Victor Mee Auctions hosts the third annual The Palace Collection Sale at Cavan’s renowned ‘Bishop’s Palace’
For the third year running the team at leading Irish auction house, Victor Mee Auctions, will return to Kilmore’s Bishop’s Palace to host The Palace Collection Sale. The exquisite interiors sale will take place online on 28th, 29th and 30th September. Although the auction will be live online, the team are pleased to finally be able to welcome interested bidders back onsite for viewing opportunities.
Once again, The Palace Collection Sale will see an array of hand-picked, rare interiors items from across many historical time periods go under the hammer. This sale has been a full year in the making after the auction house’s last two successful Palace Collection Sales held at the former Bishop’s Palace. For many months, the Victor Mee team has been personally selecting and keeping aside key interior pieces from a range of clients, specifically to fit the rooms within the exquisite onsite location which have been set up according to historical time period.
Built in the mid-1800s, The Bishop’s Palace was home to several Irish bishops until the year 2000 when it was privately bought. The towering stately residence is located 5.6km south west of Cavan town and was built in the Grecian Revival style. The house has been untouched and has become the ideal location, steeped in history and grandeur for Victor Mee Auctions’ iconic and most renowned interiors sales.
Commenting on the third annual The Palace Collection sale, Auctioneer Victor Mee said, “We are extremely excited to be back at the exquisite Bishop’s Palace to host our third The Palace Collection Sale. After the previous successes over the past two years we have no doubt that this sale will follow suit and we believe this may just be the best one yet. As a team, we have dedicated many hours to hand-picking the lots, moving them to the Bishop’s Palace and dressing the rooms according to period to help shed some light as to how these types of houses and interiors pieces would have looked in their former glory. Victor concluded, “We are very much looking forward to welcoming interested bidders onsite for viewing and seeing how each lot performs on the auction block during the three-day sale.”
Timeless Georgian furniture & interiors pieces
A recurring theme within the annual Palace Collection sales is the exquisite range of Georgian furniture and interiors pieces available to bidders. Two outstanding Georgian period lots include lots 537 and 662 - two exceptional quality Irish Georgian fire places.
The first of the two chimney pieces is inlaid with flutes of Sienna marble, with corner blocks decorated with urns and the centre piece depicting flowers, foliage and swags. The second piece, lot 662, is an Irish William IV statutory marble chimney piece with acanthus leaf corbel on reeded legs, with a centre panel depicting a reclining lady with fruit, foliage and wheat sheaf. These extremely rare lots are tipped to be very desirable to interiors bidders as they would grace any room of a generous size.
Continuing in Georgian fashion are lots 141, an Irish Georgian giltwood pier mirror and lots 109 & 431, an Irish Georgian mahogany grandfather clock, both of which will act as the perfect statement piece for any antique interiors collector.
Georgian furniture makers tended to choose mahogany over walnut as their wood of choice due to its durability. The Georgian style lasted nearly 100 years and its timeless appearance is still just as popular in homes throughout the world today.
Exquisite tapestries that tell many tales
Tapestries have quickly become a common feature within Victor Mee Auctions’ interiors sales and The Palace Collection sale will put on display two show-stopping tapestry lots sure to appeal to a vast amount of interiors bidders.
The first is lot 625, an extremely rare pair of large 18th century Flemish tapestries. Flemish tapestry art in the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries usually originated out of the city of Brussels, the city had become the principal city for weaving, with a character and technique like none other. The second lot, number 76, is a rare 19th century tapestry depicting the Pillage and Destruction of Basing House.
Flemish and other tapestries from around the world represented changing society, reflecting new tastes and telling important stories. They quickly began to make their mark in fashion as more decorative than utilitarian and today grace the walls of many homes as a one-of-a-kind interior pieces, many of which an instant conversation starter.
Artwork dated across history
It wouldn’t be a Palace Collection sale without a range of historic artwork depicting many iconic periods in our history, appearing at the auction block. Highlights of the diverse artwork collection date back to the 17th century, with pieces collected from across the globe.
Particular lots of interest include lot 427, an oil on canvas painting of a Noble Man, with the plaque on the frame inscribed ‘Franz Stampart 1675 – 1750’. Frans van Stampart was a Flemish portrait painter, printmaker and publisher. The artist established a highly sought after reputation in the world of art as a portraitist of European rulers, aristocrats and higher clergy.
Closer to home, lots 400 and 460 include an 18th century oil on canvas portrait of William of Orange, a framed oil on canvas farm scene, painted by renowned landscape artist George Meadows and a famous watercolour Bogland Scene painted by Percy French. The vast array of artwork available to bidders within the Palace Collection sale will ensure a decorative piece to suit all tastes.
Victor Mee Auctions’ exclusive online sales are continuing to grow in popularity with bidders tuning in online from across the world. The Cavan-based auction house is excited to welcome bidders back onsite for viewing at the former Bishop’s Palace, for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic hit our shores.
For more information on The Palace Collection sale hosted online by Victor Mee Auctions at ‘The Bishop’s Palace’, visit www.victormeeauctions.ie