There are 1181627 lots that match your search criteria. Subscribe now to get instant access to the full price guide service.
Click here to subscribeGEORGE III FIGURED MAHOGANY AND BRASS TABLE CLOCK WITH PULL REPEAT, SIGNED 'WILLIAM BLACK, LONDON, the 7" silvered dial with silent/ strike dial to the arch, powered by a twin fuse movement with scroll engraved back plate and bell mounted to the top, housed in an arch topped case with carrying handle, scale pattern side frets and moulded base with ogee bracket feet, 16" (40.7cm) high
THE ARMADA TABLE of the O’Brien’sA composed 16th century and later oak and other woods and marquetry rectangular refectory table, the cleated plank top above a frieze applied with twelve grotesque masks, (two further masks are lacking), one long side with Dutch-style floral marquetry, the other side plain, the ends veneered with re-used filigree marquetry, raised on boldly carved heraldic lion corner supports, probably from a tropical hardwood such as manilkara or bullet-wood, while two central supports are in the form of Hope and Charity, on a moulded stretcher base with cross supports.242cm x 91cm x 82cm highProvenance: Boethius Clancy, High Sheriff of Clare, c.1588 and later gifted to the O’Brien’s of Lemenagh, Co. Clare. Thence by descent through the O’Brien Clan to the current Lord Inchiquin, 18th Baron. The table was relocated from Lemenagh Castle to Dromoland Castle after 1660, remaining there until 1962 when it was removed to Bunratty Castle.Literature: The Knight of Glin & James Peill, Irish Furniture, Yale 2007James Frost, The History and Topography of the County of Clare, Sealy, Bryers & Walker, Dublin 1893, p.252/253.Daniel Augustus Beaufort’s Journals, TCD, MSS 4024/4033, pp.53-4 Ivar O’Brien, O’Brien of Thomond, The O’Briens in Irish History 1500-1865, Chichester 1986, pp.195-6Grania O’Brien, These my Friends and Forebears, The O’Briens of Dromoland, Whitegate, Co Clare 1991, p.4The Armada Table is described by The Knight of Glin in Irish Furniture (Yale, 2007) as ‘one of the most important and earliest pieces of Irish furniture.’ He proceeds to quote from D.A. Beaufort’s 1786 travel diaries:In a long tiled gallery full of maps, & stag horns & other such things is a very curious massy table of some kind of mahogany, with 4 Lions for legs & in the middle Hope on one side & Charity on the other, for supporters - all rudely carved. This table was taken out of one of the Ships of the Armada wrecked on this coast 200 years ago.The Knight further comments: ‘Upon close examination, the heraldic lion supports and figures of Hope and Charity below grotesque masks on the frieze were probably part of the ornamental woodwork of a Spanish galleon. The frieze is inlaid with Dutch-style marquetry of flowers on one long side only, while each end is veneered with reused filigree marquetry below a cleated plank top. To have rescued such a large piece of furniture sounds unlikely; it is much more likely that the table was assembled in the 1640s where it would have been possible to display it in Máire’s new manor house, some fifty years after the Armada wreck. Doubt could be cast on the age of the table if we did not have Beaufort’s description; the re-used marquetry is probably part of further alterations in the nineteenth century when the ‘antiquarian’ vogue was at its height. The present top on the table is most probably a nineteenth century replacement but there are still signs on the table frame of the draw-leaf mechanism that he described. It is now exhibited in the solar at Bunratty.’The story of the Spanish Armada’s experience on the west coast of Co. Clare is an unhappy one. In early September, 1588 seven ships of the Armada, of varying size came into the mouth of the Shannon and anchored in the safe harbour at Carrigaholt, east of Loop Head. The Coroner of Thomond, Nicholas Cahane, went on board to interview the strangers but could get little information except that they were in serious need of drinking water. James Frost notes that the Spanish dispatched a boat to nearby Kilrush offering to exchange wine for fresh water. The locals however were wary as the Sheriff of the county was under orders to refuse supplies of every kind, and he was to execute all Spaniards who might come on shore, and presumably any natives who might assist them.Despairing, the galleons once again put to sea, prepared to take their chances on the ocean. The following day a vessel was seen anchored in a wild spot, as Frost called it, a mile west of the castle of Liscannor. Pedro Baptista, purser of the ‘Sumiga’, landed on shore in search of water and was duly arrested. He stated that the crew were perishing due to a lack of water and that the master had already died of thirst. Other Spanish vessels were observed from the shore and on the 10th of September one drifted into a bay near Doonbeg, and became a total wreck. Three hundred of the crew were drowned , and about sixty men who had landed were slaughtered by the locals or executed by order of Sir Turlough O’Brien of Tromroe. Further ships also ran aground and were wrecked. Frost notes that from the surrounding country, the population came down to the shore for plunder. ‘Such of the unhappy foreigners as escaped drowning were executed by Boethius Clancy, high Sheriff of the county, assisted by Sir Turlough O’Brien, Captain Mordaunt and Mr. Morton. A massive table, preserved at Dromoland Castle, is almost the only relic, left in Clare, of the disastrous fate of the Spanish Armada.’Boethius Clancy, (d.1598) was born in Co. Clare into a well-educated family, the hereditary lawyers or brehons of Thomond. In 1585 he was the representative of the newly formed County Clare in the Parliament of Ireland and in 1588 was appointed High Sheriff of Clare. That same year the Spanish Armada were attempting to make their way home through severe storms off the west coast of Ireland and many ships were wrecked or abandoned. Clancy was authorized by the Lord Deputy to “.... take all the hulls of ships, stores, treasures etc, into your hands and to apprehend and execute all Spaniards found there of what quality so ever.” A report states that Clancy rounded up and imprisoned as many as 170 Spanish crew who were subsequently hung on a nearby hill not far from Doonagore Castle, Cnoc na Crocaire (Hangman’s Hill), and the bodies buried in a mass grave nearby. It was noted that Clancy managed to salvage timber and decorations from the wreck and had a table made from it, the heraldic figures coming from the stern of a galleon. This is the table that was subsequently gifted to Sir Donough O’Brien of Lemenagh.Descending directly from the tenth century High King of Ireland Brian Boru, the O’Briens, Barons of Inchiquin are synonymous with Dromoland, one of the most famous baronial castles in Ireland and the clan’s ancestral home for nigh-on nine hundred years. Three castles are however associated with the O’Briens - Lemenagh, Dromoland and Bunratty.In 1014, Donough O’Brien, a son of Brian Boru, controlled Dromoland when it was a defensive stronghold. Donough was deposed in 1063 and went on pilgrimage to Rome and there gave the Irish Crown to the Pope. He died in Rome the following year and was buried in the basilica of Santo Stefano al Monte Celio. Lemenagh Castle, located between Corofin and Kilfenora, was built circa 1480-90 probably by Turlough Don O’Brien, King of Thomond and was originally a basic, 5-storied Irish tower house
THE DUNSANDLE SERVICEAN EXTENSIVE MATCHED DINNER SERVICE, PREDOMINANTLY IN THE DOUBLE THREADED FIDDLE PATTERN, with the crest of Daly of Dunsandle, co. Galway, London 1894, mark of Langley Archer West (later West & Son), bearing the Daly Family crest, and comprising:- a pair of basting spoons. Each 36cm long- four serving spoons. Each 30.5cm long- a pair of soup ladles. Each 33cm long- 35 table spoons - 43 table forks- 32 dessert spoons- 57 dessert forks, (22 of these forks with date letter 1909 and maker’s later mark of West & Son)- 16 fish forks with silver prongs- 17 fish knives with silver blades- a pair of sauce ladles- a pair of straining ladles- 18 teaspoons- 17 egg spoons- 27 square handled threaded dinner knives (filled), with marks rubbed, some possibly with different date letter and maker, and all with later stainless steel blades- 23 square handled threaded dessert knives (filled), with marks rubbed, some apparently with different date letter and maker, and all with later stainless steel blades, and another similar knife with rounded terminal from the same service, (c.619 troy ozs all in, excluding knives with stainless steel blades). (c.298 pieces)Inventory April 1911, Thread Pattern Table Service £ 120-12-0Provenance: Daly Family of Dunsandle
AN IMPORTANT IRISH GEORGE III MAHOGANY DINING TABLE, the top some 2'' thick, with reeded rim, raised on three pods, each with ring turned columns and outsplayed tripod bases with brass toe caps and castors. 305 x 138cmProvenance: Charles O’Hara, the Younger (1746-1822), of Annaghmore, Collooney, Co. Sligo; thence by descent to the current ownerThe O’Haras of Annaghmore are amongst the oldest landowning families in the North West of Ireland. Notwithstanding their Gaelic roots they succeeded in largely maintaining their estates throughout the Cromwellian and Williamite confiscations and the general political turmoil of the 17th Century. The original owner of the present dining table, Charles O’Hara the Younger, was elected MP for Sligo in 1783 and was an influential figure in both local and national politics throughout his lifetime. He was part of a movement of prominent enlightened thinkers at the turn of the 19th Century and a close friend to Edmund Burke and Burke’s son, Richard. He was a member of the Volunteers and played an active role in supressing the 1798 Rebellion. Despite his strong opposition to the Act of Union, he represented his home county of Sligo at Westminster until his death in 1822. The dining table, by familiar repute, was acquired by Charles O’Hara the Younger from the Irish Houses of Parliament following the Act of Union and their dissolution in 1800.
A SET OF EIGHTEEN IRISH REGENCY MAHOGANY FRAMED DINING CHAIRS, by Mack, Williams & Gibton, stamped B7180, the curved rail backs with incised line decoration, and middle rail above padded seats, covered in oatmeal tweed cloth and raised on chamfered sabre legs. (16 single and 2 elbow chairs)Provenance: Supplied to Henry Bar, Ballindoolin HouseThe chairs each with a curved bar back and reeded cross rails above a stuff-over seat, raised on front sabre legs, sixteen marked B7180 and a pair of open carvers marked B7180 and all signed in ink M W G.Mack, Williams & Gibton, 39 Staford Street, Dublin (1812-29) was one of the most successful partnerships in the early nineteenth century. The firm received a royal appointment in 1806 as ‘Upholsterers & Cabinet Makers to his Majesty, His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant and His Majesty’s Board of Works’. The firm worked closely with the architect Francis Johnston, then architect to the Board of Works and supplied furnishings to Dublin Castle and the Vice Regal Lodge (now Aras an Uachterain) and other state buildings.Ballindoolin, built in circa 1822 for Humphry Bor, retained up to recently an important collection of furniture supplied by Mack, Williams & Gibton. The firm supplied fine furniture to many Irish country houses including Borris House, County Carlow, The Argory, County Armagh and Lissadell, County Sligo. Indeed the attractive gate lodge in Greek revival style has been attributed to Francis Johnston (O’ Byrne).The country house dining room underwent a change in interior style in the early nineteenth century with a taste for larger tables and chairs, ordered ensuite with sideboard, serving table and wine cooler. As the hour for serving dinner became established at a later hour it was eaten by candlelight and drama was further created with a fashion for darker colours, augmented by candlelight and silver reflecting in large mirrors. The dining room served an important role in a family’s social life and was a centre for mixed gender entertainment, with the ladies being asked to leave while the chaps got sozzled on port!
A PAIR OF GEORGE IV ROSEWOOD BOWFRONT FOLDING TOP CARD TABLES, with baise lined interiors, the friezes with pillar fluted banding above four 'C' scroll centre supports on quadruped legs with brass banding and bosses, on cast paw feet with castors. 96 x 48cmThe distinctive design and construction of this table are indicative of the work of Scottish cabinet-maker William Trotter. A pair of ‘eliptic card tables’ in rosewood with similarly reeded friezes was supplied by Trotter for Paxton House, Berwickshire in 1814 (F. Bamford, ‘A Dictionary of Edinburgh Furniture Makers 1600-1840’, Furniture History, 1983, pl. 61), while a rosewood display stand, also for Paxton, exhibits a similar profile with its four incurved supports beneath an elliptical top (pl. 58). One of William Trotter’s (1772-1833) most significant commissions was for Paxton House, an 18th Century Robert Adam country house near Berwick-upon-Tweed. He also had a career outside of cabinet making, becoming a member of the Edinburgh Merchant Company and master of the Company in 1819 later becoming Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh.
A GEORGE III STYLE INLAID SATINWOOD SEMI ELLIPTICAL SIDE TABLE, the top inlaid with a lobed paterae and ribbon tied bellflower swags, within a border of trailing branches and rosewood banding, above a frieze similarly decorated on square tapering banded legs with plinth feet. 91cm high x 159cm wide
A FINE IRISH GEORGE II MAHOGANY RECTANGULAR SIDE TABLE, c.1750, the top with moulded rim above a frieze centred by a carved scallop shell flanked by scrolls with carved linen fold swags with rosette terminals on a cross-hatched and punched ground, the decoration mirrored to the sides, with carved acanthus leaf decoration to the legs, on acanthus carved hocks and squared hairy paw feet. 123 x 60 x 79cm Exhibited: 'An Exhibition of Irish Furniture', the Irish Architectural Archive, 45 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, 10th-16th May 2007.
A PAIR OF IRISH 19TH CENTURY DRAM GLASSES, c.1825/35, of circular waisted tumbler form with thick bottom, engraved in Roman capitals and in feathered script 'ENNY/L.O.L./1178' - Lodge No.1178 was the Enniscorthy Loyal Orange Lodge. 6.5cm high x 6cm diameterExhibited: Limerick 1971, City Art Gallery, as part of ROSC '71, Catalogue No.89.Sometimes called 'shot' glasses, after a toast these could be banged on the table, replicating the sound of musquetry fire.
AN EARLY 19TH CENTURY CONTINENTAL ROSEWOOD AND KINGWOOD VENEER AND ORMOLU MOUNTED DOLL'S CARRIAGE, the arch top surmounted with a gilded coronet above a single glazed panel door decorated with inlaid satinwood panel, flanked by glazed panels and enclosing two seats, raised on ormolu mounted wheels. 92cm high x 93cm long x 49cm wide; together with an independent stained wood table stand with mounts grooved to accommodate the carriage wheels, raised on spiral turned column legs and stretchers. 95 x 53cm
AN ITALIAN EBON AND IVORY INLAID CABINET ON STAND, 19th century in the Renaissance taste, the galleried cabinet top with central tabernacle pillared compartment flanked by sixteen small drawers arranged in tiers, on a table base, the frieze conforming and raised on spherical and turned tapering legs joined by a turned stretcher centred with an urn. 182cm high, 128cm wide, 43cm deepPLEASE NOTE: THIS ITEM CONTAINS OR IS MADE OF IVORYBidders should be advised that importation regulations of several countries, including the US, prohibits the importation of ivory, or any goods containing ivory. Therefore Adams advises prospective purchasers who intend to ship this lot to another country to familiarise themselves with the relevant importation regulations prior to bidding. Adams will not be responsible for shipping items herein and the onus will be on the buyer to organise shipping at their own behest.
AN EXCEPTIONAL IRISH GEORGE II MAHOGANY DOUBLE DROP LEAF DINING TABLE, of oval form, with gate leg movement, each leg carved with lion mask with ring and ribbon tied swags to each knee, raised on hairy paw feet. 191cm x 138cm (open)A direct comparison of this lot may be made with the table sold by the Knight of Glin in his sale at Christies lot 94 for £62,000 and which is illustrated in Glin & Peill, Irish Furniture 2007, Cat. No. 158.Here there are anamorphic lion masks of great vigour, instead of satyr masks, and to continue the therne, fierce hairy paw feet, instead of claw and ball feet. However, the overall concept, accomplished carving and construction would suggest that these tables originated in the same, presumably Dublin, workshop.
AN IRISH GEORGE III MAHOGANY CIRCULAR DISHED TOP TABLE, with moulded rim, above a birdcage atop a carved column support with tripod base, with carved acanthus leaf decoration and scroll feet. 81cm diameter, 73cm highNote: See M. Harris & Sons, 'A Catalogue and Index of Old Furniture and Works of Decorative Art', 44-52 New Oxford Street.
A FINE VICTORIAN INLAID WALNUT SHAPED OVAL CENTRE TABLE, by Gillows & Co., the quarter veneered within bands of rosewood and Vitruvian scrolls, raised on turned four column supports and quadruped outswept legs, panelled in walnut and decorated with beaded banding and applied cast vine bosses, with scroll feet and recessed castors, stamped 'Gillows & Co.'. 130 x 90cm
A COROMANDEL WOOD DRESSING CASE, the hinged lid inlaid with brass shield baring the inscription 'Presented to Miss Lyons by the members of the Munster Club on the occasion of her marriage to J.C. Blake Esqr. with their regards and best wishes for her happiness, April 1877' opening to reveal a fitted interior; together with a set of glass and silver mounted dressing table scent bottles and boxes. London 1872. The case 20 x 30.5 x 23.5cm; and a cut glass and silver mounted claret jug. (2)
AN IRISH 19TH CENTURY MAHOGANY TEA AND GAMES TABLE, by Robert Strahan & Co., Dublin, with double folding top, the games surface with corner candlestands, green baise lining and counter wells, fitted long frieze drawer with shell motif and raised on shell carved cabriole legs and leaf carved triform feet (paper label affixed to drawer interior). 87.5cm wide x 45cm deep
AN EARLY 18TH CENTURY WALNUT GAMES TABLE, the folding top with rounded corners enclosing a tapestry lined interior decorated with gaming motifs and with candlestands, above single small cockbeaded frieze drawer, with concertina action and raised on scroll carved cabriole legs and pad feet. 86 x 43cm
A FINE LATE VICTORIAN KINGWOOD AND WALNUT CIRCULAR CENTRE TABLE, by C. Mellier & Co., London, the top inlaid with 'trompe l'oeil' hexagonal parquetry and with fluted and carved apron on a cross shaped frame, pierced with ovals and foliate uprights terminating in lion mask scrolls and moulded cruciform base with bun feet, maker's mark stamped twice. 163cm diameter x 78cm highProvenance: Minley Manor, Hampshire; illustrated in situ in the Drawing Room in the Catalogue of Works of Art, privately printed 1908.
VENETIAN SCHOOL (c.1700)The Doge's banquet in the new banqueting hall by the Channel of San Marco with an attendance of councillors, presidents of tribunals, magistrates, foreign ambassadors, the tables decorated with objets d'art and the sideboard piled with silver and gold chargers and dishesOil on canvas, 60 x 116cm Provenance: Earls Annesley, CastlewellanThe Doge of Venice, as part of the governance of the city, held five official banquets a year; the Feast of the Ascension; St Mark's Day; the Feast of St. Vitus; the Feast of St Jerome and St Stephen's Day on the 26th December. Senior officials and magistrates attended while foreign ambassadors eagerly sought initiations as this was the one opportunity of avoiding the ban on talking to the doge and patriciate. Each feast represented a different facet of Venetian ceremonial life, Ascension day was also the day the Doge symbolically threw a gold ring into the lagoon and participants dined afterwards. The picture on back wall depicts the Bucintoro, the ceremonial barge used in this ceremony and this perhaps is the banquet depicted. The public were allowed to view the first course and to admire the table and sideboard decorations. As the power of Venice declined these became increasingly elaborated and etiquette more and more formal. We are grateful to Peter Lauritzen for making available his unpublished treatise on 'Venetian Art & Ceremonial', for the above cataloguing. He notes that depictions of these banquets are extremely rare.
A CEYLONESE EBONY AND COPPER INSET CENTRE TABLE, 19th Century, of regular form, the rectangular top with inset brass panels engraved with interlaced decoration and hunting scenes, above a pieces and carved frieze, raised on barley twist legs and ball feet. 75cm wide, 53cm deep, 74cm high
***PLEASE NOTE THIS TABLE IS BY MACK, WILLIAMS & GIBTON***AN IRISH GEORGE IV ROSEWOOD SHAPED RECTANGULAR LIBRARY TABLE BY MACK, WILLIAMS & GIBTON, with shallow bowed ends above twin fielded frieze drawers with knop handles, raised on turned end pillars and 'T' platform supports. 151.5 x 76cm
A FINE GOTHIC REVIVAL MAHOGANY SIDE TABLE, after a design by Thomas Chippendale, the rectangular top with round moulded edge, over a blind fret work frieze centred with a foliate design and supported on open squared legs, with staged architectural carving, on conforming block feet. 86cm high, 182cm long, 81cm wide
A GEORGE III STYLE MAHOGANY OCTAGONAL LIBRARY TABLE, the segmented radical top with leaf and ribbon carved rim raised above four cockbeaded drawers and four conforming dummy drawers with cast drop handles, raised on four heavily carved lion mask capped cabriole legs on hairy paw feet. 122 x 122 x 77.5cm high
Loading...
