Sculptures could net €300k at auction
The three sculptures date from the 1820s and only came to light when someone came into the Sotheby’s office in Dublin with pictures of them.
The three works – Die Spinnerin by German Rudolf Schadow, and Venus Italica and Hebe by Antonio Canova – were found in Annaghmore House in Tullamore.
Die Spinnerin has an estimated maximum auction price of £180,000 (€217,000), while the other two sculptures are being sold as a pair with an estimated price of up to £80,000 (€96,000).
However, Sotheby’s said it is possible that the actual sale prices could exceed that, due to the interest in the items.
The sculpture specialist at Sotheby’s, Erik Bijzet, is said to have been excited at the discovery, as while there are a number of these sculptures in existence, none have gone on the market since the 1930s, while the others are in museums around the world.
Two of the sculptures, including Die Spinnerin, are just shy of 50 inches in height, while the remaining sculpture is a little higher than 50 inches.
All three will go under the hammer at a sale of European Sculpture and Works of Art in Sotheby’s London auction house on July 8.
The sculptures were originally commissioned by Henry Patten, Irish Grand Tourist, in 1819 for his house in Westport in Co Mayo and the marble on Die Spinnerin has a dedication to him.
It is not known how they came to be in Annaghmore House, which was built in 1790 but which, it is understood, has not been inhabited in recent years.
Sotheby’s has not revealed the identity of the seller or who brought the statues to its attention in its Dublin office.
They have stressed the excellent condition of the sculptures, however, ahead of the sale next month.
Erik Bijzet said the discovery of Die Spinnerin was “a wondrous find and an exciting new chapter in the story of a work of art”, adding that the two other pieces were “rare examples from Canova’s workshop” which complemented Die Spinnerin beautifully.
