Peony Jar tops Adam’s Asian art sale at nearly five times top estimate

Silver would make for a good gift this Christmas – so would Bono’s guitar

A 14th-century peony jar: made €240,000 at Adam’s sale of Asian art
A 14th-century peony jar: made €240,000 at Adam’s sale of Asian art

Auction results

Adam’s, 26 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2. Oriental Porcelain, Sculpture & Art, November 3rd. Lot 27, 14th-century peony jar, €240,000 (€30,000-€50,000). Lot 74, green chrysanthemum dish, €36,000  (€40,000-€60,000). Lot 280, Indian silver and niellowork 12-sided bowl, €30,000 (€400-€600). Lot 116, famille rose jug and cover, €22,000 (€800-€1,200). Lot 323, collection of Susaku Hanga movement woodblock prints, €16,000 (€400-€600).

Lot 261, Japanese sparrow vase, €13,500 (€4,000-€6,000). For more results see adams.ie

Forthcoming sales

Bono's guitar: selling at Bonham's next week
Bono's guitar: selling at Bonham's next week

With Christmas on the horizon, salerooms around the country make happy hunting grounds for unusual gifts. Silver is an especially astute buy this year – with prices generally reasonable, interesting pieces can be acquired for modest prices so it’s a great time to start a collection.

Woodwards is holding its biannual sale of Irish and English silver and paintings today in Cook Street, Cork at noon. Highlights include an Irish silver tazza by David King, Dublin 1708 (€1,500-€2,000), George III silver sauceboat by Carden Terry, Cork 1785 (€1,000-€2,000). See woodward.ie

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Oliver Usher has a large collection of silver coming under the hammer at The Auction Rooms, John Street, Kells on Monday.  There are 50 lots of silver on offer including a pair of Georgian candleabra and a tray of 3,400 grams as well as furniture, paintings, clocks and decorative objects.  Monday, November 12th, 5pm.  See usherauctions.com

And there's more silver in Kells next weekend, when a collection of 100 lots of antique silver from the estate of the noted collector Beryl McCall will come under the hammer at Damien Matthews's Duke Street Building. Saturday and Sunday, November 17th and 18th, 1.30pm each day. Besides Irish silver, amongst the many pieces to be sold from her estate is an exquisite antique curio box by Tiffany of New York. See matthewsauctionrooms.com

Purcells Auctioneers, Green Street, Birr, Co Offaly, will hold a gifts and antiques auction with Christmas in mind next Wednesday, November 14th, at 12pm.  All sorts of unexpected objects from a collection of Stone Age artefacts to vintage wines, rural collectibles to original pub and shop signs.  See purcellsauctioneers.ie

If you know a U2 fan who didn’t manage to get hold of tickets for the band’s concerts in Dublin this week, how about this for a consolation prize? A Gretsch “Irish Falcon” electric guitar from Bono’s personal collection, signed by U2, is coming up in Bonham’s Rock & Roll Memorabilia auction in New York on November 19th. Price: a cool rock and roll €130,000-€180,000.

See bonhams.com

Arminta Wallace

Arminta Wallace

Arminta Wallace is a former Irish Times journalist