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I have to say that my eye is usually drawn to a fine piece of Georgian furniture or a compelling portrait, but I’ll admit that these three Vellum bound books really gave me pause in a way that I didn’t expect. I suppose you wouldn’t call them beautiful in any conventional sense of the word, but the moment I started to look at them properly I just couldn’t put them down.
They are essentially working field books of two successive English envoys extraordinarily operating in northern Germany and the Baltic during the reign of William III.
They are not copies made for posterity, they are not archive material filled in neatly at Whitehall by a clerk, but rather the actual reference books these men carried with them and consulted before meetings. They used them to verify treaty terms, and they would have relied upon them to maintain continuity across one of the most consequence diplomatic postings in the late 17th Century Europe.
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What makes them extraordinary is the sheer density of the historical material compressed into three modest volumes. You have Sir William Dutton Colt dispatched in 1689, the very year William III took to the throne on a mission to secure German support for the grand alliance against Louis XIV. The cipher notation alone tells you that these were live intelligence documents. Then we have his successor James Cressett coordinating with Admiral Rooke during the Anglo Dutch intervention at Copenhagen in 1700 - a major strategic naval operation that helped facilitate Charles XII of Sweden’s landing in Denmark, and shaped the entire opening of the Great Northern War
Lastly, there’s the letter in book 2 that genuinely surprised me. A semi-covert dispatch warning Sir Josiah Child, a governor of the East India Company, that Scottish commissioners were en route to Hamburg to negotiate a Freeport for their rival East Indian venture. The writer, almost certainly Cressett, asks pointedly not to be named. England’s diplomatic network in the Baltic, it turns out, was also being quietly deployed to strangle the Darien scheme at birth.
Whilst the description in the catalogue is excellent. It really only scratches the surface. Every name in these pages - Nottingham, Marlborough, Rooke, Fagen, is a thread that pulls you deeper into the politics of a decade that forged modern Europe. That they have survived at all, apparently outside the public record office entirely, is remarkable. That they have surfaced here at Howth Castle makes this for me one of the most quietly thrilling lots in the entire auction.
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
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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
