Irish art enjoys an enthusiastic response at Whyte’s auction

Des O’Sullivan finds a welcome in the parlour for a very fine collection of Irish art pieces sold in Dublin.

IRISH art had a highly successful outing at Whyte’s in Dublin on Monday evening.

Sir William Orpen’s 1924 portrait of English actress Gladys Cooper made €175,000 at hammer over a top estimate of €120,000.

Sir John Lavery’s painting A Bacchante from 1910, with a top estimate of €80,000, sold for €135,000 at hammer. Both paintings were illustrated on these pages last week.

A view of the Maam Valley, Connemara by Paul Henry made a hammer price of €52,000.

The catalogue cover lot, Girl in a Garden by Patrick Swift, sold for €20,000 and Near St Patrick’s Close, Dublin by Walter Osborne sold for €18,000.

A small oil on board landscape by Paul Henry made €13,000 and Cecil Maguire’s Women of Aran sold for €10,500. Duet by Colin Middleton and Full Load by Liam O’Neill both sold for €10,500 at hammer. Donald Teskey’s Watersedge XV11 made a hammer price of €16,000.

Works by Sir John Lavery, William Leech and Paul Henry will feature at Bonhams sale of Modern British and Irish art in London on June 10.