Thursday (July 20th) Dix Noonan Webb, London. A Zulu War medal awarded to Dublin-born Corporal James Bushe after the defence of Rorke's Drift £72,000 (€80k) – (£40,000-£50,000) [see pic].
Thursday (July 20th) Sotheby's, New York. Space Exploration. The "Apollo 11 Contingency Lunar Sample Return Bag – Used by Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11 to bring back the very first pieces of the Moon ever collected – traces of which remain in the bag" – $1.8 million (€1.5m), below the estimate of $2 million-$4 million [see pic]; the "Apollo 11 Flown Flight Plan", one that contains extensive mission notes by both Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on their last full day in space prior to their planned return to Earth – $275,000 ($25,000-$35,000); a crew-signed Apollo 11 emblem flown to the Moon by the Command Module pilot, Michael Collins – $68,750 ($40,000-$60,000); the "Records File on the First Flight by USSR Citizen Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin Made on Spaceship-Sputnik 'Vostok', April 12th, 1961" – $47,500 ($50,000-$ 80,000).
Saturday & Sunday (July 22nd & 23rd), Matthews Auction Rooms, "On The Premises" antiques auction at 15 Royal Terrace West, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. Lot 1149, a diamond "brilliant-cut" solitaire platinum-set ring, of approximately 3.5 Carats – €17,500 (€20,000-€30,000); Lot 32, a large antique Chinese porcelain vase on a carved hardwood base €5,000 (€2,000-€3,000); Lot 972, Feeding the Chickens oil-on-board, by Gladys Maccabe – €3,000 (€3,000-€5,000); Lot 306, an Irish solid silver salver, approximately 20 inches in diameter and decorated with engraved scenes of Ireland, made by Egan's of Cork – €2,150 (€1,500-€2,500); and, Lot 621, West of Ireland Scene – Lake with Mountains Beyond, oil-on-canvas, by George Gillespie – €2,400 (€2,000-€3,000).
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Tuesday & Wednesday (July 25th & 26th) Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers, The Chatsworth Summer Fine Art Sale. 75 per cent of lots sold. Stained glass windows from the Earley Studios, Dublin, including Lot 614, a suite of four stained glass panels, depicting, respectively, St Michael the Archangel, St Brigid, St John the Evangelist and St Gabriel – €11,000, more than double the top estimate (€3,000-€5,000); Lot 620, St Patrick Our National Apostle – Pray For Us – €5,500 (€4,000-€6,000) [see pic]; Lot 619, The Daughters of Charity, The Butterfly Nuns, a panel in a custom-made illuminated box – €3,700 (€2,500-€3,500) [see pic]; and Lot 615, a circular stained glass panel, inscribed in centre Cor Jesu Spes Nostra – €1,700 (€1,500-€2,500). Among other lots: Lot 623, The Fish Market, Roundstone, oil-on-canvas, by Kenneth Webb – €15,000 (€10,000-€15,000); Lot 640, an Italian School sculpture, The Crouching Venus, originally in Powerscourt House, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow – €8,000 (€7,000-€9,000); and, Lot 589, a watercolour The Water Babies by Rose Barton – €1,700 (€2,000-€3,000) [see pic]. There were two notable "sleepers" in the sale: Lot 115, an oval, enamelled plaque painted with an image of King Frederick III of Prussia, made by J Sadler of Liverpool, sold for €5,200 – way above the lowly estimate (€150-€200); and Lot 841, a 17th Italian School oil-on-canvas depicting Moses Striking the Rock that sold for €10,500 (€700-€900). Among the unsold were: Lot 366, a 19th-century Irish cast-iron model of The Phoenix Rising from the Flames made by the Royal Phoenix Iron Works at Parkgate St, Dublin (€2,000-€3,000); and, Lot 649 an early 19th-century Italian ebonised centre table with inlaid ivory images of Neptune and Venus (€3,000-€4,000).
