Fine Art & Antiques

Vintage movie posters and military items at the Battlefields & Silver Screens auction

Victor Mee sale includes 19th-century UVF rifle, while letters from George Bernard Shaw are among Irish-associated sales at Bonhams

A Clockwork Orange movie poster (€400-€800), Victor Mee

Sat Mar 16 2024 - 05:00

Military and movie collectors alike might find something of interest at the Victor Mee Battlefields & Silver Screens auction, taking place on Thursday March 21st from 5.30pm. The event includes an eclectic mix of militaria, movie memorabilia and silver, including a private collection of militaria.

The highest estimate is for a framed Fenian sash (€2,000-€4,000). Military items for auction include a 19th-century UVF Vetterli rifle stamped “For God and Ulster” (€800-€1,200) and a 19th-century percussion pistol with brass mounts (€180-€280).

A number of film posters will also be at the sale, including Jaws (€180-€280); Lawrence of Arabia (€140-€240); and A Clockwork Orange (€400-€800).

19th century UVF Vetterli rifle stamped 'For God and Ulster' (€800-€1,200)

Great house contents

Meanwhile in Co Meath, Aidan Foley, in conjunction with Niall Mullen, is readying a sale of the contents of Middleton Park House, Co Westmeath, as well as other items.

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The property featured in a 2020 episode of RTÉ’s The Great House Revival, presented by architect Hugh Wallace. According to the price register, it sold last year for €1.815 million.

The top item in the sale is a stunning 18ct white gold Ceylon sapphire and diamond ring (€21,000-€24,000), with other, less-expensive sapphire rings also on sale, including a cluster ring (€6,000-€7,500) and one in a milgrain setting (€5,000-€6,500).

For those looking for home decorations, there is a pair of silver-plated candelabra and two others (€40-€60), and a pair of French-style gold armchairs with textured fabric upholstery (€200-€400).

The sale will take place on March 20th and 21st, from 5pm, at the Castle Cinema, Oldcastle, Co Meath.

Bar signs

In Co Offaly, Purcell Auctioneers is readying the sale of a collection of antiques, collectibles and rarities. The sale, which will take place on March 20th, includes original pub, shop, garage and pharmacy advertising signs, as well as paraphernalia, antiques and rarities from two Portumna, Co Galway businesses: Billy Martin’s pub, shop and garage, and also Duddy’s Pharmacy.

The sale, which comes to 494 lots, includes memorabilia such as a Guinness Time clock (€200-€300); light-up cigarette manufacturer signs such as Rothmans (€130-€200) and Bristol (€120-€180); and a collection of vintage metal-frame bar stools (€80-€120).

Irish in London

George Bernard Shaw letters, Bonhams

Meanwhile, in London, Bonhams has a number of Irish-associated sales coming up.

At its 19th Century and British Impressionist Art sale, which will take place on March 20th, is a work by Wicklow-born Frederic William Burton, who is perhaps best known for his painting Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs, which is on display at the National Gallery of Ireland.

Frederic William Burton, The Lilac Farmer

The Lilac Seller is a work of his later career, and reflects both his interest in northern European art, and the increasing influence of the Pre-Raphaelite painters.

The Lilac Seller is being sold from a private collection in Ireland, with an estimate of £10,000-£15,000 (€12,000-€18,000).

Also on the same day is the auction house’s Fine Books and Manuscripts sale, at which a series of items associated with the playwright George Bernard Shaw are for sale.

A series of about 30 autographed and typed letters and postcards, variously signed (GBS or G Bernard Shaw), to Shavian actress Ellen Pollock, and dated from 1932-1950, have an estimate of £2,000-£4,000 (€2,300-€4,700).

Their correspondence begins in August 1932 after meeting at the Malvern Festival for the production of Too Good to be True, and spans some 18 years until July 1950, just months before Shaw’s death. It was Pollock who announced Shaw’s death from the stage during the London premiere of one of his lesser-known works, Farfetched Fables.

Sotheby’s has a finely bound limited-edition collection of The Writings Of Oscar Wilde available on its “buy now” platform for $5,500.

Lifeboat lifeline

In Co Waterford, works from highly regarded local and internationally acclaimed artists have been generously donated to be auctioned at a special fundraising event in memory of Cian Nugent.

Nugent tragically lost his life at the age of 21 while swimming with friends last year off the coast of Co Waterford. The proceeds of the sale will go towards the Helvick Head RNLI.

“This event is the first in a campaign to promote safety awareness while sea swimming – Sea Swim SmArt. It is a tribute to the RNLI for their efforts that day which brought Cian home. It aims to celebrate his life and his love of sketching and doodling from an early age,” says Cian’s mother, Naoive Coggin.

The auction, which includes works by Bríd Ní Chionnfhaolaidh, Mat Grogan and Judy Shinnick, will take place at Joan Clancy Gallery, Mweelahorna, An Rinn, at 7pm on Thursday March 21st.

victormeeauctions.ie; irishcountryhome.com; purcellauctioneers.ie; bonhams.com; sothebys.com; libertyblue.ie/sea-swim-smart-auction-for-helvick-and-dungarvan-rnli/

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