A le Brocquy tapestry in Dublin and a rare Fabergé in New York

Ucello tapestry headlines deVeres' RHA Dublin auction, featuring a stunning array of iconic 20th-century art and design treasures

Sat, 31 Oct, 2026 - 06:23

Des O’Sullivan

Ucello, a beautifully simple, elegantly sophisticated Aubusson tapestry by Louis le Brocquy, heads the Design at the RHA auction by deVeres in Dublin next Tuesday (November 3).

Commissioned in 1999 for the offices of A+L Goodbody by the architect Ronnie Tallon, this large work of 13 square metres offers a splendid display of jewel-like oranges in a cloud of greenery against a deep blue sky. This showstopper is estimated at €100,000-€150,000.

The corporate law firm offices have undergone a redevelopment. The A+L Goodbody collection forms part of a very strong art section in this auction. A large part of the collection has been retained. Around 20 works of art have come to market. The selection of contemporary art on offer includes work by William Scott, Pat Scott, Sir Terry Frost, Donald Teskey, Michael Warren, Bridget Reilly, Hughie O’Donoghue, Barrie Cooke, Stephen McKenna, John Shinnors and others.

An Eames lounger, a Saarinen table and a Transaat chair by Eileen Grey are among the leading furniture highlights in this annual sale now on view at the RHA Gallery in Dublin.

Some of the most iconic designs of the 20th century can be seen. Work by renowned and innovative creators like Philippe Starck, Mies van der Rohe, Ico Parisi, Finn Juhl and Arne Vodder is on show here. There are Danish, Italian and French pieces from the 1960s and '70s and design labels like Roche Bobois and Fritz Hansen.

A Murano glass ovoid table lamp at deVeres.

The catalogue cover lot is laden with retro appeal and looks like a Star Wars Droid. Estimated at €1,000-€2,000, the R2D2 Bar dates to the 1970s and is a cellarette, though not one that many lovers of antique furniture might recognise. It was designed in the days when domestic robots on Earth seemed too futuristic even to contemplate. At least in those more innocent times there was no need to worry about the threat of a hostile AI force attacking the entire globe or turning off all countries' freezers.

Offering many pieces that cannot be easily sourced and one-off pieces that can transform a space, this is a sale worth a serious look. With over 314 lots on offer, it is on view at the RHA until next Tuesday. Timed online bidding is underway.

A Fabergé varicolour gold, rock crystal, mother of pearl and enamel sedan chair at Sotheby's.

Meanwhile, the pièce de resistance at Sotheby's sale from the vaults of A La Vieille Russie in New York in December is a rare Fabergé varicolor gold, rock crystal, mother-of-pearl and guilloché enamel model sedan chair. Estimated at more than $1 million (€890,000), it is one of only six known miniature sedan chairs by Fabergé. More than 300 museum-quality works from the vaults, with a combined estimate of more than $15 million (€13.39 million), will be offered.

Founded in Kyiv in 1851, the family-owned New York institution has shaped generations of collectors and major museum collections. In the future, there will be greater emphasis on antique and period jewellery.