It’s not all cakes and ale, or even soda bread and stout, however, as the 40 per cent unsold by lot figure showed at the sale Blackrock auctioneers HOK FIne Art held at the Royal Dublin Society.
Many of the failures were lesser offerings but they did include a fine-looking white statuary marble mantlepiece in the neo-classical style which carried apparently reasonable expectations of €14,000-18,000 (£9250-£11,920).
That said, auctioneer Rory Guthrie took the philosophical view that with such pieces the buyers have to be there on the day, and if they weren’t on this occasion they would be on the next or the one after.
And, anyway, he had plenty to be happy about among the pieces which did sell very well indeed. As expected, the stars were among the furniture but the sale got off to a good start when lot 12 comprised a pair of 121/2in (32cm) majolica stands in the form of partridges nested round an oak bough and a pair of small oak-encrusted baskets. Catalogued as probably George Jones, the lot was estimated at €500-800, reflecting the fact that one stand was damaged, but a Irish dealer took the lot at €4000 (£2650).
The day’s top seller was always expected to do well. This was the Irish mid-18th century writing cabinet. Standing 7ft 61/2in tall and 3ft 7in wide (2.30 x 1.10m), it was one of only about four such pieces known to exist and was by the craftsman who made a similar cabinet for Water-ford stately home Newbridge House.
The mirrored doors enclosed shelves and a pair of small drawers and the base was in the form of a pedestal and kneehole desk – all enough to bring a bid of €55,000 (£36,420) from a private bidder.
Another over-estimate private bid came on a set of 12, 19th century Chippendale Revival mahogany dining chairs. With pierced splayed splats and leaf-carved crestings above serpentine seats upholstered in floral embroidery on cartouche-capped cabriole legs, they took €38,000 (£25,165) against a €22,000-25,000 estimate.
Another 19th century attraction was a pair of rosewood breakfront open bookcases with striated marble tops above gilt-brass banding to the aprons and shelves. Standing 2ft 11in tall by 5ft 9in wide (89cm x 1.75m) they were unusually shallow at 61/4in (16cm) and sold within estimate at €16,000 (£10,595).
Two 18th century mahogany Irish pieces which went privately but might have been expected to make more were a bureau cabinet and bottle carrier.
The 7ft 41/2in x 3ft 53/4in (2.25 x 1.06m) cabinet had a pediment and dentil frieze above fielded panel doors flanked by fluted columns and enclosing shelves and pigeonholes above a base with a slope front enclosing a fitted interior above four graduated drawers. Estimated at €15,000-18,000, it sold on the lower figure (£9935).
More of a disappointment was the 2ft 1in x 19in (63 x 48cm) bottle carrier. The reeded tray top with central handle was on a base centred by a scrolled apron on a diaper ground on leaf capped cabriole legs with scrolled leaf feet. The brass troughs were later fittings which may have affected the bidding and the piece went just below estimate at €13,000 (£8610).
It was easier to explain why an Irish dealer picked up a mid-18th century mahogany Irish side table at €8500 (£5630) against a €10,000-15,000 estimate. The choice of the catalogue back cover illustration, it was a fine looking piece with a frieze centred by a Venus mask in high relief on cabriole legs with husk pendants.
However, as the catalogue pointed out, the table, entered by a convent was, said Mr Guthrie “basically three tables from the same period made up into one”. There are limits to the current feeling that decorative looks outweigh all other considerations.
There were, however, plenty of compensations. A typical example was a good 19th century mahogany dining table on canted scrolled cabriole legs. With a moulded rim and extending to 9ft 8in (2.95m) with its three extra leaves, it doubled expectations when it went privately at €7000 (£4635).
HOK Fine Art, Dublin, July 7
Number of lots: 227
Number of lots sold: 133
Sale total: €317,220 (£210,000)
Buyer’s premium: 16 per cent (inc.VAT)
Exchange rate: £1 = €1.51
Today, even Ireland has its struggles...
£36,000 private bid on cabinet shows underlying market strength: BRITISH auctioneers have long looked enviously across the Irish Sea where there still seems a wealth of high-quality furniture coming onto the market from private sources to be welcomed not merely by the trade but also by confident and well-heeled private bidders who have been the dominant force these past ten years and more.
