Genuine country house sales have been few and far between this year, which makes next Tuesday's auction at Raford House in Athenry, Co Galway, all the more attractive. The Georgian house was sold by Lord and Lady Hemphill last summer and now much of the contents are to be sold by Mealy's, along with items from Sandbrook House, in Ballon, Co Carlow, and some other properties.
The catalogue will interest those looking for fine period furniture or, indeed, an instant ancestor or two. The picture lots include a few striking Irish and English portraits with fairly modest estimates, such as a flamboyant Gentleman in Armour from the 18th-century Piedmontese school (£4,000-£6,000). The star items of furniture have an impeccable provenance, such as the 19th-century Gothic-style bench, attributed to Pugin. This came from Tulira Castle in Ardrahan, Co Galway, the former family home of the Hemphills, along with several other items of furniture said to have been designed by Pugin for his friend, Edward Martyn.
Martyn, who built Tulira, was a leading figure in the Irish literary and artistic revival of the late 19th century. The bench is expected to fetch £1,500-£2,500, as is an oak side-table in the same Gothic style. A pair of cast-iron Gothic-style hand irons, designed by Pugin and decorated with the Martyn crest, has a top estimate of £1,200. Elsewhere among the furniture lots, there are some really lovely old pieces, such as a walnut bachelor's chest with a fold-over top, which could well exceed its higher estimate of £4,000, and a George III mahogany gentleman's wardrobe (£1,500-£2,200).
Moving up the price scale, a Regency period telescopic dining table with five spare leaves, purchased in 1970 from an English country house, carries an estimate of £12,000 to £18,000. From the same house, a handsome Hepplewhite period side table should make more than its £1,200 estimate. Not everything is valued in the thousands of pounds and for those who like browsing around an old house and picking up the odd curiosity, there is plenty to choose from, including old pine furniture, old saddles, hunting prints galore and the customary billiard table, this one a full-size Victorian specimen made by D. Harris & Son of Dublin and with all its cues and ivory balls. It's yours for between £2,000 and £3,000.
Lots for filling a large diningroomHerman & Wilkinson's auction in Rathmines next Thursday promises to be an interesting one, with several fine pieces of furniture from a single house being offered for sale. Those with a large diningroom to fill could consider a seven foot long Irish Georgian serving table, which is expected to make £3,500 to £5,000, and a Victorian mahogany dining table with five extra leaves and a set of 14 Victorian dining chairs, both of which carry an estimate of £1,800 to £2,500. A 19th-century walnut card table has a top estimate of £1,500 and a pair of watercolours by Thomas Sydney Cooper is guided at £800 to £1,200.
Viewing is on Wednesday from 10 a.m.
Go North and South for house clearance sales
Two house clearance sales, one at either end of Ireland, are worth noting in next week's diary. In Co Kerry, William Giles & Co will auction the contents of Dromin House, Listowel. A clearance sale was last held on the premises in 1840s. This time around the sale is being held in the Abbeygate Hotel, Tralee, where the entire furnishings of the house, including much 19th-century furniture, old kitchen equipment and some Victorian clothing will be auctioned. The sale takes place next Thursday.
Next Saturday, Belfast auctioneers John Ross & Co will offer the entire contents of a south Belfast house for sale on the premises. The most interesting lot is a pair of Irish Georgian semi-eliptical side tables. Dating from around 1790, they are expected to fetch £15,000-£20,000. However, £2,000-£4,000 could also purchase some fine Georgian period furniture, of which there are several lots.
