Eclectic mix for Irish auction

An Irish auction house is promising an eclectic mix in its final auction of the year when it hosts its Decorative Interiors and Furniture Sale, encompassing items from a 19th-century country house to mid-century furniture.

Cavan-based Victor Mee Auctions’ post-Christmas sale has become a date in the diaries of many buyers seeking unusual furniture, examples of taxidermy and items for interiors.

Some of the highlights of the sale come from Lisgoole Abbey, a large Georgian house located near Enniskillen and boasting picturesque grounds. The Abbey is now privately owned but was once a monastic site, built around the 12th century.

The property has had many uses, including serving as an orphanage in the 19th century and a base for American army divisions during the Second World War.

This varied and multi-faceted history has contributed to the rich history and heritage of the site and the pieces within it, with stand-out lots including an early 19th-century estate cabinet made from oak wood with ivory inlay in the Jacobian style, a collection of clocks ranging from 18th century to the early 20th century, and unique period chairs and other furniture items.

Elsewhere, the sale offers a selection of mid-century furniture, such as a G-Plan sideboard made of teak wood, an Ercol light oak dining table, a pair of tan leather easy chairs, and a collection of opaline light shades originally from the Czech Republic.

Items of taxidermy are also well represented, with pieces including a full-sized adolescent lion, two 19th-century leopard skins with full head mounts, a rare black German boar’s head, and a graceful taxidermy swan.

The sale takes place on December 30.