Portraits of figures with links to Belvedere House go under the hammer this weekend
(Above) The portrait of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Howard-Bury.
Portraits of two well known historical figures with strong links to Belvedere House go under the hammer this weekend in Navan.
Well-known Meath auctioneer Damien Matthews is conducting a mammoth four-day house clearance auction starting this Saturday at his auction rooms in Navan.
The first portrait (Lot 626) that is sure to interest local history buffs is a painting of the former owner of Belvedere House, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Howard-Bury (1881-1963). Born Charleville, Tullamore, Bury was leader of the 1921 Royal Geographic Society Expedition to Mount Everest and the first Westerner to surmount the slopes of Mount Everest, this the centenary year of this historic event. The estimate on this Lot is €20,000 - €30,000.
The second portrait (Lot 2453) depicts Robert Rochford (1661-1727).
Rochford, Attorney General of Ireland and Speaker in the Irish House of Commons 1692-1703, was grandfather of the 1st Earl of Belvedere. He was also appointed by Queen Ann in 1707 as Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. His Son, also named Robert, succeeded him in representing Westmeath in Parliament and was later created Baron of Bellefield. His own son, again named Robert, was made Earl of Belvedere in 1757. Before this, in 1740, he built Belvedere House. And in or around 1770, after a disagreement with his Brother about his wife, built the famous 'Jealous Wall'.
The portrait also features The Great Irish Mace, which represented the authority of the English King in the Irish House of Parliament, and had to be present in parliament when in session in order to be considered legal. It is believed King James II later melted this mace down to help pay his debts for the war which raged between himself and King William on Irish soil in 1690 - now known as The Battle of the Boyne. The Great Irish Mace, over 5ft Long, had finely chased floral designs with rose of thistle and fleur-de-lis motifs. This portrait showing the Great Mace, is the only surviving depiction of it, an important part of Ireland's heritage now lost. The auctioneers attribute the portrait to George Morphy (1655-1715), an important Irish artist of the time. The estimate on this lot is €30,000 - €50,000.
The four day auction comprises the estate of Graham Ford, head designer at Navan Carpets who died in November 2020 and the clearance of Churchtown House. It is a No Reserve auction.
Mr Ford, an inverate collector, was also an avid Lego enthusiast, collector of railway models, stamp collector and bibliophile, as well as anything else that might take his fancy. There are over 2,700 lots to be cleared and the catalogue can be viewed on the auctioneer's website www.matthewsauctionrooms.com.