Could this piece of green jade possibly be the "sleeper" of the year? The Qing Dynasty seal, Lot 61 in Sheppard's Masterworks sale in Durrow, Co Laois, on November 8th, had a guide price of €30,000-€50,000. "It's generating interest in London, Beijing and New York," Philip Sheppard told The Irish Times before the sale. "That said, it could do anything – or nothing – at auction. You never know." Well, we know now: on the day, the seal made €280,000. It was sold to a Taiwanese bidder according to Sheppard, whose previous sales have produced surprise results in Asian art pieces.
Other results from the Durrow auction rooms on November 8th include: Lot 167, emerald and diamond necklace, €90,000 (€80,000-€120,000); Lot 15, pair of 19th-century ormolu-mounted kingwood and marquetry pedestals, €36,000 (€25,000-€35,000); Lot 60, 19th-century Chinese pocket watch, €32,000 (€20,000-€30,000); Lot 55, set of six George II dining chairs, €28,000 (€20,000-€30,000); Lot 12, rare 18th-century Irish marquetry cabinet, €21,000 (€25,000-€35,000); Lot 51, Thomas Sydney Cooper, A Sheep Lew, €17,000 (€20,000-€30,000); Lot 9, Ernest Wynants' Female Torso, €15,500 (€14,000-€18,000). sheppards.ie
Morgan O'Driscoll, Skibbereen, Co Cork. Irish & International Art, Royal Hibernian Academy, Monday, November 12th: Lot 29, Jack B Yeats, The Creole, €84,000 (€60,000-€90,000); Lot 18, Paul Henry, Waterville, Co Kerry, €50,000 (€50,000-€70,000); Lot 43, Banksy, Laugh Now (2003), €32,000 (€30,000-€40,000); Lot 17, Paul Henry, Thatched Cottages, €19,000 (€20,000-€30,000); Lot 47, Andy Warhol, The Nun, from Ingrid Bergman (1983), €26,000 (€20,000-€30,000); Lot 46, Andy Warhol, Scotch Broth, from Campbell's Soup II (1969); €22,000 (€20,000-€30,000).morganodriscoll.com
Forthcoming auctions
Hegarty Antiques and Fine Art, Bandon, Co Cork. Country House auction, Sunday November 18th, 3pm. Furniture, paintings, jewellery and decorative objects. Lot 3, 18-carat white gold diamond necklace with encrusted diamond pendant of approximately 3ct, €8,000-€9,000; Lot 148, emerald and diamond ring, €3,000-€4,000; Lot 4, Wojciech Kossak (Polish, 1856 to 1942), The Bugle Alarm, oil on canvas, €4,000-€6,000; Lot 39, Irish Georgian mahogany and satinwood inlaid foldover demi-lune card table, €1,600-€2,000; Lot 8, early 20th-century two-door library bookcase with marquetry satinwood inlay, €1,000-€1,500; Lot 17, pair of rare circular crossbanded cabinets with marble tops, €1,200-€1,500. hegartyantiques.com
De Vere's, 35 Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Irish Art Auction, The Royal College of Physicians, No 6 Kildare Street, Dublin 2, Tuesday November 20th, 6pm. Includes works by Paul Henry, Jack B Yeats, Roderic O'Conor, Mary Swanzy, Louis le Brocquy, Gerard Dillon, Patrick Scott, Hughie O'Donoghue, John Shinnors and Tony O'Malley. deveres.ie
O'Reilly's Fine Art, 126 Francis Street, Dublin 8. Fine Jewellery, Watches & Silver, Wednesday November 21st, 1pm. Diamond rings, dress rings, bracelets, pendants, watches including Patek Philippe and Tagheuer ladies watches. This auction has a number of highly fashionable art deco pieces: Lot 169, diamond double clip brooch by Cartier, €35,000-€36,000. Lot 209, ruby and diamond pendant, €5,000-€6,000; Lot 124, diamond ring with old-cut diamonds of 3.50 in total, €1,000-€1,500; Lot 323, diamond pendant on fine trace-link chain, €1,400-€1,800; Lot 415, 1930s' diamond fancy cuff bracelet of about 37ct, mounted in platinum, €30,000-€32,000; Lot 251, pair of "Happy Diamond" cufflinks by Chopard, €3,000-€3,500. Among the collectibles are three Georgian miniatures framed in gold, and a collection of Steiff bears. oreillysfineart.com
Milltown Auction Rooms, Dromiskin, Co Louth, in conjunction with Lev Mitchell & Sons, auctioneers, Slane, Co Meath. Monday November 26th, 12 noon. To include one-of-a-kind designer Beatles chair, arms and seat covered with Andrew Martin fabric (€400-€600), and brocade military jacket, as seen in Maroon's music video for Moves Like Jagger featuring Christina Aguilera (€500-€700). Nocturnal landscape by the English Victorian painter John Atkinson Grimshaw (€5,000-€8,000). Army bicycle from 1930s with gun carrier and signal lamp (€300-€500). milltownauctionrooms.com
Dolan's Art Auction House, Carnmore, Co Galway. Autumn auction of art and antiques, Castletroy Park Hotel, Limerick. Sunday November 25th, 2pm. Works by George Campbell, George Russell, Hughie O'Donoghue, Arthur Maderson, Charles Harper, Carina Scott, Manus Walsh and many more. Also furniture, silver, rugs, vintage toys and collectibles. dolansart.com
The 2018 catalogue of Galway-based Healy Rare Books contains a large collection of material from the late Seamus Heaney, from an extremely rare first issue of the 15-page Eleven Poems published by Belfast Festival in 1965 (Item 162, €11,250) to an anthology compiled in conjunction with Michael Longley and the late David Hammond and signed by all three, Room to Rhyme (Item 168, €2,750). healyrarebooks.com
Forthcoming fairs
Tipperary Antiques Fair, Cahir House Hotel, Sunday November 18th. Some 25 stands of jewellery, silver, paintings and more. 11am to 6pm, admission €3.50, children free.
Antiques, Collectibles & Vintage Fair, Clayton Hotel, Sligo, Sunday November 18th. Furniture, paintings, costume jewellery, porcelain and pottery and lots more. 11am to 6pm, admission €3.50.
