Stradbally Hall goes into overdrive for auction to include a 1990 Porsche 944 Turbo

Sheppard’s auctioneers in Durrow, Co Laois, is displaying the 1,200 lots for their forthcoming auction on May 19th and 20th in the luxurious interiors of Stradbally Hall in Stradbally, Co Laois (R32 YC5X), with viewings from May 16th-18th, 10am-5pm each day.

The period furniture, 18th and 19th century paintings, decorative objects and tapestries, sculptures and garden furniture, will attract discerning collectors with plenty of experience identifying the rare and precious pieces that enchant them at such auctions. The provenance of such pieces from stately homes such as Ballyfin House in Co Laois and Kilkenny Castle will be a further draw.

Collectors of Japanese Imari porcelain have about 40 lots to choose from including vases, bowls, chargers (large serving plates) and jardinières (decorative plant containers), with their signature blue and orange floral patterns. Imari ware is the western term for the brightly coloured porcelain made in the Arita region of Japan. It was exported to Europe in large quantities from the mid 17th century to mid 18th century and then again in the late 19th century onwards. The name is derived from the port of Imari, from where the porcelain was shipped to Nagasaki, where the Dutch East India company and the Chinese had trading outposts.

Motoring enthusiasts have four striking cars to choose from, elegantly displayed in the grounds of Stradbally Hall. These include a 1990 red Porsche 944 Turbo with a petrol engine (€35,000-€55,000); a yellow Lotus Elan Sprint 54, also petrol engine (€35,000-€55,000); and a 1997 petrol engine Bentley Brooklands in silver and blue (€30,000-€50,000), whose original owner was the late businessman and truck dealer Pino Harris.

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There are several portrait and landscape paintings from the 18th and 19th century. German born artist, Philipp Peter Roos – later named Rosa di Tivoli following his move to Tivoli outside Rome – is a Baroque artist, who was a prolific painter of landscape scenes with animals. His painting of livestock has an estimate of €6,000-€9,000.

Finally, collectors of Irish historical memorabilia may be interested in the Galileo field glasses of Willie Pearse, who was executed alongside his brother Pádraig Pearse for his involvement in the 1916 Rising. The field glasses, which were given to Kate McKenna by Willie Pearse’s mother following his execution, have an estimate of €3,000-€5,000.

The word clock has its origins in the Latin word for bell, clocca, and in medieval times people’s daily routines were guided by the hourly ringing of bells in churches and town hall clock towers. While time is still a very shared experience, in the 21st century we are much more likely to look at our phones or computers to check the time.

And yet, a fascination for antique time pieces remains – perhaps subconsciously calling us back to when we took our time and weren’t so caught up in colliding demands on our attention.

Keighery’s on William Street, Waterford, have become a specialist in selling clocks, not least because Waterford is also home to Ireland’s foremost clock museum. The aptly named Irish Museum of Time recently added a large collection of cuckoo clocks from the Black Forest in Germany to its already impressive displays of antique watches and clocks.

Thomas Keighery says their forthcoming clock auction, with over 460 lots, includes the lifetime collections of timepieces of four collectors – two deceased, one man in his 80s, and another man in his 90s.

Long case clocks including rare Irish harp clock made by Dublin clockmaker John Donegan at Keighery's auction of timepieces

Edwardian brass table clock at Keighery's auction of timepieces on May 13th

Keighery selects a rare Irish harp clock made by Dublin clockmaker, John Donegan (€6,000-€8,000), as the “showpiece” of the auction on May 13th. “It is one of about eight clocks of this kind made by Donegan. This one, which was bought by the collector in the 1960s, will be the first to come to auction,” says Keighery. Nine feet high, the harp clock has carved out sections of pikes, a crown and a horseshoe.

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The auction has an impressive range of grandfather or long case clocks, wall clocks, mantle clocks, carriage clocks and ornamental pocket watches. Carriage clocks first became popular with rail travel in the 19th century. First mass produced in France, these portable rectangular clocks were made of brass with glass panels and a handle on top. They were controlled with a balance wheel rather than a pendulum to make them more easily transportable. The auction has a number of them, many with estimates of between €80-€120 each.

What did it sell for?

Tree wall sculpture by Curtis Jeré