IRISH HISTORY, LAVISH ACCENTS AND STATEMENT PIECES : THE JANUARY DECORATIVE INTERIORS HIGHLIGHTS BLOG

IRISH HISTORY, LAVISH ACCENTS AND STATEMENT PIECES : THE JANUARY DECORATIVE INTERIORS HIGHLIGHTS BLOG

antique sofa

We’re not going to mention that thing. You know that thing that has everyone trudging drearily through January and a third national lockdown. Somehow it feels like a natural opener to anything said. We’re not going to touch it though. We know you know and you know we know and we all know together what we know. It’s gloomy and it’s disheartening and we don’t want to talk about it.

We want to talk about fresh things; those that excite and inspire us and make our hearts happy!

Our team at Victor Mee Auctions is all set and prepped to host our first sale of 2021 with the January Decorative Interiors Sale taking place on the 26th and 27th of this month and we’re promising you something special.

We’ve got something of a passion for interiors, something you may have picked up on if you’ve been with us for some time. And as we’ve all been spending more time at home in the last year than ever before, we have never felt so strongly about surrounding oneself with beautiful things. We think that the space we create for ourselves speaks volumes about who we are and does wonders for how we feel. The home is a canvas and we are the artists, free to create something personal, bespoke and special, with infinite boundaries of preference.

Like all our interiors sales, this one has a catalogue to make your mouth water. Each item has been cherry-picked exclusively for inclusion in this sale by our experts and a large portion of it coming from the property ‘Old Town House’ in Co. Longford, owned by renowned antique trader Annie Molihan.

So pick that chin up and have a looky here at just a few of our top picks coming up at the end of the month…

LOT 336 - Extremely rare 19th C. French Copper Roll Top Bath

Copper Roll Top Bath

Aside from being exquisite in form, a roll top bath is deeper than your average bath, making for a much more luxurious bathing experience. This one is crafted from copper, renowned for its heat retention, so you can expect a soak in this bad boy to be a warmer, longer lasting one than you’d get in the average bath too. Beautifully antique and stunningly moulded, this one is up on Tuesday and comes estimated at €1000-€2000.

LOT 752 - William IV Mahogany Server

Mahogany Server

Lot 752, an exceptional quality William IV Mahogany Server, is an imposing and very handsome piece of furniture. Attractive in its own right. What makes this piece really very special though, is the rich history and the story that it brings to auction with it. This server, from the collection of Annie Molihan, is believed to have furnished the room in Lissard House, Co. Longford where Gerald More O’Ferrall and his son, Richard, as they hosted a dinner party, were attacked and shot by members of the IRA in a surprise ambush organised by the Edgeworthstown Tenants Association in response to a rent dispute in 1934. The event was a provocative and controversial moment in Irish political history and to have in this sale a piece of furniture like this from that property and moment in time is something that excites us and brings great pride. We’ve guided the server at €1500-€3000 but we wouldn’t be surprised to see it fetch more given its provenance and impressive appearance.

LOT 761 – Mahogany D-Ended Dining Table

Mahogany D Ended Dining Table

Another fantastic piece that represents an important place in Irish history is this exquisite mahogany dining table. Measuring at 320cm x 153cm, this, another from Annies collection, is a second piece believed to have been in place on site at Lissard House on the fateful night of the IRA attack in 1934. One can imagine the silverware and crockery adorning it and the chaos that ensued around it. It represents an incredible opportunity to bring a piece of Irish history (and magnificent quality of furniture) into your home and goes forward on Wednesday 27th January with an estimate of €800-€1600.

LOT 408 - Pair of Edwardian Carved Walnut and Upholstered Armchairs

Edwardian Carved Walnut Armchairs

The chair has become a staple feature of all our interiors sales. We love a beautiful chair, believing the right one can make a huge difference in the ambience of a space. A definite seating highlight of this sale will be Lot 408, a magnificent pair of Edwardian carved walnut and upholstered armchairs on cabriole legs with crushed blue velvet upholstery. They are positively regal and, coming in a pair, we reckon they’re well beyond worth their auction estimate of €400-€600. Catch them on Tuesday afternoon!

LOT 296 - Pair of Burr Walnut and Inlaid with Satinwood Bow-Fronted Lockers

Burr and Walnut Bow Fronted Lockers

Lot 296 boasts the stunningly beautiful aesthetic of walnut and burr grain, long sought after by the aristocracy. These bow-fronted lockers have a single drawer over a platform base, and if they weren’t already luxurious enough, they are topped with marble. Measuring at 86cm high and going forward as a pair, they are estimated at €500-€800 and we think they are simply divine.

LOT 798 - Early 20th C. Oil Painting by Dr Joseph Boyd Barrett

Oil Painting Irish

Another lot appearing in this sale given extra special status through its history and provenance is lot 798, an early 20th century oil painting by Dr. Joseph Boyd Barrett. Dr Barrett was a very well known Dublin physician who was known to be a very close friend of Sinn Fein and Dail Eireann founder, Arthur Griffith, during the years of the Easter Rising and who was, no doubt, privy to some fascinating conversations with the man who formed the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. Framed in striking black, this one goes forward with an estimate of €200-€400.

LOT 350 - 19th C. Mahogany Ship's Washstand

Ship Wash stand

A Blain of Liverpool was an expert cabinet maker. The premises on Paradise Street in Liverpool was established in 1835 and was famed for the production of exceptional quality and expertly crafted pieces of furniture, often from walnut and mahogany. It is with the stamp of A Blain and Sons, that this truly gorgeous 19th C Ships Washstand comes to us, the mirror and wash basin intact and boasting ample storage. It is a fabulous piece that would make a unique and tasteful addition to any modern bathroom. The guide on this is €600-€1200.

LOT 326 – Pair of Early 20th Century Chesterfield Club Chairs

Chesterfield Club Chairs

When we blog about our interiors sales, we almost always highlight a chesterfield sofa (of which this auction boasts eight). This time, we’d like to draw your attention to, perhaps one of the most stunning pair of club chairs we have ever seen. Lot 326 is this set of hand-dyed leather deep buttoned Chesterfield chairs on turned mahogany legs. Their conditional is immaculate, their colour is rich, their rolled arms are high, perfectly formed. They are, simply put, perfect. They will appear in day one of this sale, Tuesday, with an estimate of €600-€1200.

LOT 728 - 20th C. Giltwood and Gesso Overmantle

Giltwood and Gesso Overmantle

The power of a mirror to an interior space is never to be underestimated. It brings light and airiness and should be a centrepiece. Lot 728, appearing on Wednesday, is a truly luxurious piece. This 20th Century giltwood and gesso mirror is crafted in the Chinese Chippendale style. It is ornate and opulent and looming at 136cm high and it commands attention, making it the perfect piece for pride of place in a room. It is estimated at €350-€650.

LOT 334 – 18th C. Oak Refectory Table

Oak Refectory Table

The refectory table has been growing pace in popularity over recent years as more and more come to appreciate its durability and attractiveness in an every day, modern home. Lot 334 is a very rare one indeed, originating in the 18th century. It stuns with it’s hardy dark wood and its evident signs of use spanning generations. It measures at a rather impressive 248cm long and is bolstered by its column base and double stretcher underneath. A really magnificent lot and certainly one of the finest tables we have had the pleasure of bringing to auction in recent times. We’ve guided this at €1000-€2000.

This list of highlights is by no means exhaustive. We could wax lyrical all day about the magnificent pieces of furniture and interiors that are coming up in this sale. To get your hands on the full exhaustive list just visit our website at https://auctions.victormeeauctions.ie/ and whet your appetite.

The January Decorative Interiors Sale by Victor Mee Auctions will take place exclusively online on Tuesday January 26th and Wednesday January 27th from 2pm each day.

All viewing for this sale will take place online in accordance with current national covid restrictions.

Bidders can register on our website or contact the team with bids, queries or requests on 003534755076 or via email at info@victormeeauctions.ie.

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