As part of this year's Horse Show, which opens at the RDS next Wednesday, an antiques fair will be held in the Serpentine Hall, just off the venue's main hall. According to organiser Louis O'Sullivan, "by long tradition, until a couple of years ago, the Horse Show has always been linked with an antiques fair, and there has been considerable demand for a show to be staged once again." The annual Irish Antique Dealers' Fair will, of course, take place as usual at the end of September. Some 19 dealers will be taking stands at next week's event. Among these, Athlone Antiques intends to show a wide range of furniture, including a Victorian walnut breakfast table, a Victorian conversation seat, a George III longcase clock and a late 19th century oval glass shade covering exotic birds. Antique and modern jewellery will also be shown here by Jimmy Whyte.
Boro Books of Co Wicklow will be carrying a selection of books of Irish interest, with a special focus on hunting and shooting. Coyle Antiques of Francis Street, Dublin, is to have a mixture of furniture and paintings at the fair. Pictures of the Irish, British and continental schools may all be seen, as well as period frames. Marie Cullen from Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, will be carrying plenty of Victorian and Edwardian china, glass and silver, while L. & W. Duvallier of Dublin plans to have two pieces of Galway silver - a George I chalice by Richard Joyce, dating from circa 1721, and a George III pyx by Austin Ffrench (circa 1750). John Farrington of Dublin, as always, will be showing a large range of antique diamond, emerald, ruby and sapphire rings, together with a large collection of muff chains, alberts, curb and gate bracelets, as well as cultured pearl necklaces and chokers. His display will also carry a number of gilt mirrors and overmantles. Flanagans of Buncrana, based at Mount Merrion, Co Dublin, will be promoting its interior design service, as well as showing a selection of antique and new wooden furniture. Fullam Antiques of Francis Street, Dublin, will bring along a variety of Victorian and Edwardian furniture, as well as decorative items such as brass and copper, gilt mirrors, lamps, porcelain and silver plate. Gateway Antiques, also of Francis Street, will be concentrating mainly on Victorian linen. From Galway, Maguire's Antiques is specialising in Victorian and Edwardian furniture, paintings and ceramics. Items will include a Victorian rosewood side cabinet, a Victorian, ormolu-mounted walnut breakfront credenza and an Edwardian Adam-style satinwood and inlaid cross-banded mahogany sideboard. Two other dealers from Dublin's Francis Street showing at the fair are Morrin Antiques and Roxane Moorhead. The latter is to offer a generous stock of furniture, such as a Victorian lady's slope-fronted, inlaid walnut bureau, a large William IV oak sarcophagus and a Regency mahogany foldover card table with brass inlay. Morrin Antiques will be specialising in 19th century furniture: a rosewood Wellington chest with secretaire, a Victorian mahogany 10-seater dining table and a Victorian rocking horse. Moycullen Village Antiques will be travelling to Dublin from Co Galway and bringing, among other pieces, a George II burr walnut escritoire, a set of six Regency chairs, a Regency chaise longue and a card table. Carol O'Connor of Carol's Antiques in Adare, Co Limerick, is taking a big stand at the fair to display such pieces as a Regency sideboard and a Victorian extending table with 10 chairs, together with an extensive range of Regency furniture.
Oman Antique Galleries of Capel Street, Dublin, will offer a set of eight Victorian Chippendale dining chairs dating from circa 1880, a Victorian mahogany telescopic dining table with three leaves from circa 1860 and a Sheraton mahogany bow-fronted display cabinet from around 1880.
Linda Paine from Greystones, Co Wicklow, is to show occasional furniture and jewellery, and Helen Scannell of Clontarf, Dublin, will carry middle-range, smaller pieces of furniture, including chests of drawers, hall tables and stools, as well as mirrors. Finally, Upper Court Manor Antiques of Dublin and Co Kilkenny will bring along Georgian, Regency and Victorian furniture, covering everything from diningroom tables to occasional tables.
Forthcoming AuctionsOak pedestal writing desk for about £800
Mullen Bros of Oldcastle, Co Meath, will be conducting an auction in the company's salesrooms next Tuesday evening, when a fine example of Regency library steps carries an estimate of £1,200-£1,500. A set of six Victorian balloon-back dining chairs is expected to sell for £1,000-£1,200 and a mid-Victorian oak pedestal writing desk has an estimate of £600-£800. Other pieces of furniture include a William IV library chair (£400-£600), a table oil lamp (also £400-£600) and a Georgian mahogany lamp table (£300-£400). There are also pictures by Irish artists, such as Frank Egginton, Henry Charles Fox and Gladys MacCabe among others. The auction starts at 6.30 p.m.
Forthcoming AuctionsPortalington sale offers some classic furniture
A number of pieces of Irish furniture will come under the hammer on Monday, August 11th, when Kilkenny auctioneer, Loughlin Bowe conducts a contents auction on the premises of Kilnacourt House, Portarlington, Co Laois. He will be selling a Williams & Gibton serpentine-fronted side table, carrying an estimate of £2,200-£2,600; a Gillingtons of Dublin chest of drawers (£750-£850); an Irish William IV mahogany pedestal sideboard (£500-£700); and a Regency three-tier dumbwaiter (£800-£1,200). Other Irish pieces include a Regency rosewood and brass inlaid card table (£1,800-£2,200) and a Regency rosewood sofa (£80-£1,200).
In addition, this sale offers a Victorian mahogany bookcase and a set of eight Victorian dining chairs, including carvers, both carrying the same estimate of £1,400-£1,800; a 19th century French kingwood and parquetry display cabinet (£3,000-£5,000); a similar commode chest (£1,000-£1,500); and, among the other continental pieces, a rosewood and ormolu mounted centre table (£3,500-£4,500) and a threepiece giltwood suite (£2,400-£2,800).
Of the pictures, there is a large 19th century oil attributed to James Hardy Jnr, called Faithful Friends (£3,500-£4,500); a pair of 19th century portraits (£800-£1,200); and a large 19th century coastal shipping scene (£1,400-£1,600). Other lots worth noting are a 58-piece sterling silver dinner service (£800-£1,200), a pair of large marble garden urns (£2,400-£2,600) and rugs and carpets with estimates between £100 and £1,500.
Auction ResultsWilliam & Gibton table sold for £3,400
The auction conducted by Town & Country in Ranelagh, Dublin, last Sunday saw an Irish mahogany economy dining table by William & Gibton sell for £3,400 and a Victorian mahogany sofa dating from circa 1860 go under the hammer for £1,700. A pair of Victorian oval mirrors made £1,320, a Victorian mahogany D-end extension dining table fetched £900 and a Victorian mahogany sideboard sold for £840. Among the pictures being offered, an oil by George K. Gillespie, showing Scrabo from Mahee Island, fetched £1,500 and Gladys MacCabe's Digging in the Bog sold for £720.
Forthcoming FairsA touch of silver and glass in Dun Laoghaire
The Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, is the venue for a bank holiday antiques fair next Monday, starting at 11 a.m. According to the organisers of the event, many stand-holders will not have been seen in the Dublin area since the last fair in Dun Laoghaire more than two months ago. Among those taking stands are Joe Clarke and Ron Kelly, who specialise in Irish and English silver; John Bailey, who deals in glass; and newcomer Anne Fleming, whose stock focuses on English porcelain glass. There are to be more than 40 stands at the fair, offering jewellery, paintings, books and prints, small furniture and other collectable items.
Forthcoming FairsNational Book Fair at Masonic Hall
Held as usual in the Masonic Hall on Molesworth Street, tomorrow's National Book Fair will feature stands by a large number of dealers from throughout the Republic. It opens at 10 a.m. and the varied items being offered for sale include works of Irish interest, as well as history, ;iterature and topography, together with prints, maps, postcards and other printed material. The next such fair will be held on Sunday August 31st, at the same venue.Forthcoming FairsOld money and unusual reference books at castle
An unusual collection of general reference books, as well as a number of Bank of Ireland £1 notes, will be on offer at the Dublin Castle antiques and collectables fair tomorrow. There will also be free valuations on bank notes and coins. Among the more unusual items at the fair will be a Victorian wedding dress and a collection of Victorian clothing, as well as lace trimmings, bags and fans. Jewellery will include a three-stone diamond and ruby engagement ring, a gold belcher chain and yellow and rose gold bracelet watches.
Other items on offer include advertising memorabilia, bottles, small furniture ( including some pine pieces), silver, linen, clocks, mirrors and prints.
The fair, which will be held in the Old Coach House in Dublin Castle, opens at 10.30 a.m.
Art TheftsMicrochips may foil the burglars
The number of burglaries has increased anxiety among antiques collectors, who may therefore be interested to hear of a device which ought to act as a deterrent to potential thieves. Microtag (Irl) Ltd offers a service whereby stolen items may be more easily traced than has previously been the case. Microtag uses microchips which are entirely passive (they need no power source) and have a near-infinite lifespan. Measuring no more than 14mm in length and some 2.2mm wide, a number of these are inserted into each piece of furniture. Their tiny size makes them easy to hide; they can be tracked to within only a six-inch diameter, so extraction by thieves is extremely difficult.
Microtag's microchips work on different frequencies - European and American - adding an additional level of security. The microchip is "read" when a scanner sends out a transmission which activates the hidden device into returning a specific and unique numerical signal. Once the microchips have been installed, relevant information - a number code, very brief description of the piece of furniture, and the owner's name and address - is stored on two databases in Britain. The owner is issued with a "passport", carrying a detailed description of the piece, together with the microchip's relevant numerical details. Should a burglary subsequently occur, Microtag can provide assistance, such as updating of information already held and registering of a copy of the lost item passport with the Art Loss Register (which screens and cross-references auction house catalogues).
According to Microtag's directors, neither antiques dealers nor auction houses regard the installation of microchips in furniture as a problem. Full installation of the system and registration of property on the data base costs £136 for an individual piece, rising to £785 for 25 items. All prices are subject to VAT at 21 per cent and there is an annual charge of £48 to cover updating of relevant information.
Microtag (Irl) Ltd may be contacted at Milford, Carlow, tel. 0503-46333.
