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Lot 51
Ireland's First Major International AthleteMedal: Athletics, Kiely (T.F.) Irish, An important and historically significant solid gold circular Medal, the obverse depicting, in relief, the Goddess of Victorian "Nike and with garland" inscribed "Amateur Athletic Union of the United States [1888]" the reverse decorated with various sporting trophies and implements and inscribed "All Round Championship - June 23rd, 1906, won by T.F. Kiely," hall marked solid gold Boston, approx. 41gms (1.45 ounces). (1)Note:Thomas Francis (Tom) Kiely was born in 1869 at Ballyneale near Carrick-on-Suir in south Tipperary, the son of a farmer. He burst upon the sporting scene in 1890 when at the age of twenty-one he took part in a meeting at Carrick-on-Suir at which he won five prizes. Over the next few years he won success after success. But victory did not come easily: working-class people in his day simply were not given the time for the rigorous training schedules which we regard as the norm today. Moreover, Kiely was also playing football for Grangemockler GAA Club, in the course of which he sustained a number of injuries.In 1904 he took part in the Olympic Games held at St Louis in America, paying his own way and refusing all offers of support. The weather was appalling: torrential rain fell during the contest; the hammer and shot circles had to be cleared of mud before the competitors could perform; the jumping area was just a huge puddle. Nonetheless, Tom Kiely came first in the hurdles, hammer and mile walk, and was highly placed in the jumps, shots and sprints, winning a gold medal as All-Round Champion.Two years later Kiely competed in the American All-Round Championships, held in Boston. He finished second in the sprint, high jump and pole vault, came first in the shot, hammer and broad jump, and ended the day by winning the mile race. He was declared all-round champion and was awarded the gold medal that we offer for sale here.The impact back home of victories such as this, and of the Davin brothers of Carrick, was enormous. All through the 19th century, British establishment propaganda had portrayed the ordinary Irishman as an ape-like savage, stupid and violent and incapable of self-discipline. Yet here were the sons of Irish farmers taking on the best in the world and winning. With citizens such as these, perhaps Ireland could indeed become 'a nation once again'?Tom Kiely bought a farm at Fruithill near Dungarvan in Co. Waterford, married and had eight children. He died in 1951 and is buried in his native Ballyneale, where he is commemorated by a fine bronze plaque, the work of his fellow Celt, Yann Goulet of Brittany.
Lot 81
A 19th Century English gilt bronze and painted porcelain Clock Garniture, the clock with cherubs surmounted and draped with flowers, dial with Roman numerals on a shaped inverted base; together with matching pair of painted porcelain and ormolu mounted urn shaped Candlesticks on square bases with hairy paw feet. (3)
Lot 140
An 18ct gold Chronographe Suisse gentlemans wristwatch with twin subsidary dials, bronze dial and tan leather strap, outer case marked 18k 0.750. Condition: dent to side of watch case, some minor wear and scratches to dial, currently working, winds ok, adjust is a little sticky but works, some scratches and wear to case.
Lot 121
SIR ALFRED GILBERT R.A. (1854-1934)COMEDY AND TRAGEDY: ‘SIC VITA’bronze, raised on a stepped ebonised wood plinth34cm high (bronze), 39cm high (with plinth)Provenance: The Fine Art Society, LondonNote: New English Sculpture was a dynamic movement at the end of the 19th century which injected energy and naturalism into English sculpture. The medium had been dominated by a neo-classical style seen as rigid and irrelevant to human experience, so much so that Baudelaire even wrote a critique of the Paris Salon in 1846 titled ‘Why Sculpture is Boring’. The term ‘New English Sculpture’ was coined in Edmund Gosse’s article ‘The New Sculpture’ which was published by Art Journal in 1894, where he defined the movement as ‘a close and reverent observation of nature’. Leading sculptors such as Lord Leighton, Alfred Gilbert and Hamo Thornycroft revived the Italian Renaissance art of ‘lost wax’ bronze casting in order to finely render surface details like musculature and facial expressions in a more naturalistic manner. This approach was introduced by Aimé-Jules Dalou, who disseminated the French method of direct modelling during the period he spent teaching at South Kensington School of Art from 1877 to 1880. This combination of traditional and modern continental influences prompted these artists to recast well-worn classical myths in a distinctly original and relatable style. The movement re-established the relevance of sculpture within society by embracing the statuette, which bridged the divide between high art and decorative art without compromising on the standard of craftsmanship. Until the 1860s sculpture was primarily limited to the marble portrait bust or large classical figure, but these smaller bronze casts created a new sculptural category which suited the scale and price desired by homeowners. The cult of the statuette was a popular feature in late Victorian and Edwardian architectural design and enabled the classical heroic figure to fulfil a new decorative role within a domestic setting.
Lot 122
SIR ALFRED GILBERT R.A. (1854-1934)PERSEUS ARMINGbronze, raised on a verde antico marble plinth36.5cm high (bronze), 40cm high (with plinth)Provenance: The Fine Art Society, LondonNote: Alfred Gilbert was born in London and joined the Royal Academy in 1873 before going on to study at the École des Beaux-Arts and becoming one of the most influential sculptors of his generation and the New English Sculpture movement. Gilbert’s international career took him to Rome from 1878 until 1884 where he learnt the 'cire perdu' or ‘lost wax’ technique of bronze casting and was one of the first artists to reintroduce it in England. Gilbert sought to reinvigorate classical myths in order to make them more relatable to a modern audience, stating to Joseph Hatton about Benvenuto’s Cellini’s bronze Perseus and Medusa that ‘’amazed as I was by that great work it still left me somewhat cold, insomuch that it failed to touch my human sympathies’’. Gilbert’s Perseus Arming was commissioned by Sir Henry Doulton and won an honourable mention at the Paris Salon in 1883. Rather than depicting Perseus in the dramatic aftermath of slaying the Gorgon Medusa, Gilbert’s Perseus Arming is instead a sensitive portrayal of the young hero anxiously checking his winged sandals. Gilbert stated ‘’I conceived the idea that Perseus, before becoming a hero was a mere mortal and that he had to look to his equipment’’ which was a radical departure from the traditional iconography associated with the heroic masculine figure. Gilbert adopts the classical figura serpentinata and free-standing bronze statuette, which were both celebrated features of Italian Renaissance sculpture, but modernise the subject matter by humanising Perseus as an endearing and vulnerable adolescent. This psychological dimension was a key aspect of the New Sculpture movement and can also be seen in Gilbert’s Comedy and Tragedy which is often exhibited alongside Perseus Arming. Comedy and Tragedy captures the exact moment a theatre prop boy is stung by a bee as he rushes to the stage with a comedy mask. The boy is suspended on one foot as he twists to examine his injury, perfectly framing his anguished face in the gaping grin of the comedy mask. This dynamic pose reflects the New Sculpture’s emphasis on dynamic compositions as the narrative is most effectively appreciated in the round. The Latin subtitle Sic Vita meaning ‘Thus is life’ is perhaps an autobiographical aside referring to Gilbert’s mounting financial worries, dissatisfied clients and marital problems as he conceded “I was living a kind of double life at that time…with Tragedy in my private life, living my Comedy publicly”.
Lot 131
SIR WILLIAM HAMO THORNYCROFT R.A. (1850-1925)TEUCERbronze, signed in the bronze HAMO THORNYCROFT42.5cm highProvenance: The Fine Art Society, LondonNote: The champion Greek archer Teucer was one of the heroes of Homer's story of the Trojan War. When this bronze was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1882 a quotation from Pope's translation of Homer was printed in the catalogue as the subject was unusual. Thornycroft admired the Elgin marbles, and his early works were in a Greek style. With 'Teucer', in emulation of the grandeur of Leighton's 'Athlete', he made a monumental ideal nude.
![[§] STANLEY THOROGOOD (1873-1953)THE MEDIEVAL JOUST, DATED 1913bronze relief plaque, depicting a medieval joust, within oak f](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/1304ecaf-2163-4f92-bf18-a95900c00e1f/e30b5c6f-8556-40e0-e9e3-81e1cfca422a/468x382.jpg)
Lot 14
[§] STANLEY THOROGOOD (1873-1953)THE MEDIEVAL JOUST, DATED 1913bronze relief plaque, depicting a medieval joust, within oak frame, signed with monogram in the bronze and dated 191332cm x 42cm (bronze), 60cm x 51.5cm (including frame)Provenance: Paul Reeves, LondonNote: Born in 1873, Stanley Thorogood trained at Brighton School of Art and won a Gold Medal Travelling Scholarship to Italy and pursued an interest in medieval equestrian subjects as in these examples.
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