There is a certain frenzied atmosphere in and around auction houses at this time of the year, as auctioneers gather together antiques from various private collectors to put up for sale in late November and early December, for what is often their last auction of the year.
As people spend more time in their homes in the dark days of winter, auctioneers will instinctively include pieces that might not sell during the warmer, sunnier months. The winter months are also often a time of reflection and nostalgia which, for some people, translates into buying vintage and antique pieces for their homes.
Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, has more than 1,000 items in their auction on Wednesday and Thursday, December 3rd and 4th, with items from country houses such as Clonmeen House, Banteer, Co Cork, Jenkinstown House, Co Kilkenny, Ballynapierce House, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford and Dromoland Castle in Co Clare. It’s a reminder of how many country houses around Ireland are filled with antique furniture, silverware, paintings, rugs as well as paintings and decorative art pieces from around the world.
Striking pieces of furniture include the 19th century marble oval table designed by the Cork-born architect George Ashlin (€4,000-€5,000), which came from Clonmeen House. A set of 25 aquatint hand-coloured prints, published for a Picturesque and Descriptive View of the City of Dublin, and by James Malton in the 18th century (€3,000-€4,000), will also no doubt attract some interest.
RM Block
The Fonsie Mealy auction also has a banjo (€150-€200), and a Steinbach electric baby grand piano (€1,000-€1,500) from Jenkinstown House. The piano was formerly owned by Irish singer-songwriter Jimmy MacCarthy.
The 1963 sky blue Morris Minor car with leather upholstered interior (€3,500-€5,000), which came from the Odlum family in Portarlington, Co Laois, will be sought after by movie prop hunters and vintage car enthusiasts.
The Italian-style marquetry table top, with inset lapis lazuli, jasper, agate, amethyst and other semi-precious stones, (€1,800-€2,500) is an exquisite piece of craftwork that will add style to any space it is put in.
Meanwhile, Sheppard’s auction in Durrow, Co Laois, on November 25th and 26th has more than 1,200 lots, a significant portion of which come from a private collection of the O’Brien-Beaumont family.
“This is a family which moved to the United States in the last century, with some members returning to live in London and Cork in the last few decades,” explains Michael Sheppard of Sheppard’s. He says that the collection was formed over several decades through inheritance and acquisition from Christie’s, Sotheby’s and other auction houses.
The paintings in this auction will appeal to those enamoured of the highly ornately framed landscape and portrait Irish and European paintings of the 18th and 19th century – some of which are selling much more cheaply nowadays. With many paintings with estimates between €3,000-€5,000, it’s another art history lesson tinged with nostalgia for big house interiors and country house estates. The river landscape by Irish painter James Arthur O’Connor (1792-1841), may well be the most sought after painting in the auction. It has an estimate of €8,000-€12,000.
The Sheppard’s auction also includes a fine range of 18th- and 19th-century English and Irish silverware (including an 18th-century Limerick serving spoon with an estimate of €3,000-€5,000) and plenty of period furniture.
The pair of late 18th-century satinwood and mahogany crossbanded games tables (€8,000-€12,000), the Killarney marquetry arbutus and yew wood work table (€5,000-€8,000), and the Irish 18th century red walnut side table with variegated marble top (€4,000-€6,000), are noteworthy collectibles.
A 19th-century walnut encased games compendium (€1,500-€2,500), would make an extravagant Christmas gift, as would the William IV marble table with a chess board inlaid into the centre of the table top (€4,000-€6,000).
The 19th-century brass umbrella stand is a more affordable gift, with an estimate of €200-€300, as is the Anglo-Indian silver bowl (€200-€300), while the 17th-century Flemish tapestry (€3,000-€5,000) might suit one of the remaining private owners of castles, dotted throughout the Irish landscape.
Finally, antique fair enthusiasts keen to fit in one last fair before the year ends, have at least three to choose from. Hibernian Antiques Fair will be at Claregalway Castle this weekend, November 22nd and 23rd; the Royal Marine Hotel in Dún Laoghaire will host the South Dublin Antiques Fair on November 30th; and the Laois Antiques and Vintage Fair will be held in the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel on Sunday, December 7th.
