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British and Irish book auctions: September 4-15, 2018

03 September 2018

Our round-up of British and Irish book sales coming up from September 4-15, 2018.

Brian and Eileen Burns

10 highlights from Sotheby’s Irish art sales going on view in Dublin

30 August 2018

Works from two prominent collections of Irish art are going on view at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin this week ahead of being offered at Sotheby’s in London. They feature works by some of Ireland's greatest painters.

British and Irish book auctions August 28-September 9, 2018

27 August 2018

Our round-up of British and Irish book sales coming up from August 28-September 9, 2018.

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Mealy’s Fine Art ceases trading after 84 years in Kilkenny

13 August 2018

One of Ireland’s leading provincial auction houses, Mealy’s Fine Art of Castlecomer, County Kilkenny, has ceased trading after 84 years.

Auctioneer George Mealy

End of an era in Irish auctioneering as Mealy’s Fine Art closes its doors

07 August 2018

One of Ireland’s leading provincial auctioneers, Mealy’s Fine Art of Castlecomer, County Kilkenny, has ceased to trade after 84 years as its principal, George Mealy Snr, has decided to retire from auctioneering.

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Long tongs pick up impressive result in Irish auction

23 July 2018

These outsize tongs, below, proved the major surprise at Adam’s (20% buyer’s premium) in Dublin on June 17.

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Russian items bear up at auction

16 July 2018

Irish silver was popular at Adam’s (20% buyer’s premium) in June – see ATG next week – and Irish furniture did well enough, with a c.1830 serpentine side table with marble-and-malachite top getting away at €8000 (£7000).

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Female Irish artists pack a punch at auction

11 June 2018

Though their output was dwarfed by their male counterparts, talented 20th century Irish female artists pack a punch in the saleroom when their art does appear at auction.

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Sunny outlook for Irish art in Dublin

11 June 2018

John Magnier, the Irish horse breeder and art collector, reportedly made a five-fold return on his Amadeo Modigliani reclining nude when it sold at Sotheby’s New York last month for $139m (£102.2m).

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Pick of the Week: Price is right on the gunmoney

14 May 2018

A rare James II ‘gunmoney’ half-crown sold for €10,500 (£8850) at Whyte’s sale titled the Eclectic Collector in Dublin.

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Study emerges at auction for famous Irish view of star-crossed lovers

26 March 2018

Like Romeo and Juliet, Hellelil and Hildebrand’s relationship was doomed from the start.

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Le Brocquy heading back up in value

26 March 2018

The work of Dublin painter Louis le Brocquy (1916-2012) is strengthening after the value of his work went spiralling downwards at the height of the Celtic Tiger crash nearly a decade ago.

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Tolkien provides signature on a slip

12 February 2018

First-edition sets with well-preserved jackets and perhaps a signature or an inscription usually make the really big money where Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is concerned, but a recent Dublin sale produced something rather unusual.

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Fairs & Markets 2017 review: International relations

18 December 2017

In Europe we covered antiques markets in France and Italy plus those across the pond in the US. In December this column ran a profile on Frenchman Nicolas Martin, founder of an influential global fleamarkets website. In August I visited and wrote about the buzzing Foire de Chatou outside Paris.

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Silver and money bank bring in Castlecomer sale big bids

27 November 2017

A week before Fonsie Mealy’s William Butler Yeats sale, the auctioneers’ neighbours, kith and rivals Mealy’s (20% buyer’s premium) had a couple of eyecatchers in its November 8 sale at Castlecomer.

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Last selection of Yeats family lots come to Irish auction

27 November 2017

The material connected with William Butler Yeats in the family home of his son, the late Senator Michael, has proved as controversial – and profitable – as the great man’s writing itself.

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Final slice of the Yeats family lots

30 October 2017

Further items from the talented Yeats family are heading to auction this autumn.

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Irish art scene hit by shortage of top works

23 October 2017

Since the Celtic Tiger’s demise a decade ago and the tailspin that ensued, the Irish art market has evolved into a more cautious and less speculative beast. The latest round of sales held towards the end of September and into October showed steady (if not spectacular) demand, especially for the big, bankable names.

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Barret makes rare appearance at Irish hall

23 October 2017

Adam’s mammoth annual Country House Collections auction is designed to cater to those with spacious, preferably period, abodes.

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Fortune’s fair is full of riches

09 October 2017

Irish dealer organises events in Dublin with another coming up next month...