Auctioneers often speak about the provenance of objects they are selling in excited yet hushed tones, as if they are revealing family secrets. Sometimes, they are, indeed divulging key historical facts that have been hitherto unknown, but often, they have delved into the biography of the particular piece to attract more buyers.
Buyers themselves are also often drawn to specific items – clocks, historic prints, chinaware or tables, cabinets and tapestries – so that they can regale visitors to their homes with interesting stories. Viewing the items in their original setting also adds to the allure of potential purchases.
In the next few weeks, buyers of antique furniture, objets d’art, historic prints and so on will have opportunities to view lots of pieces that have interesting historical origins. Take, for example, the Lynes & Lynes auction in Carrigtwohill, Co Cork, on November 30th. Of the 400 lots on auction, about a quarter of them come from Gurrane House, a 19th-century country house, with the ruins of Garraunigarinagh Castle in its grounds. The house was sold recently for the first time since it was built, circa 1850.
Items include an engraving of Cork Harbour with its original frame, by 19th-century Dublin-born, Cork-based artist Robert Stopford (€300-€500). Also of interest to local historians is a large view of the Cork International Exhibition in 1903 (€200-€300). The Cork International Exhibition was a vibrant part of Edwardian Cork, in which international exhibitors from as far as Russia, China and Turkey partook in a celebration of art, architecture, music, sport in the early years of the 20th century when local political tensions were running high. Exhibitions of this kind were held in cities such as London, Paris, Glasgow and Chicago.
For lovers of clocks, there are two from Gurrane House – a long-cased clock (€800-€1,200) and a 19th-century marble table or mantel clock with dials for time, weather and date (€400-€600). There is also a George III long-case clock in the upcoming auction by Sheppard’s. This clock is one of about 750 lots, which can be viewed in the 18th-century Grange Manor (which operated as a country house B&B for several years) near Ballyragget, Co Kilkenny, November 23rd-25th, before the auction at Sheppard’s on Wednesday, November 26th.
The Sheppard’s auction also has a pair of mid-19th-century richly inlaid cabinets (€100,000-€150,000), which once belonged to Kilkenny Castle. Attributed to Arthur Jones & Sons, the acclaimed late-19th century/early-20th-century Dublin cabinet makers, Michael Sheppard explains that the cabinets – which were made following the intricate marquetry technique pioneered by French cabinetmaker, André-Charles Boulle – were sold as separate lots at the Kilkenny Castle dispersal sale in November 1935, and subsequently reunited. The Butler family sold the castle to “the people of Kilkenny” for the nominal sum of £50 in 1967. It was formally taken over by the Irish State in 1969.
The Lynes & Lynes auction also includes the contents of the 19th-century Ballydowney House, just outside Killarney town and next to the National Park, which was recently put on the market for €1.1 million. A large Masons ironstone china dinner service (€700-€1,000), and four Waterford glass chandeliers (€600-€800 each) are among the many items for sale.
Buyers of quirky ephemera may be drawn to a large collection of ornamental clowns and other buffoonery (€3,000), also for sale in Lynes & Lynes auction. The owner was a clown in Duffy’s circus for more than 50 years and his estate is now being sold by his nephew.
“It took me a while to decide to sell these after I first viewed them in a house in Cork city last September. There’s everything from clown clocks and teapots to photo frames and a plaster bust of Jimmy O’Dea [the late Irish actor and comedian]. I might end up the clown myself – if I don’t sell them – but I hope I won’t,” says Denis Lynes.
Meanwhile, John Weldon’s auction of jewellery, watches, silverware and gold coins in his Temple Bar auction rooms in Dublin on Tuesday, November 19th, also has some pieces of significant provenance – the most striking of which are more than 50 pieces of jewellery of the late Ita Griffin.
Ita Griffin (nee Brennan), from Galway, was an accomplished equestrian and wife of Noel M Griffin snr, whose family founded Waterford Crystal. Griffin was the managing director of Waterford Crystal, which employed more than 3,000 people at the height of its production. The jewellery collection for sale includes an antique diamond bangle (€2,000-€3,000), a ruby and diamond cluster ring (€3,000-€5,000) and a diamond necklace set in 14-carat gold (€2,000-€4,000).
Finally, a little advance notice for music lovers – the Usher auction rooms in Kells, Co Meath, will be selling the estate of Irish tenor, Josef Locke on December 2nd. The auction will include Locke’s piano, awards, music and furniture.
lynesandlynes.com; sheppards.ie; jwa.ie; usherauctions.ie
Captain Lambert Brabazon, Nathaniel Hone (the elder)
Estimate €18,000
Hammer price €8,000-€12,000
Auction house Adams
Landscape with a Pool and Bridge, Horse watering, Thomas Roberts
Estimate €40,000 – €60,000
Hammer price €44,000
Auction house Adams
Coloured aquatint of College Green, Dublin, Robert Havell
Estimate €1,500-€2,000
Hammer price €1,300
Auction house Adam’s
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