William Orpen pencil sketches to go under hammer

A set of four pencil drawings of a dog by Sir William Orpen has turned up in a house clearance in west Cork and will go under the hammer in Hegarty Fine Art & Antiques Auctioneers in Bandon next Sunday, March 22nd. The separately framed drawings of "impeccable provenance" were made by Orpen in France in 1925 and depict his mistress Yvonne Aubicq's dog Kiki. Orpen, who was born in Stillorgan, Co Dublin, achieved great fame as a portrait painter in London and as one of Britain's official first World War artists. He died, aged 52, in 1931.

Auctioneer Ted Hegarty described the "previously unseen" drawings as "absolutely charming little studies by one of Ireland's greatest artists". The estimate for the set is €8,000-€10,000. Viewing for the auction begins in the saleroom at Bandon, Co Cork, on Thursday (March 19th). For full sale catalogue and viewing times see hegartyantiques.com.

Paintings and drawings by Orpen normally do very well at auction but at Sworders Auctioneers in Stansted Mountfichet, Essex, England, on Tuesday this week his Portrait of Gertrude, Countess of Dudley , estimated at £30,000-£40,000, failed to sell when bidding stalled at £23,000.