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Rare Opportunity To Buy Irish Artist's Sculpture

Works by internationally renowned Dublin-born artist Linda Brunker come on to the auction market only infrequently, most of her output being handled by leading U.S. galleries where she now lives. On Wednesday and Thursday September 23-24, Surrey’s premier fine art auction house Ewbank Clarke Gammon Wellers will offer no fewer than five of her works, consigned by a family who are moving to a smaller home.

Most valuable is “Foliose”, a four-foot wide bronze figure of a kneeling woman, formed by a mantle of oak leaves which seem to have drifted over her. It is expected to sell for £8,000-12,000. Foliose was purchased by the family directly from the artist, as were four other pieces by Brunker which are also in the sale.

“Resting Oak” is another bronze figure formed by leaves, the subject crouching clutching her knees while standing on tip toes on the exposed roots of the tree. “Homeward” is a face looking skyward, formed by the abstract shapes of birds’ wings, while “A Wave Forming” is a female figure formed by starfish and the fronds of seaweed. In contrast, “Siren” is a solid bronze depicting a birdlike female, her wings folded about her body. Each is estimated at £1,500-2,500, much below the prices of her work in galleries.

Linda Brunker (b. 1966) has been a full time sculptor since graduating from the National College of Art and Design, in Dublin in 1988 in Ireland. She emigrated to the U.S.in 2005, where her innovative style of bronze casting astonished not only the foundry where she worked but also the public who rushed to buy her sculptures.
At an early point in her career she began to develop what she terms an 'open filigree' technique of casting in bronze, a practice which has set apart her style and which challenges the traditional concept of bronze figurative sculpture. Her sculptures are typically based on the human form and have a strong spiritual and ecological quality. Natural elements such as leaves, feathers or starfish feature in abundance in her work and are intricately woven together to give shape to elegant figures which are later cast in bronze. The first version of foliose is in the Allied Irish Bank collection. Her work has been in such demand in North America, that in 2007 she opened her own gallery in Los Angeles where her sculpture and drawings form part of an ongoing exhibition. See www.lindabrunker.com
She has done several large commissions including 'The People's Counsil', City Hall, Laguna Beach 2006, 'Signal', commissioned by RTE in Dublin 1996 and many others. Her works are in various collections worldwide and she has had many solo and group exhibitions.
Elsewhere in the sale, a superb service of Thistle pattern St Louis crystal drinking glasses is estimated at £4,000-6,000. Each decorated at the rim with broad gold bands of scrolling foliage, the suite comprises decanter and stopper, jug, 12 claret, 11 each of white wine, water and highball, eight each of cocktail and liqueur and six each of dessert wine and six whiskey tumblers, commprising 76 pieces in all.
In contrast, and dating from perhaps 300 years earlier, is a free blown brown glass bottle , one side engraved “I Whiskey” the other side “C. Chamberlain” surrounded by a border of vines and grapes, and the sides engraved with interlocking Cs, which is estimated at £300-500.
Although intended for books, an elegant 19th century mahogany breakfront bookcase on stand, which is estimated at £400-600, would be the perfect place to show off your collection of glassware, since its four doors have attractive astragal glazed glass doors. The same bids are expected for a huge Victorian Gothic pine triple breakfront bookcase, which stands a towering nine feet tall and at almost 14 feet wide would be big enough to accommodate the largest home library.
A bottle of Chateau Haut Brion 1990 (estimate £150-250) would taste all the better from one of the St Louis glasses, but if a cup of tea is your preferred tipple, you’ll find no finer place to store the makings of a brew than a charming William IV rosewood circular teapoy, which is estimated at £800-1,200. The beautifully figured piece has a domed lid which opens on a hinge to reveal a semi-circular well for the mixing bowl and two covered compartments, which would have contained the then exotic and expensive tea leaves. The whole stands on a turned and carved column with a circular base on four flower carved supports and bun feet.
Ensuring that tea and biscuits is served on time could be achieved easily with any of a number of good clocks in the sale, but pick of them all is an imposing 18th century mahogany longcase by London maker William Carter. The brass dial movement has subsidiary seconds and date dials and a day/night dial in the broken arch, all set in a well figured case with brass ball finials. It is estimated at £2,000-3,000
Close behind in terms of both desirability and value is an early 19th century mahogany Scottish eight day longcase clock by Robert Stewart of Glasgow which has a circular white enamelled dial with subsidiary date and seconds dials. It is estimated at £800-1,200. However, if space permits only a mantle clock, a good 19th century silver plated brass and enamelled clock garniture in the Japanese manner would make a bold statement to any drawing room. The clock has a movement by Japy Freres, while the case of each of the three pieces is decorated with figures and foliage and mounts in the form of elephants. The garniture is estimated at £1,500-2,500.
A highlight of the ceramics section of the sale is a small group of modern British pottery from the collection of the late Mr F.B.C. Bravington, most of which was dispersed by London auctioneers Christie’s in 2001. The pieces in this sale were among those retained by the family and include a Celadon glazed vase with incised decoration; a vase and cover with elephant finial (each estimate £300-500) and a circular dish and cover with fish finial and painted with fish (£200-300) by the famous Bernard Leach, founder of the Street Ives Pottery. A ewer with incised line decoration by the man Leach described as his best pupil, Michael Cardew, is estimated at £300-500.
From the same family are two bowls by Charles Vyse, best know for his development of unique oriental style glazes. One is decorated with hearts on a dark brown glaze, while the other has a marbled glaze and each is estimated at £100-150. Mr Bravington was also a collector of early pottery and a pair of Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) models of recumbent rams is estimated at £300-500.
From other owners, a pair of Doulton Lambeth vases by Frank Butler decorated by tubelined stylised flowers is estimated at £1,000-1,500 and a Minton majolica jardiniere with applied lion masks and paw feet at £600-1,000. In continental ceramics, a 19th century Meissen figural group of scantily clad women holding a cherub and two doves perched on a flowering log is estimated at £700-1,000, while a 19th century French two-handled cup and cover painted with a landscape and figures, the gilt handles in the form of winged cherubs is estimated at £600-1,000.
However, some of the highest bids in the sale are expected in the jewellery section, vendors being encouraged to consign because of the current high price of precious stones and metal. An Art Deco three-stone diamond ring set with triangular sapphires in a platinum mount is estimated at £4,000-6,000 and an Edwardian diamond set locket containing a portrait miniature of Queen Alexandra wearing the George III tiara is estimated at £500-800. By family repute, the locket was given by Queen Mary to her daughter-in-law Marina Duchess of Kent, who in turn gave it to her companion, Marie Burke.
A George III gold diamond set memorial ring with inscription dated 1755 is estimated at £1,000-1,500 and among a quantity of gold coins and medals is a King George VI Coronation gold medal 1937 engraved for the Royal Mint by P. Metcalf (£1,500-2,000).
Most valuable in silver is expected to be a pair of Edward VII serpentine-shaped entree dishes (hallmarked T B London 1906, 68 ozs) estimated at £1,000-2,000.
In pictures, two works are by Leon Kossoff (b. 1926) the British expressionist painter who is a contemporary of Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. Study after Poussin II is estimated at £1,500-2,000 while a classical study is estimated at £800-1,200. These drawings had been torn into pieces at some time by the artist and skillfully restored. They were purchased from a London picture dealer in 2001/02
In the same section, a study of waves crashing on a rocky coastline with ships out to sea is unsigned but attributed to David James (estimate £1,200-1,800) and a gouache by Leonard Richmond showing a track in the New Forest Hampshire near Picket Post, Ringwood is estimated at £600-1,000. The latter is accompanied by two signed letters from the artist dated May 4 1939 thanking the purchaser for payment and giving detailed description of the location of the subject and April 26 1939 giving details of the delivery.
Richmond studied at Taunton School of Art and Chelsea Polytechnic. He was a prolific exhibitor at the Fine Art Society, the Royal Academy, and the Cooling and Walker Galleries and also showed widely overseas winning a number of awards. He produced the artwork for many regional landscapes used for railway posters in the 1930s.
More classical pictures include an oil of wild flowers in a glass vase by the Danish artist Bertha Wegmann (1847-1926) (estimate £2,000-3,000) and “Patricia”, a portrait by the French artist Serge Mendjisky (b 1929) which is estimated at £3,000-5,000. Two works by the Russian artist Yakov Romas, Russian (1902-1969) one titled “Acapulco Beach”, the other a Mexican town scene with figures are each estimated at £1,000-1,500, while Irish artist Padraig Macmiadhachain, (b. 1929) is represented by "Children of the Fisherman” an oil on masonite, which is estimated at £800-1.000.
In watercolours, bids of £2,000-3,000 are anticipated for a picture of a lady reclining on a beach by British artist Mary Fedden (b. 1915), while “Boat on a coloured ground”, and “Two-masted boat and buildings” by Jack Pender, British (1918-1998) are each estimated at £1,000-1,500.
The sale is on view on Saturday September 19 from 10am-2pm; Monday September 21 from10am-4pm; Tuesday September 22 from 10am-8pm and on the morning of the sale from 9.30-10. The fully illustrated catalogue is available for viewing online on the auctioneer’s newly redesigned website at www.ewbankauctions.co.uk. For further information, please contact the auctioneers on 01483 223101.