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Our annual ‘Country House Collection’ sale in Townley Hall on the 9th and 10th October saw over 700 items up for auction, with the sale of several stand out lots across both days, and a hugely successful result of €1.75 million. The sale offered a broad selection of important period décor, featuring paintings, furniture, and a number of smaller pieces including some fine Irish silver.
Headlining the auction was the much-anticipated sale of the Blessington Commode (lot 395), an important piece of Irish period furniture which you can read more about in our Country House Collections catalogue, or in our recent pre-sale blog post. It was bought by the National Museum of Ireland, reiterating its importance in Irish history as a fine example of mid-18th century craftsmanship and design, and ensuring it a lasting legacy to be recognised as such.
Another highlight of the sale was a pair of Capriccio Italianate landscapes by William Van der Hagen (lot 394). The pair sold at €27,500, well over its estimate of €2,000-3,000. Though on a much smaller scale, the pair offers considerable compositional and stylistic similarities to his original capriccio landscapes. The renowned landscapes of Van der Hagen, who is often regarded as the founder of the flourishing school of landscape painting in eighteenth-century Ireland, are an important inclusion to a sale steeped in Irish period interior design.
Lot 465, pictured on the cover of the Day One catalogue, was an important Irish carved Rococo giltwood mirror in the chinoiserie taste, which sold at €30,000. The mirror features an ornate architectural surround, comprising open scrolled cresting and open scroll and floral pendant sides, capped by squirrels and supported by stylised dolphins. The elegant use of curving and stylised natural forms around the mirror hails it as a fine example of the Rococo style.
A pair of mahogany elliptical side tables (lot 451) sold at €62,500. Though made by George Hepplewhite, the design has been attributed to James Wyatt, the eminent architect to George III. The pair features seven inset painted roundels with Bacchante in the style of Biagio Rebecca Heads, and clearly showcases Wyatt’s style which was informed by classical principles but leant away from overly repetitive or highly stylised ornamentation.
The next sale to feature similar period pieces will be our At Home auction on Monday 18th December in our St Stephens Green saleroom. Please see our ‘Upcoming Auctions’ page for more information on how to consign.
Buying at Auction and the Role of Antiques in a Modern Home
Important Irish Art Auction Highlights
Oliver Dowling Collection by Aidan Dunne
2024 is a year in which Adam’s wants to recognise the key role buying antique furniture and furnishings at auction contributes greatly to the sustainable initiative. In 2019 the Environmental Protection Agency reported stark figures that each year in Ireland 1.2 million reusable bulky items, primarily furniture goes into landfill. Similar to the problem of ‘fast fashion’, the constant production and consumption of new items is leading to rapidly growing waste problem. We want to acknowledge those who are already buying second hand or antique furniture at auction and to encourage new buyers by highlighting the benefits of acquiring affordable, well-made quality items that are built to last.
Irish author, recipe creator and lifestyle influencer, Indy Parsons, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
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Cork-born Irish actress, Sarah Greene, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
Yvonne Aupicq had met Orpen, we understand, while working as a nurse during the war. He had been admitted to hospital with a suspected case of scabies which ended up being a far more serious case of blood poisoning as he recounts in his wartime memoir ‘An Onlooker in France’. Their relationship continued after 1918 when Orpen was appointed as the official artist to The Paris Peace Conference. They relocated to capital and over the following decade he painted her numerous times, often nude as in Amiens 1914, or The Rape and Nude Girl Reading (1921). Working with her as his model during these early years after the war allowed Orpen an opportunity to re-fuel his creativity.
Editor-in-Chief of IMAGE Publications, Lizzie Gore-Grimes, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
Our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction on September 13th features a prime example of Van Cleef & Arpel's renowned 'Mystery Setting'
Our June auction offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the great masterpieces of Irish art and icons of Dublin’s history.
Georgia Chiesa selects some of her favourite lots in the upcoming Vintage Wine & Spirits Auction
"Beating the bounds is a tradition that can be traced back to the medieval period. At this time, land was divided into parishes and the clergy and church wardens held the responsibility for its upkeep and management. It was up to the Church to ensure that its parishioners knew the local boundary lines and, before maps became commonplace, this had to be kept as a mental record."
Adam’s in conjunction with Suzanne MacDougald are proud to host an online timed auction of artworks to aid the Irish Red Cross’s humanitarian work in delivering vital services to millions of people impacted by the conflict in Ukraine. With no buyers premium 100% of the hammer price will go directly to the Irish Red Cross.
Ros Drinkwater writes of Jack B Yeats' 'The Boat' in the Business Post:
With a consolidated result of €320,000,the At Home sale in Stephan’s Green, was a great success.
James Adam & Sons Ltd, Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, 26 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
D02 X665, Ireland
