Last week Christies, London held a sale primarily of property from Irish Castle Glin, owned by Desmond Fitzgerald, the current Knight of Glin. Fitzgerald was selling property to raise funds in order to keep the castle operating. The Knight was selling 198 items of Irish fine and decorative arts, with 161 lots selling for an 81% sell through rate. Given the current economic issues many collectors are facing, such as the Knight, the sale appears to have done rather well. The 161 lots brought a total of $2.67 million. Overall Fitzgerald was pleased with the sales results. Many of the items sold between the estimates and many more sold above the catalog estimates. A good showing for quality Irish fine and decorative arts from the collection of Desmond Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is also author of a book on Irish furniture, and his collection of Irish fine and decorative arts is considerable.The Irish Independent reported Yesterday, he said he was pleased to see that so many of his paintings and works of art had found new homes, some of them at institutions where they could be enjoyed by the public.
"Glin has been the ancestral property of my family for over 700 years and the strong results of today's auction will go a long way to securing its future for generations to come," he said.
As well as a packed saleroom, bids were taken from around the world via the internet and phone. Of the 198 lots on offer from the Glin collection, 161 went under the auctioneer's hammer for €2,001,652.
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