Adam's country house auction getting underway at Townley Hall

The second Adam's Country House Collections at Townley Hall, Drogheda, takes place today,Tuesday 10th October. The auction catalogue has, as usual, an introduction by Nick Nicholson whose droll but perceptive view of the world, and in particular the world of the old Irish country house, tends to hit the proverbial nail on the head and his first couple of sentences in the 2017 catalogue are completely apt.
He writes: “As the year swings around again to this annual event thoughts turn to barrels, or more precisely the scraping of the bottoms of same. Surely there is no more left down there to put together a credible sale of the works of art and artefacts that were in Irish country houses? However the immutability of matter and the transience of life give a fluidity to the process. Collections form, are dispersed, collectors pursue objects that have lost their context and reinstate them.”
This amalgam of fine Irish and British (mainly) artworks, furniture, porcelain, silverware and collectors effects have been, as usual, drawn from a variety of sources but mainly from old Irish country houses and this year the list includes the wonderfully quirky and characterful Moyne in Durrow, Co Laois, the home of the late Capt HCP Hamilton; Rathescar in Co Louth, the home of the Henry family; Bellinter, outside Navan, where the Prestons hailed from before the Briscoes inherited it. Many lots in the sale also come from Galtrim, a Francis Johnston designed little masterpiece and home to the late Eileen, Countess MountCharles.
There are also lots which had previously been in houses such as Tempo Manor in Co Fermanagh and in Humewood Castle, the home of Madame Hume-Weygand and which were sold in their respective house sales.
Items of particular note include an Irish Georgian landscape by George Barret (1728-1784); a Georgian giltwood mirror by John and Francis Booker; an Irish armorial mahogany side table, dating to about 1750, associated with Hilton Park in Monaghan and the Rev Samuel Madden; a painting by Solomon Delane, painted in Italy in 1777 when Delane (1727-1812) was at the height of his artistic powers, a portrait of Frederick the Great; a pair of George II giltwood framed wall mirrors, attributed to Benjamin Goodison date to circa 1740; a Killarney Marquetry Davenport Des; and a Victorian sideboard in the manner of Henry Eyles of Bath which has an interesting connection with the author Daphne du Maurier. This marine inspired oak piece with rope border, head of Neptune, dolphin ends and twin sea-horse, or hippocampi pedestals comes from the coastal Cornish house ‘Menabilly’ where the author lived for decades and which was the inspiration for ‘Mandelay’ the house in du Maurier’s 1933 novel, 'Rebecca'. This literary sideboard is estimated at €10,000.
Adams have brought a bit of innovation to this sale with a section of almost two hundred lots at the end of the catalogue being offered on-line or via written (or commission) bid only. These lots which comprise the Moyne collection of miniatures, antiquarian prints and books will be on view with everything else at Townley and interested bidders can either leave a written bid or else register through our website and participate in the on-line timed auction via their computer, tablet or smart phone.
Full details are on the Adam’s website and in the auction catalogue. The auction starts at 11am on Tuesday 10th October.