Michael Collins is said to have pronounced the word ‘eggs’ in a funny way (it sounded like ‘ogs’), but it didn’t stop him from eating them.
A list of the groceries consumed by the Irish Delegation who negotiated a peace treaty with the British government in 1921 included 10 dozen eggs… as well as Guinness, Benedictine, Hennessy brandy, Jameson whiskey, Graves wine, St Julien wine and créme de menthe.
The total grocery bill came to over £400 (€20,000 in today’s money). The account book containing these details (Lot 180: est. €5,000 to €7,000) is coming up for auction at Whyte’s Eclectic Collector auction, which closes online on June 7.
The sale also includes a letter from Emperor Napoleon to General Lauriston, June 21, 1809 (Lot 34: est. €5,000 to €7,000). The letter, dictated to a secretary and signed by the emperor, was written from Schönbrunn and orders munitions to be moved to Vienna.
1817-1832 Pattern Household Cavalry officer’s helmet at Whyte’s
On July 5-6, Napoleon defeated Austria at the Battle of Wagram. From the same era, an 1817-1832 Pattern Household Cavalry officer’s helmet (Lot 358: est. €3,000 to €5,000) shows a gilt frontal plate, including battle honours “Peninsula, Waterloo”. The potential top lot of the sale is an original manuscript of The Fianna of Fionn, handwritten by Pádraig Pearse (Lot 101: est. €30,000 to €50,000). See whytes.ie.
Adam’s
An authorised reproduction of Eileen Gray’s Non-Conformist armchair, dating from around 1973, fetched €7,000 at Adam’s Mid-Century Modern Sale on May 21.
Eileen Gray’s Non-Conformist armchair
The famously one-armed chair had been estimated to sell for between €2,000 and €3,000. See adams.ie.