By Eleanor Flegg
It is in the nature of collections to be dispersed for auction. Most are removed, photographed, and shown in the auction rooms where each lot is seen, as it is sold, on its own merits.
But things are far more interesting in the home from which they came, where their context adds another layer of meaning. The collector鈥檚 presence is everywhere 鈥 the grouping, positioning and display of objects is a story in itself.
The auction of the Estate of the late Philip Murphy takes place at Sheppard鈥檚 Auction Rooms in Durrow, Co Laois on July 15 and 16, but the lots are on view in their original home 鈥 6 Royal Terrace West, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, from Saturday, July 12 to Sunday, July 14. The collection is a journey back in time.
鈥淢y uncle lived in that house since the early 1960s,鈥 says Hilary Walsh, Murphy鈥檚 niece and one of the executors.
鈥淥nce they bought the house, Philip and his wife Constance decided that everything in it should be correct and proper. They were diligent auction-goers. He was very knowledgeable and put a forensic level of detail into everything he collected. He had a good eye for when a piece had been interfered with.鈥
Royal Terrace East and West are Victorian, built in 1860 on opposite sides of a four-acre park. They were homes for wealthy Dubliners who travelled to and from the city on the Dublin to Kingstown railway.
As part of the Royal Terrace West Residents Association, Philip and Constance were instrumental in persuading D煤n Laoghaire Borough Corporation to buy the square between the terraces from Monkstown Hockey Club in 1989.
鈥淭hey were very involved in the presentation of the square,鈥 Walsh says. 鈥淵ou wouldn鈥檛 want to be painting the railings the wrong colour.鈥
Inside the house, everything followed a Victorian aesthetic. The decor and furnishings are as true to the period as possible.
鈥淭he carpets are all in colours that would have been right for that period. Philip was very detail-oriented and interested in beautiful objects, but the house can be a little overwhelming,鈥 Walsh admits. 鈥淪ome of the antiques don鈥檛 fit so well into a 21st-century lifestyle and there鈥檚 too much stuff there for modern times.鈥
Although the house itself is in need of renovation, with Bakelite light switches and two-pin plugs, the collection was meticulously maintained.
As a child, Walsh remembers the smell of furniture polish. 鈥淵ou didn鈥檛 just pick up any furniture polish and silver cleaner in the supermarket. There was a correct way of doing it. He liked things done right. There was no sloppy cutting of corners.鈥
She also remembers the sound of many ticking clocks, all kept in full working order. 鈥淚t was very atmospheric.鈥
As is the way with auctions, Philip Murphy鈥檚 collection has been interspersed with the possessions of 鈥渙ther important clients鈥. These have been displayed in keeping with the house contents and make for a more spectacular viewing, but also represent a dilution of the collection.
Murphy鈥檚 own collection includes a Georgian longcase clock by Gaskin of Dublin (Lot 313: est 鈧500 to 鈧800) and a host of carriage clocks.
Murphy had an interest in Killarney ware, a distinctive style of marquetry produced in the Killarney area in the 19th century.
Significant examples in the sale include a writing box with inlaid panels of Ross Castle and Muckross Abbey (Lot 512: est 鈧800 to 鈧1,200); a box in Irish yew wood with an inlaid interior and removable trays (Lot 509: 鈧800 to 鈧1,200); and a writing slope in yew wood, inlaid with shamrocks and a central view of Muckross Abbey (Lot 520: est 鈧700 to 鈧900). There are also many smaller pieces of Killarney ware in the sale.
The furniture in the kitchen is of a different style to the rest of the house, possibly reflecting the Irish country furniture Murphy might have remembered from his childhood in Dunmanway, Co Cork.
His father was the Labour politician TJ Murphy (1893-1949). These humble, vernacular pieces make a strong contrast with the ostentatious Victorian furniture upstairs.
They include a rustic pine settle bench (Lot 1048: est 鈧200 to 鈧300); a painted wooden armchair (Lot 1052: est 鈧100 to 鈧150); and a pine kitchen dresser (Lot 450: est 鈧200 to 鈧300).
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