Conversation pieces: Chance to pick up some functional and rare antiques in Cork and Dublin

Des O'Sullivan checks out the opportunities in Cork and Dublin to pick up rare and functional antiques 

A French Empire ebonised circular table at Marshs.

SERIOUS collectors of fine antique furniture will have much to choose from at auctions in Ireland in the coming week. 

The At Home sale at James Adam in Dublin next Tuesday and Marshs auction of contents from the Ursuline Convent, Blackrock, Cork, on Saturday offer opportunities to bag something rare and functional that might also serve as a conversation piece.

It can be difficult to display furniture to full advantage in an auction room so Adams imaginatively chose to photograph and depict some pieces in the authentic setting of a decayed but graceful Georgian townhouse on Henrietta Street in Dublin. 

This they felt would serve to show the timeless quality of antique furnishings and demonstrate how they can be incorporated into our modern homes.

The catalogue cover shot for Adam's At Home sale showing antique furniture in a Georgian townhouse in Dublin.

The arresting catalogue cover image is of a George III-style two-seater, mahogany-framed settee in cream damask against an unrestored rendered wall on an uncarpeted wooden floor in an alcove beside a white marble fireplace. It is estimated at just €600-€800. 

Above it hangs a William and Mary cushion framed mirror with an oxidised glass plate reflecting an unusual and muted view of the room. It is estimated at just €300-€400.

A Georgian chest on chest at Adam's shown in an alcove at Henrietta Street in Dublin.

Lot 261 is a Georgian mahogany chest on chest depicted in an alcove in a more pared-back image which highlights the quality of the craftsmanship and demonstrates how a single piece can command a space. It is estimated at €800-€1,200. 

With arresting images and a good selection of fine antique furniture such as a set of 12 Regency dining chairs, a Georgian chest on stand, a George IV armchair, an oak-framed settee with Art Nouveau upholstery and two overmantle mirrors there is more than enough here to give the imagination a major workout.

A gem-set diamond bracelet of tutti frutti design is, at €7,000-€8,000, the most expensively estimated lot in this sale of nearly 500 lots. As well as jewellery the auction offers silver, porcelain, Asian decorative arts, contemporary pieces, art, sculpture and collectibles. 

The catalogue is online.

There are antique pieces that you would not come across every day like the Gothic reliquary cabinets shown on these pages last Saturday at Marshs sale.

Creating a suitable domestic setting for fine French Empire, Gothic and Regency furniture from the Ursuline Convent in Blackrock, Cork is another real challenge that many imaginative home designers will yearn to take on.

A Gothic oak carved bench at Marshs.

There are five early 19th-century Gothic oak carved bench seats of various sizes (€800-€1,000), a pair of Gothic carved high back chairs (€300-€500) and an antique Victorian bergere invalid chair that looks like it still functions perfectly (€300-€400). 

A French Empire ebonized mahogany inlaid breakfront side cabinet is estimated at just €800-€1,000 and a William IV brass inlaid rent table is estimated at €2,000-€2,500.

It is unusual to come across a pair of Victorian circular flame mahogany breakfast tables. These ones come with foliate centre decoration and are estimated at €2,000-€4,000. A Regency library table stamped Gillingtons is estimated at €1,500-€2,000.

There will be viewing at the Ursulines in Blackrock from next Wednesday. The catalogue is online and the auction will be too.