Scintillating Slane sale sees rare lots on offer

An 18th century portrait, believed to be Anthony Denny of Tralee; a newly discovered work by William van der Hagen and the only recorded Irish view by Turner, are among the delights at the annual James Adam’s Country House Collection sale at Slane Castle on Sunday and Monday, October 13 and 14 next.

The two-day sale of nearly 800 lots will feature antique Irish furniture and silver and fine European and Chinese porcelain. One of Ireland’s finest stately homes, Beaulieu, a Queen Anne house near Drogheda, is provenance for many lots in the auction.

There are also collections from Somerton, near Dublin, (home of the Laidlaws), and Ardbraccan near Navan.

A magnificent pair of mid-18th century Irish mahogany side tables with breccia marble tops from the Laidlaw Collection carry an estimate of €150,000 to €200,000.

A harewood and marquetry D-shaped side table attributed to the Dublin maker, William Moore, is estimated at €20,000-€30,000.

A view of Dawson’s Grove, Co Monaghan by William Ashford is estimated at €70,000-€100,000. A newly discovered architectural landscape by William van der Hagen, active in Ireland in the 1720s and 1730s and a leading influence on our most acclaimed landscape painters, is estimated at €35,000-€50,000. The catalogue cover, a rare chalk portrait by Robert Healy, (1743-1771), depicts a young gentleman standing by a bench and is one of a pair. The subject is believed to be Anthony Denny of Tralee. The estimate is €20,000-€30,000.

Turner’s only recorded Irish view, Clontarf Castle, dates to around 1816/17 and is estimated at €20,000-€40,000.

There is 18th and 19th century Meissen, Sevres, Bow and Worcester porcelain. A Qing Dynasty moon flask is expected to make more than €10,000. The silver section contains the Broughshane Cup, a rare memento from the infancy of horse racing in Ireland. It commemorates the founding of Broughshane Racecourse in Co Antrim in 1751 and is estimated at €25,000-€35,000. Viewing for this exciting sale gets underway at Slane Castle next Thursday.