Amongst women: Irish artists and Mother’s Day jewels up for auction

Female artists are to the fore at the upcoming Exceptional Irish Art sale at Whyte’s, at which 149 lots of Irish art will be offered for auction.

Included among the many stunning artists is Barbara Warren, whose death at the age of 91, in 2017, marked the end of a living connection to a generation of pioneering Irish female artists among them Mainie Jellett, Evie Hone, May Guinness, Norah McGuinness and Elizabeth Rivers.

Warren studied in Paris under the “academician of cubism” André Lhote, and her Like a Dream (lot 57, €4,000-€6,000) is considered to be an outstanding example from her oeuvre, embodying all the elements one would associate with the very best of her artistic output. The artist is also represented by lots 55, 56 & 58.

A fine example from Norah McGuinness, Wild Cherry, 1961 (lot 40, €6,000-€8,000), should attract competitive bidding, while Mainie Jellett’s Study for Bog and Sea (lot 33, €2,000-€3,000) represents good value for an artist ever increasing in demand.

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A fine example of the work of Drogheda born artist Nano Reid, who studied at the Metropolitan School of Art, Dublin, the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris, and the Central School, London, is also for sale.

Dublin Quayside (lot 37, €6,000-€8,000) is a fine example of her work that has not been seen at auction before.

The top guide price in the sale is for a Paul Henry masterpiece, Cottages by a Lake, Achill, Connemara, an instantly recognisable Paul Henry scene, which has an estimate of €180,000-€220,000. The work has been in the same private collection since 1975, when it was purchased through the Oriel Gallery, Dublin. A unique and collectable etching by the artist, titled Pegasus (lot 16, €10,000-€15,000) is also on offer.

Another big artist featured in the sale is William Scott. Born in Scotland in 1913, his father, a signwriter and house painter, was Irish and from Enniskillen, while his mother was Scottish. The family moved back to Enniskillen in 1924 to find a better standard of living, and Scott went on to become one of few Irish artists in the post-second World War period to establish a national and indeed international reputation as an abstract or semi-abstract painter.

Jug and Pear, 1983 (lot 80, estimate €120,000-€180,000), was painted in the last years of his working life, before he developed Alzheimer’s disease in 1986. He died in 1989.

Significant works by Lilian Lucy Davidson, Grace Henry, Harry Kernoff, George Campbell, Daniel O’Neill, Patrick Collins, Louis le Brocqquy, will also feature at the auction, which takes place on Monday, March 11th, at the Freemasons Hall, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2, as well as online.

Mother’s day surprise

It’s a busy few days ahead at Adam’s, with a spring trio of auctions this week, starting with The Jewellery Box at 2pm on Monday, March 11th.

If you feel like waiting a bit (or just haven’t got around to it yet), you might find a glittering surprise for your beloved mother in this sale.

According to Adam’s, the sale is focused on more affordable items, and offers an opportunity for jewellery enthusiasts on a tight budget to start their jewellery collections or for gifts to family and friends. Indeed prices range from €50 to €7,000 among the 187 lots, with costume jewellery by Hermès and Freywille estimated in the low hundreds.

A pair of diamond ear studs (lot 1), for example, by Tiffany & Co, is estimated at €500-€700, against a retail price at Tiffany of €1,550 for similar examples.

There are a number of period pieces in this auction, dating from the 19th century, such as lot 140, a topaz and gold necklace, which is estimated at €500-€700, as well as some retro mid-20th century pieces, including lot 46, a French 18K gold bracelet, estimated at €1,700-€2,200.

Or maybe you would rather wait for a picture. On Wednesday, Adam’s will hold its first online picture sale, featuring a wide range of paintings, watercolours and prints to accommodate all tastes. This could be of particular interest to younger collectors on tight budgets.

Highlights include a collection of drawings by Mainie Jellett (lots 51-59), and a charming watercolour by Irish stained-glass artist Richard Joseph King (lot 1, €800-€1,200), who worked in the studio of Harry Clarke, helping to produce his stained-glass windows.

Other notable pieces in the sale are works by Graham Knuttel (lots 4-9), Markey Robinson (lot 2 €3,000-€5,000) and Trevor Geoghegan (lot 22, €2,500-€3,500).

Something interesting

For something a little bit different, head to Usher Auctions in Kells, Co Meath, where its current antique and collectible online auction closes on March 11th, from 6pm.

The auction features a notebook of the catalogue of the Drawing Room Library, belonging to the Marquis of Headfort, York Palace, 1806. It seems to have started out as a record-keeping exercise and then the notebook was subsequently used for architectural notes (€200-€400).

For the collector, the sale includes a private collection of quality model trains, which Usher says are of “exceptional” quality. These include examples from Fleischmann, Liliput and Rocco, including locomotives, carriages, wagons, buildings and control systems (€100-€200).

whytes.ie, adams.ie, usherauctions.ie

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