20 13th November 2010 auction reports Hard times seen in lack of reserves


THE problems at the top of the Irish market witnessed at Adam’s in October were also much in evidence at the lower end, as was seen at what was (for them) a minor sale held by Mealy’s (20% buyer’s premium) at Castlecomer, Co. Kilknenny on October 12-13. The fact that some 40 per cent of the 1100 lots were offered without reserve told its own story. “It’s a sad fact that we


are seeing a fair bit of the stock of dealers who’ve gone into liquidation,” said auctioneer George Mealy Jnr.


More happily, there was an element


of privately-entered quality, including the 19th century French satinwood and kingwood-banded bureau plat with Sèvres-style plaques, right, which led the day at a double-mid-estimate €4200 (£3855) selling to a private buyer.


Above: satinwood and kingwood banded bureau plat – €4200 (£3855) at Mealy’s.


Precious or paste – there’s a golden touch to jewels


Above: London-made Regency drawing room harp – €6000 (£5500) at Adam’s.


continued from page 19


Similar to a type illustrated in Irish Furniture by the Knight of Glin/Peill, they are believed to be one of the earliest examples of mahogany being used in Irish cabinet making. They took a mid-estimate €28,000


(£25,690) The 75 lots of silver met, as elsewhere,


a fairly muted response and suffered a couple of major casualties, but a 21in (53cm) diameter sideboard salver by Stephen Bergin, Dublin 1819, and a plain fl at-lidded tankard, Dublin 1704, probably by William Archdall, did get away to private bidders on their low estimates. The rococo-style salver, with a


chased border of bacchic heads, fruit and fl owers, and a coat of arms to the centre, and the 8in (20cm) tall, 31oz scratchweight tankard each made £8000. Best of the ceramics – apart from the


Chinese vases illustrated on page 18 – was, unsurprisingly, a piece of Belleek. This Second Period piece designed


by William Boyden Kirk (1824-1900) was a 17¾in (45cm) tall, partially glazed draped fi gure of a woman unveiling an urn inscribed Belleek Pottery. Entitled Erin Awakening from Her Slumbers, it took a mid-estimate €3600 (£3300). Finally, a reminder that an item doesn’t


have to be Irish to go way above estimate at these sales, although it probably helped on this occasion that the item in question was a harp. Not the sort of ’wild harp’ that the


war-bound minstrel boy slung behind him in the song, but a 5ft 7in (1.70m) tall drawing room harp made by Sebastian Erard in the early 19th century with a brass plate reading: 18 Great Marlborough Street, London. Maker by Special Appointment to His Majesty and the Royal Family. Estimated at €1000-1500, it got away


at €6000 (£5500).


“THIS is cast-iron proof that quality diamonds can sell as well in Shropshire as they can in London.” That was the assessment of Jeremy


Lamond, fi ne art director of Halls (17.5% buyer’s premium), after the October 20 sale at Shrewsbury. And, if one substitutes ‘Wiltshire’ for ‘Shropshire’, it would also be the sentiment of specialist Jonathan Edwards after the October 28 sale held by Woolley & Wallis (19.5% buyer’s premium) at Salisbury. To be wholly truthful, Mr Lamond


made the same claim for pictures, his sale having been led by the rediscovered horse and groom oil by John Wootton (c.1682-1764), which came home at a record-breaking £326,000. It was illustrated on the front page of ATG No 1963 (October 30). But the jewellery made a major


contribution to the 331-lot sale’s £800,000 house record. There were 104 lots in the section, 85 per cent of which sold for a total of £311,067. After the Wootton, jewellery


comprised the next nine of the top 10 prices, led by a necklace designed as two pear-shaped diamonds, colour D, clarity VS2 and weighing 10ct in all. Estimated at £50,000-70,000, the necklace went to a London dealer at £118,000. A pair of Art Deco earrings, each


of four graduated old-cut diamonds took £32,000 from a private bidder. A Victorian necklace designed as 16 emerald and diamond clusters, also made £32,000 and a three-stone ring of old brilliant-cut stones claw-set in white gold, took £17,000. Incidentally, if that total looks an odd


number, it’s because there was plenty of affordable jewellery on offer, such as a pair of 9ct gold cuff links which took a below-estimate £72. The 500 lots which comprised W&W’s


biggest jewellery sale to date – they amassed £460,000 with a 75 per cent sales rate and both fi gures are rising with aftersales – also included a large number


Above left: emerald pendant brooch – £74,000 at Woolley & Wallis. Above right: paste 18th century Portuguese order of chivalry – £4000 at same sale.


Right: emerald and diamond Victorian necklace, £32,000 at Halls.


Left: jewellery lots occasionally have considerable crossover interest. At Woolley & Wallis this carved hardstone intaglio mounted as a silver pendant was carved to one side with an ibis and to the other with ancient Greek characters. A belief that it was a bona fi de antiquity saw the 1in (2.5cm) intaglio estimated at £200-300, sell to a collector at £3000.


of affordable three-fi gure trinkets. “Some of the private buyers mentioned they were after a nice Christmas present and no doubt some of the trade were stocking up,” said Mr Edwards. But there were also plenty of big-


money stones attracting bids from India, Dubai and China as well, of course, as London, including the sale-topping late-Victorian 7ct emerald and diamond pendant, now converted to a brooch. The private vendor had stored it in his


gun cabinet for safety but was astonished when Mr Edwards gave it an estimate of £40,000-60,000. It was bid to £74,000 by antique jewellery specialists Greens of Cheltenham, a house record for jewellery at W&W. Art Deco remains in demand and


so, of course, does the name Cartier. The two came together when a pair of jade drop earrings set with rubies and diamonds went over estimate at £11,000. Two apparently opposite areas are enjoying fast-increasing demand: gold


and paste jewellery. The ever-rising bullion price accounts for the former. It was just as important as the name Cartier on what were two very plain pieces, a 127gm oval link necklace sold well over hopes at £3500 and a matching 65gm bracelet at £1800. Like most of the gold, both lots went to private buyers. The major rise in paste prices among


trade buyers is attributed by Mr Edwards to the major exhibition held in the summer by S.J. Phillips. The ringing endorsement of a top London dealer is making others take paste seriously. Phillips are plainly confi dent in the


market and returned here to take an early 19th century paste demi parure, comprising necklace, pendant brooch and earrings, at a quadruple-estimate £4800. Another dealer went to a triple-


estimate £4000 to secure a late 18th century Portuguese order of chivalry, the Order of Aziz, comprising a white metal sunburst above a cross set with green pastes.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80