Cork cockfighting chair is unusual lot at sale

AN Irish Georgian chair with a hinged reading table attached at the back is one of the more unusual lots at the James Adam auction in Dublin tomorrow.

Possibly made in Cork, lot 29 is a George III chair with a tub frame and a ten bar open back splat.

The ten bar back suggests a Cork origin, the hinged reading table make it what is termed a “cockfighting chair”. It is thought that owners would have had these chairs carried from the library to the cockfighting pit.

The hinged reading table at the back was designed for jotting down bets while the fight was in progress. This tub-framed chair was acquired from Johnston Brothers at the Irish Antique Dealers Fair in 1973 by the late racing journalist Tony Sweeney.

Adam’s Sunday Interiors auction, with more than 630 lots, gets under way at 11am tomorrow. It features furniture, silver, books, paintings, rugs, and collectibles. Viewing today is from 11am to 5pm.

Meanwhile, highlights from Sotheby’s British and Irish art sale in London on May 23 are on view at 16 Molesworth St in Dublin from 10am to 6pm today and 10am to 4pm tomorrow.

Among 30 Irish lots expected to bring in over €1m is an album of Irish characters by Augustin Edouart.

These include Samuel Kyle, Bishop of Cork; Augustus Fitzgerald, 3rd Duke of Leinster; Dr William Magee, Archbishop of Dublin; writer William Carleton, and more. The album at Sotheby’s is one of only 25 known survivors and is estimated at €30,000-€50,000.