Bantry House contents auction postponed

Delays in obtaining an Irish property licence have forced the postponement of the sale of contents from Bantry House, due to have taken place on October 21.

In a similar scenario to the Garth Brooks concert cancellations this summer, the Edinburgh auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull said yesterday that it had “&been forced to postpone the sale of the contents of Bantry House, Co Cork, due to delays in obtaining a licence from the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA)”.

The auction had been much anticipated. Many of the works on offer, such as the Gobelins tapestries from Versailles and a coronation portrait of George III, would certainly have been bought at Bantry by an international audience.

Lyon & Turnbull director Gavin Strang said: “This licence was introduced in 2012 and under new legal requirements auctioneers, as well as estate agents, lettings agents, and management companies, now need an operating licence issued by the PSRA.

“We began the process in July with the PSRA. Providing them with the extensive information they require from us has taken longer than anticipated.

“We have waited as long as we can, but as the deadline for printing the catalogue is now upon us, the difficult decision to postpone the sale has had to be made.”

The offerings from Bantry House had looked very strong. It was offering potential buyers a shot at rarities such as Marie-Antoinette’s rose coloured tapestries, a 17th century Russian household shrine, and a bust by renowned Irish sculptor John Hogan.

They were mostly collected by Richard, the 2nd Earl of Bantry, from the 1820s, who had travelled and collected extensively in Russia, Scandinavia, Spain, Italy, and France.