Treasures abound at Timeless Antiques Fair at the RDS

Timeless, the Irish Antique Dealers’ Fair, returns to the RDS over the weekend September 15th-17th. Now running for half a century, it combines contemporary design, art and Irish antiques, offering an insight into craftsmanship over the years.

In this year’s event, unusual statement items include a rare bookcase valued at €16,000. The first-edition Carlton bookcase by Ettore Sottsass for the Memphis Milano from 1981, is being sold by Acquired, the Stradbally based dealer specialising in mid-century design. It is the most recognisable piece of furniture from the radical design group, and comes with full provenance, as it was once owned by a renowned collector. Held in collections at Moma, New York, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Carlton bookcase – described as “totemic” in its structure – was popular with collectors such as David Bowie and Karl Lagerfeld, both of whom had these bookracks in their homes.

Niall Mullen, celebrating 20 years in the business, has a wonderful selection of fully restored furniture, objects and sculpture from the art-deco period, and also has one of the most impressive cocktail cabinet collections in Ireland.

The Storeyard in Portlaoise, which offers architectural salvage, vintage, period and retro furniture, has been a key player in the supply of film props for the Banshees of Inisherin, Little Women and Wild Mountain Thyme, is also represented at the exhibition. The company also assists in repurposing architectural salvage, and has an 18th-century Irish limestone chimney piece with original sandstone interior from a Tipperary estate on its stand.

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Galleries at the event include Gormley’s Fine Art, which will showcase contemporary giants such as Andy Warhol, Banksy, Damien Hirst along Robert Indiana and Keith Haring, while Sol Art on D’Olier Street, is also exhibiting works by both national and international emerging and established visual artists.

Now celebrating over 40 years in the business, John Farrington and his panel of experts will be there to advise on the extensive range of classic, antique and contemporary jewellery as will JW Weldon, a fourth-generation business that specialise in rare diamond jewels. In its collection at the fair, Weldon has a 17th-century diamond ring – the oldest the jeweller has ever come across. Valued at €3,950 it predates the mining era and its stones – weathered from the earth, have been polished rather than cut, as contemporary ones are. Weldon says the diamonds would have travelled to England via the old Silk Road trade route, as there was no shipping route at the time.

“We are only one link in a chain that gets cast forward every 50 or 60 years. In 100 or 200 years’ time, we’ll be just another link in its history,” says president of the Irish Antique Dealers’ Association Garret Weldon of the piece that is older than both the United States and Leinster House. timelessfair.ie