Former Bishop’s Palace hosting antique auction

The former Bishop’s Palace in Cavan will play host to an array of interior pieces to be auctioned next week.

Victor Mee Auctions is hosting the third Palace Collection Sale in the coming days, with a wide range of items on offer.

Among the lots for auction this month is a superb collection of taxidermy, from a simple 19th century hare’s head (Lot 138) or an early 20th Century mink (Lot 347) to the more unusual giraffe’s head and shoulders (Lot 176), which could look at home in any Cavan front hall.

Dating from 1760, Lot 431 is an Irish Georgian Chippendale mahogany longcase clock with brass and enamel dial by Sam Busby, Dublin. It’s described as “good quality” and measures 2.4m high.

With the sometimes unpredictable Irish weather an unusual ship’s barometer could come in handy. The mahogany piece dates from the early 19th century (Lot 475).

The local links aren’t confined to the auction’s location, with a 1912 watercolour of bogland by Percy French among the items (Lot 505).

Many superb furniture pieces feature in next week’s listing, an Edwardian cellarette among them.

The burr walnut inlaid piece (Lot 554) stands on brass and ceramic castors and could make a fantastic addition to a living room.

There are also tables galore up for grabs, from a Regency mahogany lamp table (Lot 565) to a pair of inlaid kingwood lamp tables with brass gallery on cabriole legs (Lot 634).

Or for a larger space, you could go for the William IV mahogany extension dining table (Lot 641).

With all this table space, you’ll need some things to put on them. You could go for a small musical harp (Lot 972) or an Edwardian inlaid mahogany bracket clock with etched brass dial (Lot 432).

Or an Oriental hand painted ceramic lidded vase (Lot 910) could make a nice centrepiece.

For the wall, your options include a gilt framed oleograph of Nelson Mandela (Lot 953) or a 19th century silk tapestry could be an option.

Depicting the mythical HoHo bird, it’s mounted in a gilt frame (Lot 990).

Or for something different you could choose a tapestry. With a rare pair of 18th Century Flemish tapestries (Lot 625) or a 19th century one depicting the pillage and destruction of Basing House (Lot 76).

The Bishop’s Palace has become a regular home of the Victor Mee interior auctions, with this its third hosting.

This year’s event takes place online from Tuesday, September 28 to Thursday, September 30.

While the pandemic means bidding will take place online or over the phone for this event, there will be viewing opportunities in the lead up to it.

Auctioneer Victor Mee said, “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”.

“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 interior pieces would have looked”, he said.