Antiques in brief
THE art selling season in New York over the next two weeks promises to be phenomenal. Two lots alone at Christie’s sales are jointly estimated at $270 million.
On May 11, Christie’s will offer Giacometti’s L’homme au doigt (Pointing Man) with an estimate of $130 million.
Picasso’s Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O) is set to become the most expensive painting ever sold at auction. It is estimated in the region of $140 million.
The sales series will feature masterpieces by Monet, Van Gogh, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Rothko, Lichtenstein, Pollock, Miro, Richter and Peter Doig.
Viewing gets underway at Oldcastle in County Meath today for the antique and interiors auction at Matthews at 6.30pm next Tuesday. More than 500 lots will come under the hammer.
The twice yearly sale of Irish and English silver takes place at Woodwards, Cork on May 20.
Sotheby’s sale of some truly magnificent and noble jewels in Geneva on May 12 includes the Sunrise ruby, a rare Burmese ruby weighing 25.59 carats. David Bennett, worldwide chairman of Sotheby’s international jewellery division said he had been in awe of the Sunrise Ruby since he first saw it 40 years ago.
“I cannot recall ever having seen another Burmese ruby of this exceptional size possessing such outstanding colour. We are also very excited to be offering a world class fancy vivid pink diamond”.
The hammer price of €70,000 paid for a c1820 Irish dining table by Gillington’s at the James Adam sale at Courtown House, Co Kildare last week underlines how the top end of the market everywhere remains recession-proof. The eventual sale figure was exactly double the top estimate.
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