Rare portrait of James Butler hammers out €120k at auction

A life-sized portrait of James Butler, first Duke of Ormonde (1610-1688) sold for a hammer price of €120,000 yesterday.

Billed as by Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680) and the studio of Sir Peter Lely, it was one of a number of rare works which drew serious collectors and bargain hunters galore to Mealy’s sale of contents of Lotabeg on Lower Glanmire Rd in Cork City, a house largely undisturbed since 1939.

The buzz about the sale, which generated enormous local, national and international interest, was described by Mealy’s as unbelievable. “The phone has not stopped ringing and the inbox is flooded with inquiries,” George Mealy Jnr said.