Bonhams' 20th Century British and Irish Art sale will showcase Paul Henry's A View of Croagh Patrick from Achill Island. Appearing for the first time at auction, the piece is expected to sell for £10,000-15,000 on May 30 in London.
The painting, which depicts a view of Croagh Patrick or "The Reek", a famous site of pilgrimage in honour of St Patrick, will feature as one of the auction's Irish highlights. The mountain is said to have been the site where St Patrick fasted for 40 days in AD441 before using the Black Bell to banish all of the snakes from Ireland. It also gave name to the Reek Sunday holiday, held every July in Ireland.
 A View of Croagh Patrick from Achill Island could sell for £10,000-15,000. |
This piece offers a chance to own a unique and culturally significant piece of Henry's work which, here at Paul Fraser Collectibles, we believe may be significantly undervalued. A similar item made €260,000 at Bonhams' Important Irish Art Sale in 2006, despite an Antiques Roadshow valuation of £40,000-£60,000.
The auction also features two works by Gerard Dillon. Little boy playing at God and The Moon over the Bog are set to make £50,000 and £70,000, respectively, and could prove to be the stars of the sale.
Heavily influenced by Chagall, The Moon over the Bog is described as rich in its sense of romance and fantasy, and offers a combination of charm and affordability for investors. Dillon himself said of the painting: "The Moon was so huge and romantic hanging over the land that even the young man in the picture was proposing marriage to the girl to whom he was making love."
For those looking for potential art investments, Paul Fraser Collectibles has an investment-grade piece by Chagall here.
