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The subject matter of water prominently features in this auction, and in much of the work if Irish artists, highlighting their connection to the land. Crafted in a range of media from oil paints and watercolours to acrylic and gouache, the waterscapes in this auction exhibit the vast scope of Ireland’s terrain. Artists explore water as a feature of Ireland’s geographic and cultural identity.
Letitia Marion Hamilton RHA’s Roundstone, Connemara (lot 5) and Paul Henry RHA’s An Early View of Pullough Bay, Achill (lot 35) join mountains, harbours,villages, and figures, visually uniting the natural world and civilisation. Conversely, William Percy French’s 1896 Horse Drawn Barge on Canal (lot 38) captures the canal’s tranquillity between the city’s bustling streets.
Dating from around 1912–13, An Early View of Pullough Bay, Achill belongs to an important early period in Paul Henry’s career, when he was living on Achill Island and discovering the landscape that would become inseparable from his work. The lively handling of the sky and sea is characteristic of these early paintings. Its history is equally appealing, having remained for many years within the family of its early owner, Hector Boyd Hanna.
Few contemporary Irish artists are as closely associated with the sea as Donald Teskey. In Coastal Landscape, his characteristically strong handling captures the movement of water and the rugged forms of the shoreline. The work continues Teskey’s long fascination with the point at which land meets sea, presenting the Irish coast as both powerful and constantly changing.
Roundstone was a favourite subject for Letitia Marion Hamilton, who returned to the Connemara village repeatedly throughout her career. In this vibrant view, thick passages of paint and flashes of blue, ochre, pink and green give the harbour and surrounding mountains a remarkable sense of movement. Hamilton’s distinctly modern approach brings something fresh and energetic to one of the west of Ireland’s most recognisable landscapes.
Painted in 1896, Horse Drawn Barge on Canal shows another side of William Percy French, an artist celebrated for his sensitive depictions of the Irish landscape. The passing barge and calm surface of the canal evoke a quieter Dublin at the end of the nineteenth century. Its intimate scale and delicate watercolour technique lend the scene the gentle, nostalgic atmosphere for which French remains so admired.
Important Irish Art Auction: Wednesday 23rd September at 6pm
On View 18th - 23rd September at 26 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2
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John ffrench was an instrumental figure in the design industry in Ireland and a distinguished pioneer of Irish studio pottery.
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"I should declare my hand. I have a weakness for pictures that punch above their physical weight, and for artists who have been quietly underrated for too long. This pair is both. They are intimate enough to live with at close quarters and serious enough to repay any amount of looking. If the market has lately shown signs of catching up with eighteenth-century Irish painting and I think it has, these two small panels feel, to me, like exactly the sort of thing that will look obvious in twenty years’ time."
Adam’s is honoured to present works from the collection of Lord Rossmore in the upcoming Country House Collections auction at Howth Castle on 28th April. It is seldom that an influential Irish family collection that has survived through the generations comes to the open market.
Works Sold at Adam’s Now in the Irish National Collection
A great opportunity to purchase both established and lesser-known artist’s work at an accessible price point, the Online Picture Auction is the first of many sales to be hosted at Adam’s in 2026. It is perfect for those looking to start a collection and the discerning collector alike.
Through this article, let our expert Adam Pearson guiding you to the (re)discovery of the once established Irish painter Richard O’Neill.
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
James Adam & Sons Ltd, Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, 26 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
D02 X665, Ireland
