Antiques and fine art: Wide choice at end-of-year sales
A set of Cork 11-bar chairs at Woodward next Saturday.
IRISH collectors are faced with a dizzying array of online choices in a whole series of end of year sales in the run-up to Christmas. Historically rare archival items, collectibles, antique furniture, Irish glass, porcelain, jewellery, silver and art will all come under the hammer. And there will be a series of major art sales in Dublin from December 7.
The Woodward online sale in Cork next Saturday offers a good selection of antique furniture, rugs, collectibles and art.
There is a set of eight Cork 11-bar chairs (€2,500-4,000); a Georgian secretaire (€1,000-€1,500); an Edwardian drawing-room suite (€1,000-€1,500) and a pair of Waterford Crystal chandeliers (€800-1,500).
There is a selection of card tables, envelope tables, chests of drawers all available to view online. Subject to restrictions, viewing is underway from today.
Hegarty's have just announced that their timed online archive sale of the Pauline Henley collection will not go ahead as it has been acquired by an Irish institution prior to auction.
The Pauline Henley Archive of handwritten correspondence with members of the family of Terence MacSwiney was to run at Hegarty's in Bandon until tomorrow evening. It includes letters, telegraphs, postcards and newspaper cuttings dating from 1916 to 1922.
They take the reader into the cell of Lord Mayor Terence MacSwiney as he suffered and died on hunger strike in Brixton Prison in 1920 while martial law operated in Cork, and to his sister Maire, who took on a hunger strike in Mountjoy in 1922. Hegarty's announced in recent days, however, that the sale would not go ahead as it has been acquired prior to auction.
At Sixmilebridge in Co Clare, Aidan Foley has a massive four-day online sale with more than 2,000 lots starting on December 5 with a large collection of books, records and CDs from RTÉ broadcaster Lorcan Murray.
Among the rarities is a copy of Promises by Kylie Minogue on cd and collectibles from Amy Winehouse to Scooter and Lady Gaga, as well as posters.This will be followed by auctions of antique furniture, mirrors, Persian rugs and art on the following three days. Mr Foley promises a particularly good sale.
One of the prime lots, due to come under the hammer next Tuesday, is a large Killarney davenport with an estimate of €6,000-€8,000.
The Collector's Cabinet sale by Mullen's of Laurel Park, postponed from October, takes place on December 5.
More than 500 lots of all sorts of everything from books and cinema posters to a facsimile of the Book of Kells, Irish Republican memorabilia and a collection of nearly 4,000 football programmes including the famous Irish v Germany games in 1936 when the Tricolour was published alongside the flag of Nazi Germany are due to come under the hammer.
Auctioneer Damien Matthews promises bargains at Kells in Co Meath as antique furniture of all vintages, gilded mirrors, silver and jewellery, antiquarian books, rugs, porcelain and collectibles come under the hammer at a three-day online auction today, tomorrow and Monday.
In Dublin, James Adam is running a timed online only At Home sale until 11am on Wednesday (December 2). There is silver, jewellery and watches, antique furniture, old Irish glass, art and collectibles, with nearly 600 lots to chose from.
The late schedule of events reflects how 2020 has been different. The antique market has been more fortunate than vintners, the catering industry, retailers and other sectors in enforced lockdown. With the exception of galleries, fairs and shops much of this market has been able to adapt reasonably quickly and more or less successfully to an online model.
This has had to happen against a background of last-minute cancellation and much rescheduling. Even if the new normal is in fact deeply abnormal it has not diminished this last-minute flurry of activity.
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