while lot 346 is a larger French ebonised and gilt brass version from the 19th century (€1,000-€1,500).

In contrast, lot 286 is a simple yet elegant late George III mahogany triple folding writing table with satinwood and baize lined interior on tapered legs (€600-€1,000) and lot 181, listed at €1,500-€2,500, is a French mahogany and ormolu mounted bureau from the mid-20th century with a gilt-tooled leather insert.

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Dining tables

There are some good value options for dining tables too from a 1930s art deco model with U-shape supports (lot 348, €600-€800) and a George III mahogany D-end model (lot 360, €500-€700) to an Edwardian inlaid mahogany extending option (lot 439, €500-€700). For smaller spaces, lot 376 is a Victorian mahogany rectangular breakfast table (€500-€700) and the 19th century tilt top breakfast table is handy as it can be neatly stored against a wall or behind a cabinet until needed (lot 454, €500-€700).

As the return of dinner parties is on the horizon, the sale has a number of silver flatware including a large set of fiddle pattern service engraved with the FitzGerald family crest of a monkey (lot 6, €2,500-€3,500).

Legend has it that John FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Kildare was rescued in a fire at Woodstock Castle by the family’s pet monkey, and the family subsequently adopted the monkey in their crest, occasionally using the additional motto Non Immemor Beneficii (Not unmindful of kindness).

From across the Atlantic the sale has a good selection of American silverware including pieces by Tiffany and Co and Gyllenberg and Swanson of Boston. Lot 13, is a set of 12 Tiffany silver dessert forks and lot 7, is a pair of Gyllenberg and Swanson silver candlesticks (both €500-€800).

There is a lovely collection of three art nouveau gem-set and enamel brooches, by Karl Hermann/Levinger & Bissinger, designed with the intricate technique of plique-a-jour, which allows the light to shine through, giving the pieces the effect of stained glass (lot 125, €1,000 – €1,500).

And should you need one now that dancing may soon be permitted, lot 409 is an ostrich feather fan and an old dance card (€200-€300).

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