Last Palace auction to take place
The final annual Palace Collection sale will take place next week.
Victor Mee Auctions returns to the former Archbishop’s Palace for the final time for what’s described as “the most magnificent auction event of 2022”.
This is the fourth instalment of the annual auction held by Victor Mee Auctions every autumn and features fine furnishings, interior décor, artwork and garden lots.
The sale, though hosted online, takes place on location at the former Bishop's Palace in Kilmore, which the team, once again, has worked painstakingly to dress and adorn ahead of the pre-sale viewing on September 17, 18 and 19.
The catalogue, as ever, is teeming with pieces of fine furnishings, interior décor, artwork and a scattering of garden lots, “all of which simply scream opulence and individuality and bidders are certainly encouraged to visit the viewing ahead of the auction to encounter the lots in all their glory”.
The sale takes place over three days next week from Tuesday, September 20 to Thursday, September 22.
This event has been described as being “drenched in poignancy” as it also marks the final time the VMA team “will bring their magic and glitz to the Palace”.
Some of the inclusions have been reserved for this sale from the stunning Fermanagh property of Benmore House, a magnificent Georgian estate outside Enniskillen. It was built in 1829 by Reverend Hamilton as the Rectory for the Inishmacsaint Church and is known to have been visited by author C.S Lewis, whose grandfather was the Rector there in the early 1900s.
Commenting on plans for the sale, auctioneer Victor Mee said: “We spent a lot of time forward planning in advance of this particular sale, as it’s one of the bigger undertakings for us in a year. Our team is very passionate about what we do and The Palace Collection is an opportunity for us to really indulge in magnificence and create a spectacular sale in a spectacular environment where there truly is something to take the fancy of every kind of buyer. This year is particularly special as we won’t be returning next year so there’s nothing held back, nothing spared to make it an extraordinary couple of days for our clients.”
One of the rarest and most interesting lots appearing in the sale is Lot 157, a lifesize cast model of Venus de Milo, one of the most famous and revered Greek sculptures who stands for admiration in The Louvre, Paris.
This piece is a genuine cast from the Louvre Museum piece making it an exact and highly sought after copy of one of the most famous women in the world.
She appears in the sale as her own lot but as part of a resplendent series known as ‘The Grand Tour’, a collection of wildly impressive replica castings and artworks amassed by one of Ireland’s most elite high societal families. Venus goes forward to sale with an estimate of €4000-€8000.
Lot 100 is an extremely rare 19th Century Bone Shaker bicycle. The name Bone Shaker, originating in the late 1800s to describe the original true pedal bicycle, refers to the horrendously uncomfortable ride provided by the rigid wrought-iron frame and wooden wheels surrounded by tyres made of iron. Est: €1000-€2000.
Lot 372 is a beautiful 17th century oak refectory table. Dark and perfectly weathered, the refectory table is a long medieval type piece, originally used by monks in a monastery dining hall or “refectory” with two trestles and a stretcher underneath. This one is a truly stunning example and goes to auction with an estimate of €2500-€4500.
The full catalogue can be viewed online by visiting https://auctions.victormeeauctions.ie/