Rory Breslin Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Rory Breslin Art Value Price Guide

Sep. 28, 2026
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE JUNE MARINE MASK
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE JUNE MARINE MASK porcelain; (no. 1 from an edition of 3) h:21.50 w:14 d:6 in. Crowned by a vigorous phalanx of European sea bream, summer visitors considered sacred to Aphrodite, that swim through the upper current curved fingers of Lamanaria Digitata which veil-like stretches upwards from its holdfast at the base of the sculpture. In the safety of this kelp and in a fashion reminiscent of M.C. Esher, a troupe of Dublin Bay prawns march, clock and counter from either temple of the enthusiastic visage. Nephrops norvegicus which the French call langoustine translates to ‘lobsterette’ as it resembles a small lobster. Sometimes this rather pretty looking crustacean is also referred to as demoiselles de Cherbourg. Interspersed between the oarweed and the crustaceans from the bottom up are an array of shell fish; limpets, that kept Ernest Shackleton and his men alive on Elephant Island; whelks and other marine gastropods that end under the Giltheads in a diadem of augur shells, named after the shell's resemblance to boring drill bits or screws.
Whyte's
Sep. 15, 2026
RORY BRESLIN (B. 1963)
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Title: The February Marine Mask (From The Clew Bay Marine Series) Medium: Porcelain (No. 1 from an edition of 3) Signature: Signed Provenance: The Artist's Private Collection, Co. Mayo The Clew Bay Marine Series are a series of 'seascapes' chronicling by season the wealth and variety of sea life in Irish coastal waters. A microcosm of the abundance and richness of Irish marine life and of our human relationship with the sea, the works celebrate the beauty, diversity and also the tenacity of life on our coasts. The latent energy that permeates the sculpture underlines that dynamic tenacity, pushing the techniques of bronze sculpture extensively to gain spatial and emotional tension and immediacy. Breslin is usually associated with bronze sculpture but is constantly experimenting with various materials and techniques. With this wall sculpture, the translucency and beauty of porcelain is explored to great tonal eﬀect. The February Marine Mask Shells open, a diadem of Clams curves across the forehead of the engaged youth. These thick trough shells, unfairly labelled 'an bia bocht' or poor man's food have a history that date to the Cambrian Period. This crown is broken only by the iodine rich Toothed wrack that permeates through it to float above on the upper section of the sculpture. Buoyed within the upper wrack one of three Kemps Ridley turtles that align with its siblings at the peripheries of the work infer a circular movement around the mask giving a feeling of weightless 'flow'. A rare and unfortunate visitor to Irish shores, this endangered and smallest of turtles inevitably succumbs to cold stunning. A hermit crab, Pagurus bernhardus, nestles below the chin of the free-flowing and thalasso therapeutic Bladderwrack that flows from the bottom upwards on either side of the cheeks.
Sheppards
Sep. 15, 2026
RORY BRESLIN (B. 1963)
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Title: The November Marine Mask (From The Clew Bay Marine Series) Medium: Porcelain (No. 1 from an edition of 3) Signature: Signed Provenance: The Artist's Private Collection, Co. Mayo The Clew Bay Marine Series are a series of 'seascapes', chronicling by month the wealth and variety of sea life in Irish coastal waters. Usually associated with bronze sculpture, Breslin is constantly experimenting with various materials and techniques. The translucency and beauty of porcelain is explored to great tonal eﬀect in these wall sculptures. A small shoal of juvenile red gurnards, the grunting fish, cascade from the upper central aspect of the sculpture with brown crabs like protective sentinels on either side of the fish. Eaten by hominoids since the cave dwelling Neanderthals, the goddess Hera placed the pagurus amongst the stars as the constellation Cancer. The fish and the crabs are tethered to a coif of sequentially patterned mussels or Diúilicín, the makers of 'sea silk' much coveted by Roman and Greek emperors. The mussels are overlapped on either side of the youth's cheeks by serrated wrack, rich in minerals and known for its potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Two large sea urchins are partially enveloped by the wrack which also cups on either side the great sea bean, the Entada Gigas, deposited at Dooagh in Achill Island from the tropics of South America by the Gulf Stream and its continuation, the North Atlantic Drift. Below the urchins and the wrack, two curved mermaids purses, incubators of sharks, skates and chimaeras, frame the lower section of the mask. The ever-bobbing common sandpiper leaves its prints and its exploratory beak holes in the cheeks of the sedate and peaceful youth.
Sheppards
Sep. 15, 2026
RORY BRESLIN (B. 1963)
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Title: The July Marine Mask (From the Clew Bay Marine Series) Medium: Porcelain (No. 1 from an edition of 3) Signature: Signed Provenance: The Artist's Private Collection, Co. Mayo The Clew Bay Marine Series are a series of 'seascapes', chronicling by month the wealth and variety of sea life in Irish coastal waters. Usually associated with bronze sculpture, Breslin is constantly experimenting with various materials and techniques. The translucency and beauty of porcelain is explored to great tonal eﬀect in these wall sculptures. A great dusk-hunting Thornback Ray glides forward, its wings elegantly up-curved. Running externally underneath this Raja and flowing to a bow at the base of the work, the intertidal Bladderwrack, used as fertiliser of potato 'lazy beds' and in folklore for protection against mental derangement; encapsulates the remainder of the marine iconography. From the top the blind and regimental razor fish are arranged like strata in formation to the lower jawline. Below these and foraging in the Wrack, two shore crabs at odds with each other on either side of the seaweed, Dead Man's fingers, Codium Fragile, that curl up below the chin. Perwinkles, an ancient human food source, adorn the seaweed while the inquisitive and open-mouthed youth's countenance is decorated in the spiralling curls of the Lugworms castings. But while he passed before a plashy place, A lug-worm with its grey and muddy mouth Sang that somewhere to north or west or south There dwelt a gay, exulting, gentle race Under the golden or the silver skies. W.B. Yeats
Sheppards
Jun. 10, 2026
RORY BRESLIN (B. 1963)
Est: €3,500 - €5,500
Title: The August Mask (From the Clew Bay Series) Medium: Bronze (No. 1 from an edition of 3) Signature: Signed and Numbered Provenance: The Artist's Private Collection, Co. Mayo The expression of the youthful August Mask is stoic and quite a bit determined. A plethora of symmetrically balanced leaves issue from the top of the work to the bottom. The first, a canopy of Twayblade orchid leaves overhang the criss-crossed leaves of the Marsh orchid and two rosettes of Spear thistle on either side of the head. Folklore of both ancient Ireland and Greece tell of mixing the roots of orchids with goat's milk to make love potions. The thistle, James II choice of emblem for Scotland was picked because of its defensive symbolism...'Nemo me impune lacessit', 'Nobody touches me with impunity'. Below the thistles, leaves of the Doves tail crane bill, complete with their flowers frame the lower arc of the sculpture. Acrobatically flying through the cascade of leaves, four blue tits fly harmoniously reflecting each other at the upper and lower sections of the sculpture. The tails of the upper birds graze flowers of the Devils Bit, named from the fact that its roots look truncated, as if bitten off, legend has it, by the Devil. A series of plants curve inwards with the youth's face from the chin up. Leaves of the much maligned Ragwort and the pointed buds of Goat's Beard, whose flowers close up at noon. Seedbuds of Plaintan follow the cheekbones and lastly Patrick's emblem, used to explain the essence of the Holy Trinity to king Aengus, the clover subtly hangs down from the forehead.
Sheppards
May. 25, 2026
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE JANUARY MARINE MASK [CLEW BAY SERIES]
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE JANUARY MARINE MASK [CLEW BAY SERIES] porcelain; (no. 1 from an edition of 3) h:17.25 w:11.75 d:6 in. The Clew Bay Marine Series are a collection of bronze 'seascapes', chronicling by season the wealth and variety of sea life in the bay. A microcosm of the abundance and richness of Irish marine life and of our human relationship with the sea, the works celebrate the beauty, diversity and also the tenacity of life on our coasts. The latent energy that permeates the sculpture underlines that dynamic tenacity, pushing the techniques of bronze sculpture extensively to gain spatial and emotional tension and immediacy. Breslin is usually associated with bronze sculpture but is constantly experimenting with various materials and techniques. With this wall sculpture, the translucency and beauty of porcelain is explored to great tonal effect. Redolent of a mesopotamian headless, great straps of sugar kelp, laminaria saccharina, shroud the downcast face of the youth. Adorned with cockles, an ancient food found in shellfish middens throughout Europe and queens scallops attached by their byssus which shade the upper countenance of the mask. Further textured fronds of the kelp encapsulate the face from either side and below. A pair of sea bass, Prospero's reconciliation offering after years of conflict, arc inwards to below the chin. Below the chin are periwinkles and a necklace of the mermaid's purses of the lesser spotted dogfish. The skins surface is adorned with the periwinkles cousin, littorina obtusata and the footprints by the of the giolla brighde or oystercatcher, servant of St Brigid.
Whyte's
Mar. 09, 2026
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE APRIL MARINE MASK [CLEW BAY MARINE SERIES]
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE APRIL MARINE MASK [CLEW BAY MARINE SERIES] porcelain; (no. 1 from an edition of 3) h:17 w:11.50 d:7 in. The Clew Bay Marine Series are a series of 'seascapes', chronicling by season the wealth and variety of sea life in the Bay. A microcosm of the abundance and richness of Irish marine life and of our human relationship with the sea, the works celebrate the beauty, diversity and also the tenacity of life on our coasts. The latent energy that permeates the sculpture underlines that dynamic tenacity, pushing the techniques of sculpture extensively to gain spatial and emotional tension. Breslin is usually associated with bronze sculpture but is constantly experimenting with various materials and techniques. With this wall sculpture, the translucency and beauty of porcelain is explored to great tonal effect. The April Marine Mask: A great spiralling shoal of Sea Bass, king of the mullets, envelops the mask redolent of a Bedouin's keffiyeh. Crowned by the Spider crab, Maja brachydactyla. the shoal encapsulates the sleeping tranquil face of the young woman, whose cheeks bear the prints of gulls. Driving through the shoal from the rear the tremulous sounding Northern Diver pushes through the Carragen Moss, Chondrus crispus, healer of colds, bronchitis and chronic coughs. An Escher-like arc of the longliving whelks at the base of the sculpture frames the lower section of the mask and is interspaced with the whelk's egg casings and Turban snail shells.
Whyte's
Feb. 24, 2026
RORY BRESLIN (B. 1963)
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Title: The July Marine Mask (From the Clew Bay Series) Medium: Bronze and Stainless Steel (No. 1 from an edition of 3) Signature: Signed and Numbered Provenance: The Artist's Private Collection, Co. Mayo SCULPTURE Tuesday 24th February 2026 19:39:00
Sheppards
Feb. 24, 2026
RORY BRESLIN (B. 1963)
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Title: The August Mask (From the Clew Bay Series) Medium: Bronze (No. 1 from an edition of 3) Signature: Signed and Numbered Provenance: The Artist's Private Collection, Co. Mayo SCULPTURE Tuesday 24th February 2026 18:31:12
Sheppards
Sep. 16, 2025
RORY BRESLIN (B. 1963)
Est: €80,000 - €120,000
Title: Custom House Keystones - Variations (The Original Set of 14 - Liffey, Erne, Foyle, Slaney, Nore, Suir, Lagan, Lee, Shannon, Bann, Atlantic, Blackwater, Barrow and Boyne) Medium: Bronze Signature: Each Mask Signed Provenance: The Artist's Private Collection, Co. Mayo Custom House Keystones – Variations A complete set of fourteen patinated bronze masks, , cast after the original keystones carved by Edward Smyth (1749–1812) for the Custom House, Dublin, c. 1791. This exceptional series reimagines one of the great achievements of Irish neoclassical sculpture: the monumental keystones personifying the Atlantic and the principal rivers of Ireland – Bann, Barrow, Blackwater, Boyne, Erne, Foyle, Lagan, Lee, Liffey, Nore, Shannon, Slaney, and Suir. Smyth’s original carvings, designed under architect James Gandon, embodied the aspirations of an Irish Parliament-era Dublin. Each head is laden with symbolic attributes — maritime emblems, flora, fauna, and produce — evoking the geography, economy, and folklore of its river basin. Breslin’s Variations project captures these qualities with striking fidelity while revealing the energy, texture, and modelling of the originals through the medium of bronze. The Variations were conceived both as a celebration of Smyth’s artistry and as a demonstration of how these allegorical works remain resonant today. Working from extensive research, including archival photographs of Smyth’s lost wax maquettes (destroyed in 1916), Breslin modelled and cast each head using traditional lost-wax techniques, maintaining the sequence of the Custom House arrangement, beginning with the Liffey. The masks range in expression from the serene classical beauty of the Liffey to the stern force of the Barrow, the jovial Bann, and the undulating wave-born majesty of the Atlantic. SCULPTURE Tuesday 16th September 2025 19:30:50
Sheppards
May. 28, 2025
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The Somerset Mask Bronze, 43 x 25 x 65cm (h) (17 x 9¾ x 25½) Edition no. 2/5 The Somerset Mask is an interpretation of the River-God keystone on the South Wing of Somerset House on the Victoria Embankment. Vigorously
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The Somerset Mask Bronze, 43 x 25 x 65cm (h) (17 x 9¾ x 25½) Edition no. 2/5 The Somerset Mask is an interpretation of the River-God keystone on the South Wing of Somerset House on the Victoria Embankment. Vigorously modelled, the face reveals an interesting fusion of baroque energy and classical control. Apples, berries, damsons and waterweed festoon the ribbed and fluted cornucopia on either side of an august yet slightly portentous visage. Appropriately, the contents of the cornucopia, given its position, have an extra wear and fluidity that the weather and the rain have exerted on the sculpture over the centuries. This liquidity is further manifested in the beard, redolent of a flowing brook that ends in the aquatic whirls and eddies at the base of the mask. This depiction is of Achelous, which in Greek mythology was the god of all fresh water, is appositely placed as a counter-point to the depiction of the saline keystone of Ocean centred on the Northern facade of Somerset House. Defeated by Heracles as a suitor for Deianeira, Achelous, when he transformed himself into a bull, had one of his horns torn off which forced his surrender. Heracles gave it to the Naiads, who transformed it into the cornucopia. Somerset House was designed by Sir William Chambers in 1776. The riverside wing was finished in 1786. At the time of construction, the Thames was not embanked and the river lapped the South Wing, where the great arch allowed boats and barges to pass under the river-god to landing places within the building. Originally carved by either Joseph Wilton or Agostino Carlini, founding members of the Royal Academy; according to Joseph Baretti in his Guide through the Royal Academy (1780), the whole of the carvings in the various fronts of Somerset Place — excepting Bacon's bronze figures — were carved from finished drawings made by [Giovanni Battista] Cipriani.
Adam's
May. 26, 2025
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE JUNE MARINE MASK
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE JUNE MARINE MASK bronze and stainless steel; (no. 1 from an edition of 3) h:27.50 w:15 d:9.50 in. Crowned by a vigorous phalanx of European sea bream, summer visitors considered sacred to Aphrodite, that swim through the upper current curved fingers of Lamanaria Digitata which veil-like stretches to its holdfast at the base of the sculpture. In the safety of this kelp and in a fashion reminiscent of Esher, a troupe of Dublin Bay prawns march, clock and counter from either temple of the enthusiastic visage. Nephrops norvegicus which the French call langoustine translates to ‘lobsterette’ as it resembles a small lobster. Sometimes this rather pretty looking crustacean is also referred to as demoiselles de Cherbourg. Interspersed between the oarweed and the crustaceans from the bottom up are an array of shell fish; limpets, that kept Ernest Shackleton and his men alive on Elephant Island; whelks and other marine gastropods that end under the Giltheads in a diadem of augur shells, named after the shell's resemblance to boring drill bits or screws. The finished patina on the bronze is an iridescent silver applied with a reflectitur technique to give an aquatic and reflective surface.
Whyte's
Mar. 26, 2025
Rory Breslin (B.1963) The Guinness Mask Bronze, 74cm high x 40cm wide (29 x 15 ¾'') Edition 4/5 The Guinness Mask is an interpretation of the keystone head on the historic St. James's Gate entrance to the Guinness brewery in Dublin. This enigm
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (B.1963) The Guinness Mask Bronze, 74cm high x 40cm wide (29 x 15 ¾'') Edition 4/5 The Guinness Mask is an interpretation of the keystone head on the historic St. James's Gate entrance to the Guinness brewery in Dublin. This enigmatic portrait of a youthful and confident woman, whose intensive gaze evinces a determined character, is framed by waves of the ears of barley, and hops symbolic of the making of ale. Probably a depiction of the agricultural deity Ceres or its Greek equivalent Demeter, this rendition appears to depict the artist's personification of Georgian beauty. The head diverges from a classical sculptural rendering of the subject to what seems to be the artist's sensitive use of the features of perhaps a member of the Guinness family or someone close to him. When Arthur Guinness initially leased St. James's Gate in 1759, he brewed ale. It was another ten years, on the 19th May 1769 before he exported his stout to England for the first time. The St. James's arch was built adjacent to the site of the original St. James's Gate, the city's western customs house which lay just outside the medieval city of Dublin and was demolished in 1734. This gate's keystone was said to have represented either St. James; Ceres (the Goddess of Corn) or Bacchus (the Greek God of Wine and Merriment). The site was traditionally the start of a pilgrimage to Compostela and pilgrims from all over Ireland used to gather on this site to start the journey to Spain.
Adam's
Mar. 03, 2025
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MASK OF THE CAMPANILE, DEMOSTHENES [TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN]
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MASK OF THE CAMPANILE, DEMOSTHENES [TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN] bronze; (artist's proof) signed and inscribed [A/P] on right side h:27 w:18.50 d:9.50 in. Dimensions of base: 4 by 8 by 9.5in. Framed by his skull-cap and his energetic billowing hair and beard, the grave and meditative concentration on Demosthenes’ face is created by the deep furrows of the fore-head, the protruding brows and the shadows in the corners of the eyes. The concentration of energy in his gaze is achieved by the profound working of forms. The orator’s face carries an expression of determination and nervous intensity heightened by the polished gold light that illuminates his eyes. With his mouth slightly parted as if to speak, this image is wholly in accord with ancient writers’ descriptions of Demosthenes (384–322 B.C.), which present him as an aggressive politician who defended the interests of Athens. The Mask of the Campanile is an interpretation of Thomas Kirks' (1781-1845) keystone of Demosthenes on the West facing facade of the Trinity College Campanile. The other figurative keystones depict Homer, Socrates and Plato representing the liberal arts. The Campanile marks the central axis of the main front squares of the Trinity College campus. It was designed by Sir Charles Lanyon, and the foundation stone was laid 1st December 1852. Built by Henry Kingsmill at a cost of £3,500, it was complete by 1854. It is the most recent bell tower in a long line dating back to the original tower of the monastery of All Hallows. The college tradition and superstition holds that any student who passes beneath the campanile while the bell is tolling will fail their exams, causing some to never pass under it until they finish their time at Trinity College. On graduation day, a celebratory walk under Demosthenes is a rite of passage.
Whyte's
Dec. 02, 2024
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MAY MARINE MASK
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MAY MARINE MASK bronze; (no. 1 from an edition of 3) signed and numbered on the right reverse h:27 w:15 d:12 in. The Clew Bay Marine Series are a series of bronze 'seascapes', chronicling by month the wealth and variety of sea life in Clew Bay. Eyes fixed and stoic in countenance, the girl's forehead has a layered diadem of Cluisíns or Black scallop shells, notable from ancient times for having played a prominent part in man’s religious, artistic and architectural development. Hemming in these seashells and running bilaterally down to the base of the mask is the knobbly Rock Wrack, Fucus vesiculosus, the original source of iodine. This wrack on its descent envelops its cousin, the Horned Wrack, Fucus Ceranoides on the cheeks of the young face while below the chin it safely nestles a pair of the rare short-snouted seahorses and a pair of clams, the former symbols of good fortune and protection and the latter associated with the goddess Aphrodite. Above the forehead two mottled muscular spotted dogfish arch downwards, sentinels of the overall aspect of the work. These cat-eyed sharks cushion the apex of the piece, the Clare Island Puffin.
Whyte's
Sep. 30, 2024
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE NOVEMBER MARINE MASK
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE NOVEMBER MARINE MASK bronze and stainless steel; (no. 1 from an edition of 3) signed and numbered upper right h:25 w:15.50 d:9.50 in. The Clew Bay Marine Series are a series of bronze 'seascapes', chronicling by month the wealth and variety of sea life in Clew Bay. A small shoal of juvenile red gurnards, the grunting fish, cascade from the upper central aspect of the sculpture with brown crabs like protective sentinels on either side of the fish. Eaten by hominoids since the cave dwelling Neanderthals, the goddess Hera placed the pagurus amongst the stars as the constellation Cancer. The fish and the crabs are tethered to a coif of sequentially patterned mussels or Diúilicín, the makers of 'sea silk' much coveted by Roman and Greek emperors. The mussels are overlapped on either side of the youth's cheeks by serrated wrack, rich in minerals and known for its potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Two large sea urchins are partially enveloped by the wrack which also cups on either side the great sea bean, the Entada Gigas, deposited at Dooagh in Achill Island from the tropics of South America by the Gulf Stream and its continuation, the North Atlantic Drift. Below the urchins and the wrack, two curved mermaids purses, incubators of sharks, skates, and chimaeras, frame the lower section of the mask. The ever-bobbing common sandpiper leaves its prints and its exploratory beak holes in the cheeks of the sedate and peaceful youth.
Whyte's
Sep. 25, 2024
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The Thames Mask Bronze, 73cm high x 43cm wide x 29cm deep (28_ x 17 x 11_'') Edition 3/3 The Thames Mask is an evocation of the River-God keystone on the North Wing of Somerset House on the Strand in London. The co
Est: €3,500 - €4,500
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The Thames Mask Bronze, 73cm high x 43cm wide x 29cm deep (28_ x 17 x 11_'') Edition 3/3 The Thames Mask is an evocation of the River-God keystone on the North Wing of Somerset House on the Strand in London. The countenance apparently pensive though his slightly furrowed brow also gives a slightly quizzical look to his visage, which is emphasised further by the asymmetrical curls emanating from the traditional leather watchman's cap. Either side of his brow and cap are adorned the fruits, flowers and staples of the Thames' river banks. Barley, apples, wildflowers and the English rose express the fecundity and abundance of the river's hinterland. Framing the floral luxuriance and bringing the eye back in to the centre of the mask are two mute swans, perhaps a reference to one of Elizabeth II's lesser-known titles; the Seigneur of the Swans, a holdover from an era centuries ago when the regal avians denoted class, wealth and status. The strange and ancient relationship between the swan and the British crown manifests itself to this day in a tradition known as the ÒSwan Upping. The lower portion of the sculpture from the ringlets either side of the eyes to the tips at the base of the beard evoke the meandering bends of the Thames, with its gentle whirls and eddies. Somerset House was designed by Sir William Chambers in 1776. The keystone heads were originally carved by either Joseph Wilton or Agostino Carlini, founding members of the Royal Academy; according to Joseph Baretti in his Guide through the Royal Academy (1780), the whole of the carvings in the various fronts of Somerset Place Ñ excepting Bacon's bronze figures Ñ were carved from finished drawings made by [Giovanni Battista] Cipriani.
Adam's
May. 27, 2024
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE SEPTEMBER MARINE MASK
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE SEPTEMBER MARINE MASK bronze and stainless steel; (no. 1 from an edition of 3) signed and numbered on left side h:26 w:17.50 d:7.50 in. The Clew Bay Marine Series are a collection of bronze 'seascapes', chronicling by season the wealth and variety of sea life in the Bay. A microcosm of the abundance and richness of Irish marine life and of our human relationship with the sea, the works celebrate the beauty, diversity and also the tenacity of life on our coasts. The latent energy that permeates the sculpture underlines that dynamic tenacity, pushing the techniques of bronze sculpture extensively to gain spatial and emotional tension and immediacy. With an abundance of energy a great Atlantic salmon arcs around the upper aspect of the sculpture. The sagacious fish of Irish legend that ate the nine hazelnuts from the well of wisdom cuts through the oscillating kelp this muscular and regal fish curves downwards mouth agape in search of prey. The furbelows the salmon swims through encapsulates the full work on either side, from the textured blades at the top to the frills and ruffles, designed to dissipate wave energy, at the base. From the forehead down, a clique of native oysters nestle between the countenance and the fish above. Ostrea edulis, an ancient human food source, fifty to sixty of which were reportedly eaten a day by Giacomo Casanova. The fish-nurturing egg wrack, feamainn bhuí, adorns the cheeks and a flowing shoal of sprat swims downwards from the cheeks of the adolescent eventually separating the kelps two holdfasts.
Whyte's
Mar. 11, 2024
Rory Breslin (b.1963) NOVEMBER MASK
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) NOVEMBER MASK bronze; (no. 1 from an edition of 3) signed and numbered upper left h:25 w:15 d:9.50 in. From the Clew Bay Series, which chronicles and celebrates the emergence of native flora and fauna as they appear by month in the Co. Mayo bay area, The November Mask is pensive and reflective. Eyes downcast and contemplating, the visage is reflective of Samhain, the beginning of the new Celtic year. The liminal or threshold festival, when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld thinned. With an abundance of energy two grey herons, guardians of the treasures of the otherworld in Irish mythology, swoop down to haggle over a fish. Wings akimbo and necks outstretched they frame the subdued face of the youth. Enveloped within the birds from below the chin up are creeping ivy, cones of the Scots pine and on either side of the temples shaggy inkcap mushrooms. Dapperling mushrooms and ivy on either side soften the vigorous thrust of the birds.
Whyte's
Dec. 06, 2023
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The November Marine Mask Bronze, stainless steel, 67 cm high x 36 wide Edition 1 of 3 The Clew Bay Marine Series are a series of bronze 'seascapes', chronicling by month the wealth and variety of sea life in Clew Bay
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The November Marine Mask Bronze, stainless steel, 67 cm high x 36 wide Edition 1 of 3 The Clew Bay Marine Series are a series of bronze 'seascapes', chronicling by month the wealth and variety of sea life in Clew Bay. A small shoal of juvenile red gurnards, the grunting fish, cascade from the upper central aspect of the sculpture with brown crabs like protective sentinels on either side of the fish. Eaten by hominoids since the cave dwelling Neanderthals, the goddess Hera placed the pagurus amongst the stars as the constellation Cancer. The fish and the crabs are tethered to a coif of sequentially patterned mussels or Diu?ilici?n, the makers of 'sea silk' much coveted by Roman and Greek emperors. The mussels are overlapped on either side of the youth's cheeks by serrated wrack, rich in minerals and known for its potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Two large sea urchins are partially enveloped by the wrack which also cups on either side the great sea bean, the Entada Gigas, deposited at Dooagh in Achill Island from the tropics of South America by the Gulf Stream and its continuation, the North Atlantic Drift. Below the urchins and the wrack, two curved mermaids purses, incubators of sharks, skates, and chimaeras, frame the lower section of the mask. The ever-bobbing common sandpiper leaves its prints and its exploratory beak holes in the cheeks of the sedate and peaceful youth.
Adam's
Dec. 04, 2023
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE JULY MARINE MASK
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE JULY MARINE MASK bronze and stainless steel; (no. 1 from an edition of 3) signed and numbered on right side h:26.50 w:14.50 d:9 in. The Clew Bay Marine Series are a series of bronze 'seascapes', chronicling by month the wealth and variety of sea life in Clew Bay. A great dusk-hunting Thornback Ray glides forward, its wings elegantly up-curved. Running externally underneath this Raja and flowing to a bow at the base of the work, the intertidal Bladderwrack, used as fertiliser of potato 'lazy beds' and in folklore for protection against mental derangement; encapsulates the remainder of the marine iconography. From the top the blind and regimental razor fish are arranged like strata in formation to the lower jawline. Below these and foraging in the Wrack, two shore crabs at odds with each other on either side of the seaweed, Dead Man's fingers, Codium Fragile, that curl up below the chin. Perwinkles, an ancient human food source, adorn the seaweed while the inquisitive and open-mouthed youths countenance is decorated in the spiralling curls of the Lugworms castings. 'But while he passed before a plashy place, A lug-worm with its grey and muddy mouth Sang that somewhere to north or west or south There dwelt a gay, exulting, gentle race Under the golden or the silver skies' — W.B. Yeats
Whyte's
Oct. 02, 2023
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE AUGUST MASK [CLEW BAY SERIES]
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE AUGUST MASK [CLEW BAY SERIES] bronze; (no. 1 from an edition of 3) signed and numbered on top h:31 w:12 d:11 in. The expression of the youthful August Mask is stoic and quite a bit determined. A plethora of symmetrically balanced leaves issue from the top of the work to the bottom. The first, a canopy of Twayblade orchid leaves overhang the crisscrossed leaves of the Marsh orchid and two rosettes of Spear thistle on either side of the head. Folklore of both ancient Ireland and Greece tell of mixing the roots of orchids with goat's milk to make love potions. The thistle, James II choice of emblem for Scotland was picked because of its defensive symbolism...'Nemo me impune lacessit', 'Nobody touches me with impunity'. Below the thistles, leaves of the Doves tail crane bill, complete with their flowers frame the lower arc of the sculpture. Acrobatically flying through the cascade of leaves, four blue tits fly harmoniously reflecting each other at the upper and lower sections of the sculpture. The tails of the upper birds graze flowers of the Devil's Bit, named from the fact that its roots look truncated, as if bitten off, legend has it, by the Devil. A series of plants curve inwards with the youth's face from the chin up. Leaves of the much maligned Ragwort and the pointed buds of Goat's Beard, whose flowers close up at noon. Seedbuds of Plaintan follow the cheekbones and lastly Patrick's emblem, used to explain the essence of the Holy Trinity to King Aengus, the clover subtly hangs down from the forehead.
Whyte's
Sep. 27, 2023
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The August Marine Mask - Clew Bay Series Bronze, stainless steel, 67 cm high x 36 wide (26½ x 14) Signed and numbered 1/3 The Clew Bay Marine Series are a series of bronze 'seascapes', chronicling by season the wea
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The August Marine Mask - Clew Bay Series Bronze, stainless steel, 67 cm high x 36 wide (26½ x 14) Signed and numbered 1/3 The Clew Bay Marine Series are a series of bronze 'seascapes', chronicling by season the wealth and variety of sea life in the Bay. A microcosm of the abundance and richness of Irish marine life and of our human relationship with the sea, the works celebrate the beauty, diversity and also the tenacity of life on our coasts. The latent energy that permeates the sculpture underlines that dynamic tenacity, pushing the techniques of bronze sculpture extensively to gain spatial and emotional tension and immediacy.
Adam's
May. 31, 2023
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The October Marine Mask Bronze and stainless steel, 67 (h) x 36cm Number 1 from an edition of 3
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The October Marine Mask Bronze and stainless steel, 67 (h) x 36cm Number 1 from an edition of 3 A great shawl of oscillating Furbelows encapsulates the mask, its holdfast or ‘Sea Hedgehog’ set firmly under the chin. Within the frills and ruffles of this Kelp, emerges Homarus Gammarus, the European lobster. This crustacean presides over a panoply of Goose Barnacles, whose legend, propagated in Cambrensis’s Topographia Hiberniae, that the Barnacle Goose and the Goose Barnacle “fruit” were intertwined, the former springing from the latter. In a flurry of activity and diving through the Barnacles on either side, two Northern Gannets plunge to capture the startled herrings, the silver of the sea, the fish so economically fundamental in European history that they prompted the founding of many cities, including Amsterdam and Copenhagen. The aquatic resonance of the mask is amplified by the gently rising bubbles from the mouth of the attentive countenance of the youth and the marine green patina of the mask.
Adam's
May. 29, 2023
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE APRIL MASK
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE APRIL MASK bronze; (no. 1 from an edition of 3) signed and numbered at top h:23.75 w:12 d:6 in. The fourth mask from the Clew Bay Series, which observes the annual emergence of native flora and fauna as they appear in the Co. Mayo bay area. With a look of intense curiousity, the countenance of the youth is animated and engaging. Crowned with a cascade of Wild Parsnip or Cuirdín bán leaves atop which two symmetrical and spiralling Egrets vie for their meal. Rare in Ireland until recent, the egret is highly revered by the Cherokee, its feathers associated with peace and worn by diplomats when peace making. Below the crown of leaves, framing the face, and used occasionally for St Brigid’s cross, are two pairs of Bullrushes, behind which are the leaves of the Common Nettle and Bramble. Climbing inwards from forehead, cheeks and chin are Bush Vetch and Sticky-backs or Cleavers, the former once boiled to make a remedy for measles and smallpox while the latter an old remedy for burns and wounds. From either side of the base of the rushes and underneath the chin, are a circular ruff of the satellite-like leaves of the Marsh Violet. Interspersed within the leaves are the flowers of the Violet and also the Bluebell, the flower of Endymion.
Whyte's
Apr. 18, 2023
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The September Mask
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The September Mask bronze - number 1 from an edition of 3 signed and numbered 'BRESLIN 1/3' h:66 w:35.50 d:26 cm. Provenance: Private Collection The ninth mask in the Clew Bay Series, which chronicles and celebrates the emergence of native flora and fauna as they appear by month in the Co. Mayo bay area, The September Mask is alert and engaging. With her deep dark eyes assertively arresting the viewer, and, appearing in expression to address them, this assuredness is somewhat softened by the Nóinín mór or Oxeye Daises, appropriately framing her eyes above and on her cheekbones. Leaves of the Ribwort Plantain, in folklore chewed and applied to a sore to encourage healing, drape from her temples and envelope the lower part of the work encasing Blackberries, Rosehips and Willowherb leaves. Shaped like a Lunula with wings outstretched, below the Sparrow cuts through the undergrowth. Sacred to Aphrodite, but lecherous to Shakespeare, this bird is escaping the dramatic dive of the Sparrow-hawk. This 'bird of the wind' energetically crowns the piece, its dynamism softened only by the nexus of Bindweed flowers.
Morgan O'Driscoll
Mar. 06, 2023
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE FEBRUARY MASK
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE FEBRUARY MASK bronze; (no. 1 from an edition of 3) signed and numbered at side h:35 w:16 in. Two pheasants peer out from each others wings that envelope the whole of the work like a monk's hood, an intimation of winter's lingering cold hold. Connected above by the star-like leaves is the Narrow Leaf Plantain or Slánlus said to prevent blood poisoning and encourage healing in a fresh cut. The long feathered symmetrical crescents are broken slightly by the leaves of Cats Ear on either side. The countenance of this piece seems to be stubborn and slightly obdurate, further underlining the long duration of the winter span. Under the over-hanging wings from the forehead down, the tenacious harbingers of Spring emerge. In a nutshell, Hazel Catkins in subtle shadow, the reputed sting balming Water Dock leaves that unroll and drop down from either side of eye. On chin and cheekbones, Margherita's daisies, as dictated by Goethe, arc the lower part of the face. And finally the Jenny, Lysimachia nummularia, creeping from either side of the lower tail feathers.
Whyte's
Mar. 01, 2023
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The March Mask Bronze, 67cm high x 41.5cm wide (35 x 16) Number 1 from an edition of 3
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The March Mask Bronze, 67cm high x 41.5cm wide (35 x 16) Number 1 from an edition of 3
Adam's
Dec. 07, 2022
Rory Breslin (b.1963) Daniel O'Connell Bronze 38cm high (15), Kilkenny Limestone base: 38cm diameter (15) 7.5cm high (3) Unique The National Portrait Gallery in London catalogues nine sculptural depictions of O'Connell. Five busts by...
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) Daniel O'Connell Bronze 38cm high (15), Kilkenny Limestone base: 38cm diameter (15) 7.5cm high (3) Unique The National Portrait Gallery in London catalogues nine sculptural depictions of O'Connell. Five busts by... P. Turnerelli (1828), C. Moore (1837), J. E. Jones (1843), J. Hogan (1850), Count A. D'Orsay (1849) and four statues by J. Hogan (1846 Limerick). J. Cahill (1865 Ennis and another sent to America in 1878) and J. H. Foley (1866, Dublin, and finished by finished by T. Brock after Foley's death) respectfully. Thomas Brock also executed the statue in Melbourne (1891) which bears an uncanny resemblance, though it is not as fulsome, to the Dublin rendition in terms of portraiture. Given the timeline, four of these renditions were done in O'Connell's lifetime, the rest posthumously and therefore reliant on the visual depictions of him as rendered by other artists. John Hogan's classical talents idealise his portrayals of O'Connell to the detriment of a likeness, especially that of the work in Dublin City Hall. Of the other three, the renditions of Peter Turnerelli and John Edward Jones, chime in terms of a likeness, with that of paintings of O'Connell from the period. Interestingly, Martin Archer's portrait of OConnell, is the only known official portrait to depict him with his natural receding hairline, rather than the recognisable mop of brown hair with which he was usually depicted. OConnell himself was capable of a joke about his baldness. In one election contest, he commented on the rather plain appearance of his opponent, a conservative barrister by the name of John B. West. Thus taunted, West replied, its all very well for Mr OConnell to attack me on my appearance, but I can tell you, if you saw Mr OConnell without his wig, he does not present a face which is much to boast of ... whereupon OConnell is said to have whipped off his wig for the crowds great appreciation. Turnerilli and Jones, like O'Connell, spent their working lives between Dublin and London at the time and would have had the chance to meet him and make some preliminary sketches. In the case of Jones, his bust would have been made immediately after O'Connell's Mayorship of Dublin, which ended in 1842. Exhibited in the RA in 1844, it is thought that the original of this bust is in the Crystal Palace Portrait Collection. A miniature copy of this piece or Turnelli's ( he allegedly sold 10,000 plaster copies ) is in Derrynane House and there is also one in the National Gallery of Ireland. The Rory Breslin's bronze, in terms of portraiture, draws on the influences of Jones and Turnelli in terms of countenance, given that both artists had in all probability, actually met O'Connell and discerned his appearance. Fragments of some of O'Connell's quotations are incised into the polished rear of the work. His face was like a Roman Emperors one of the strong Emperors square, heavy-jowled, with a broad nose and big eyes, rather pale from much work indoors. His hair was blacker, thicker, curlier and glossier than ever, being, in fact, a wig. Biographer Charles Chenevix Trench
Adam's
Dec. 07, 2022
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The July Mask Bronze, 75 cm high x 41.5 wide (35 x 16 ) Number 1 from an edition of 3 With a furor of energy, two fighting Mallards dominate the upper portion of the mask, their wings and feathers energetically akimbo
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The July Mask Bronze, 75 cm high x 41.5 wide (35 x 16 ) Number 1 from an edition of 3 With a furor of energy, two fighting Mallards dominate the upper portion of the mask, their wings and feathers energetically akimbo. In stark counterpose, the expression of the youth is contemplative and reflective as if recalling a distant memory. From beneath the mauling ducks a shawl-shape pair of Teasel leaves frame the face. Constricted by the Teasel and the wings of the ducks, are budding Loosestrife flowers, said by Lysimachus, one of Alexander the Great's generals, to calm fractious teams of oxen by driving away tormenting insects, thus 'loosing strife'. Pressed between the cheekbones and the Teasel are Ash berries and the flowers of the Dog Rose, while clambering upwards from below the chin, the old cure for melancholia, are the fronds of the Polypody fern. Spiralling downwards in counter-point to the ferns is a garland of Willowherb leaves that unfurl in amongst a bloom of Rubus fructicosus or Bramble flowers whose fruit are not to be eaten after Michaelmas Day, the day on which St. Michael cast Lucifer out of heaven, and Lucifer landed in a bramble thicket and cursed the brambles and spat on them.
Adam's
Nov. 28, 2022
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE SEPTEMBER MASK
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE SEPTEMBER MASK bronze; (no. 1 from an edition of 3) h:22 w:14 d:6.50 in. The ninth mask in the Clew Bay Series, which chronicles and celebrates the emergence of native flora and fauna as they appear by month in the Co. Mayo bay area, The September Mask is alert and engaging. With her deep dark eyes assertively arresting the viewer, and, appearing in expression to address them, this assuredness is somewhat softened by the Nóinín mór or Oxeye Daises, appropriately framing her eyes above and on her cheekbones. Leaves of the Ribwort Plantain, in folklore chewed and applied to a sore to encourage healing, drape from her temples and envelope the lower part of the work encasing Blackberries, Rosehips and Willowherb leaves. Shaped like a Lunula with wings outstretched, below the Sparrow cuts through the undergrowth. Sacred to Aphrodite, but lecherous to Shakespeare, this bird is escaping the dramatic dive of the Sparrow-hawk. This 'bird of the wind' energetically crowns the piece, its dynamism softened only by the nexus of Bindweed flowers.
Whyte's
Sep. 28, 2022
Rory Breslin (b.1963) General Michael Collins Bronze, 71cm high, 63cm wide (28 x 24¾) Signed Edition 3/3 Michael Collins bust is based on the interpretation of two images of him. The first is believed to have been taken not long before th
Est: €5,000 - €8,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) General Michael Collins Bronze, 71cm high, 63cm wide (28 x 24¾) Signed Edition 3/3 Michael Collins bust is based on the interpretation of two images of him. The first is believed to have been taken not long before the Treaty negotiations where his countenance is determined, his gaze fixed and his hair slightly tousled. The second from a Pathé news reel possibly taken in Richmond Barracks in full uniform. By combining elements of the images; the aura of resolve and tenacity, the uniform and subtly adjusting some aspects of the presentation, i.e., bowing the head slightly in thought, and unbuttoning the uniform; the bronze depicts a Collins resolute yet perhaps reflective. Deep in thought, he emanates the presence of a man with many things to contemplate and difficult decisions to make. To me the task is a loathsome one. I go in the spirit of the soldier who acts against his best judgment at the orders of his superior. On being sent to Downing St. for the negotiations.
Adam's
Sep. 28, 2022
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The September Mask Bronze, 67cm high, 38cm wide (26¼ x 15) Edition 1/3 The ninth mask in the Clew Bay Series, which chronicles and celebrates the emergence of native flora and fauna as they appear by month in the Co
Est: €5,000 - €8,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The September Mask Bronze, 67cm high, 38cm wide (26¼ x 15) Edition 1/3 The ninth mask in the Clew Bay Series, which chronicles and celebrates the emergence of native flora and fauna as they appear by month in the Co. Mayo bay area, The September Mask is alert and engaging. With her deep dark eyes assertively arresting the viewer, and, appearing in expression to address them, this assuredness is somewhat softened by the Nóinín mór or Oxeye Daises, appropriately framing her eyes above and on her cheekbones. Leaves of the Ribwort Plantain, in folklore chewed and applied to a sore to encourage healing, drape from her temples and envelope the lower part of the work encasing Blackberries, Rosehips and Willowherb leaves. Shaped like a Lunula with wings outstretched, below the Sparrow cuts through the undergrowth. Sacred to Aphrodite, but lecherous to Shakespeare, this bird is escaping the dramatic dive of the Sparrow-hawk. This 'bird of the wind' energetically crowns the piece, its dynamism softened only by the nexus of Bindweed flowers
Adam's
Sep. 26, 2022
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE GUINNESS MASK
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE GUINNESS MASK bronze with stainless steel; (no. 3 from an edition of 5) signed and numbered h:29.25 w:15.75 d:7 in. The Guinness Mask is an interpretation of the keystone head on the historic St. James Gate entrance to the Guinness brewery in Dublin. This enigmatic portrait of a youthful and confident woman, whose intensive gaze evinces a determined character, is framed by waves of the ears of barley, and hops symbolic of the making of ale. Probably a depiction of the agricultural deity Ceres or its Greek equivalent Demeter, this rendition appears to depict the artist's personification of Georgian beauty. The head diverges from a Classical sculptural rendering of the subject to what seems to be the artist's sensitive use of the features of perhaps a member of the Guinness family or someone close to him. When Arthur Guinness initially leased St. James Gate in 1759, he brewed ale. It was another ten years, on the 19th May 1769 before he exported his stout to England for the first time. The St. James arch was built adjacent to the site of the original St. James Gate, the city's western Customs House which lay just outside the medieval city of Dublin and was demolished in 1734. This gate's keystone was said to have represented either St. James; Ceres (the Goddess of Corn) or Bacchus (the Greek God of Wine and Merriment). The site was traditionally the start of a pilgrimage to Compostela and pilgrims from all over Ireland used to gather on this site to start the journey to Spain.
Whyte's
Sep. 26, 2022
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MICHAEL DAVITT, 2001
Est: €3,000 - €4,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MICHAEL DAVITT, 2001 bronze on marble base; (no. 3 from an edition of 6) signed, dated and numbered on reverse h:17 w:10.50 d:8 in. Dimensions of base: 12 by 11.5 by 2in. A study of Michael Davitt's head by Mayo based sculptor Rory Breslin, for the statue that stands outside the Michael Davitt Museum in Straide, Co. Mayo. Michael Davitt, a founding member of the Irish National Land League was born in Straide, Co. Mayo during the height of the famine. His family was evicted from there and forced to emigrate to Lancashire, England where Davitt had his arm amputated after an accident working in a mill at the age of 11. Davitt became involved with the Fenian movement in England and later, in the 1870s and 1880s he was instrumental in the enactment of the Irish Land Acts, and becoming a patron of the GAA and an MP. Rory Breslin studied art at the National College of Art and Design and in various parts of Europe. He co-founded the Head Sculpture gallery in Dublin and has had numerous solo drawing and sculpture exhibitions.
Whyte's
Jun. 06, 2022
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE MAY MASK
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE MAY MASK bronze; (no. 2 from an edition of 3) signed and numbered on ear h:35 w:16 in. Dimensions of base: 9 by 9 by 3.5in. The Clew Bay Series chronicles and celebrates the emergence of a selection of native flora and fauna as they appear by month in the Mayo bay area. Rhythmically framing the countenance of a native to the area, the bronze is rich and dense, a mimetic and uplifting tribute to the beauty and tenacity of the local environment. The youthful female face is fine and determined. Her deep eyes intonate a resolute and spirited character. She gently blows Zephyr-like, a warmth indicative of the coming of Bealtaine and of summer. The head is crowned by a tiara of the stamen of the Plantain or Slánlus plant with its inflorescence above it. Framing the eyes are orchid petals and on either side of the cheeks are the leaves of Hart's Tongue, an ancient fern that Dioscorides the Greek physician said was 'good against the stinging or biting of serpents'. Knitted through the Plantain and running either side of the mask from the crown to the earring discs below representing the sun and the moon, are a dense arrangement of Foxgloves. Below the chin, the elusive Marsh Cinquefoil flower buds are about to unfurl while at the top of the work off centre and with an abundance of energy, the swallow bears down on us from above.
Whyte's
Apr. 26, 2022
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The December Mask
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The December Mask bronze - numbered 1 from an edition of 3 signed and numbered 1/3 h:67 w:31 d:24 cm. Provenance: Private Collection The 12th Mask from the Clew Bay Series, which observes the annual emergence of native flora and fauna as they appear in the Co. Mayo bay area. With an air of pathos, the countenance of the youth is still, serene and his eyes virtually closed, perhaps deliberating in the scene above. Indicative of the cycle of life a raven succumbs, its head nestled in holly berries and its lifeless limp wings criss-cross and frame the upper right aspect of the work. Framing the left side and in full cry, its partner tenaciously clasps the edges of the heads veil, evocative of a blanket of snow. Beneath the veil and framing the face above the eyes are holly leaves and berries that according to Pliny if planted near a house or farm, repelled poison, and defended it from lightning and witchcraft. Scarlet elf cups, mushrooms, sarcoscypha austriaca, line the cheeks, their name emanating from the belief that elves drank the morning dew from them. While below the last few holly leaves and berries a collar ruff of witches butter. Tremella mesenterica, is crumpled below the chin.
Morgan O'Driscoll
Mar. 30, 2022
Rory Breslin (b.1963) Artemision Horse Study Bronze, 71cm high x 74cm long x 28cm wide (28 x 29 x 11) Edition 3/3 This sculpture is a study of the horse's head in one of the most popular and important displays in the National Archaeological Mu
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) Artemision Horse Study Bronze, 71cm high x 74cm long x 28cm wide (28 x 29 x 11) Edition 3/3 This sculpture is a study of the horse's head in one of the most popular and important displays in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, the bronze Horse and Jockey Group. The group was found in a shipwreck off Cape Artemision, in North Euboea, which was discovered in 1926. The first parts of the equestrian statue were recovered in 1928, with more pieces found in 1936 and possibly 1937. The statue was reassembled, and after restoration went on display at the Museum in 1972. The Horse and Jockey Group is special in being one of the few original large-scale bronzes securely dated to the Hellenistic period. It is approximately lifesize in scale and consists of a horse in mid- gallop, on which is seated a youthful jockey, who looks back over his shoulder. The Horse and Jockey group is unusual in combining an athletic sculpture with an animal. The unknown sculptor of this masterpiece has captured the excitement and vitality of a horserace in mid-action. Some scholars have previously dated the group from the late fourth century B.C. to the first century B.C. The statues have been attributed previously to various sculptors, including Kalamis, Lysippos and the Pergamene school.
Adam's
Mar. 07, 2022
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MASK OF THE SUIR
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MASK OF THE SUIR bronze; (artist's proof from an edition of 3) signed and inscribed [A/P] at top h:35 w:16 in. In The Mask of the Suir, the ornamentation and the beard represent wool and symbolise its subsequent manufacture. The moustache and beard have the characteristics of fine-spun wool, the face is open eyed and energetic. Over the head from side to side is draped the fell of a sheep which has symmetrically balanced at either end, the depiction of an icon of the processing of wool, to the left a single bow shears and to the right Alder cones to denote the use of the tree, its cones and bark in the wool tanneries along the river. Below the sheep three weaver's bobbins rise from a turban, whose folds have the broad creases of wool. Notable for its woollen mills at the end of the eighteenth century, Arthur Young in his Tour of Ireland (1780) speaks of Carrick-on-Suir as a centre of the woollen industry. In John Payne's Universal Geography (1797), he distinguishes Tipperary as rich in sheep. Adapted from Edward Smyth's River-God keystone, The Mask of the Suir is a larger than life-size depiction riverine on the North-Western facade of Dublin's Customs House.
Whyte's
Dec. 08, 2021
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The November Mask Bronze, 67 x 31cm (26½ x 12) Numbered 1/3
Est: €5,000 - €8,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The November Mask Bronze, 67 x 31cm (26½ x 12) Numbered 1/3
Adam's
Dec. 08, 2021
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The December Mask Bronze, 67 x 30cm (26½ x 11¾'') Numbered 1/3
Est: €5,000 - €8,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The December Mask Bronze, 67 x 30cm (26½ x 11¾'') Numbered 1/3
Adam's
Nov. 29, 2021
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MASK OF THE SHANNON
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MASK OF THE SHANNON bronze; (artist's proof from an edition of 3) signed at top h:35 w:16 d:6 in. Positioned on the Northern entrance of the Custom House as part of the central group of three, the adaptation of Edward Smyth's Shannon presents a youthful visage, dignified though perhaps slightly pensive in terms of expression. The forehead, cheeks and beard of the Shannon are framed with oak leaves, acorns and the intertwining boughs of the oak. Classical cornucopias, 'horns of plenty', over-flowing with grains and fruit such as corn, plums, damsons and pine-cones rise on each side of the trident at the apex of the head. The speculation is that the trident represents Limerick's sovereignty over the estuary and/or Athlone's jurisdiction of the grain and fruits of the central plain. In John Payne's Universal Geography (1797), he describes the river as flowing through a fruitful and fertile land. The depiction of the emblems of the oak are believed to be a reference to Cratloe Woods in County Clare, an important relic of Ireland's primeval forests. It is said that the beams for the roof of Westminster Hall were from these woods.
Whyte's
Sep. 29, 2021
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The October Mask Bronze, 75cm high x 41.5cm wide (35 x 16) Number 1 from an edition of 3 The Clew Bay Series chronicles and celebrates the emergence of a selection of native flora and fauna as they appear by m
Est: €5,000 - €8,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The October Mask Bronze, 75cm high x 41.5cm wide (35 x 16) Number 1 from an edition of 3 The Clew Bay Series chronicles and celebrates the emergence of a selection of native flora and fauna as they appear by month in the Mayo bay area. Rhythmically framing the countenance of a native to the area, the rendition of the flora is modelled with a baroque vitality, it is rich and dense, a mimetic and uplifting tribute to the beauty and tenacity of the local environment. The October Mask belongs to this series, with the countenance of the mask being determined and reticent, perhaps reflecting the shortening of days and the month of Deireadh Fómhair or end of harvest. The barn owl's enclosing wings reflect the slow cessation of growth in a protective and blanket- like embrace of the natural flora. On either side of the head of October, from the crown of her head to below her chin, a cascade of Mica Inkcap mushrooms steadily transforms to acorns and oak leaves. A flurry of Iris Pseudacorus seedpods or Feileastram, cure for rheumatism in Irish fokelore, radiates from her forehead, held in check by a headband of a leaf of the Iris. Two further leaves frame the lower face like a chinstrap. On either side of the seedpods two large Birch Milkcap mushrooms at her temples frame the lower part of the mask while the head of the Barn owl dominates the apex of the piece. The owl is brash, noisy and redolent of the ancient Irish legend of the Banshee. Our thanks to the artist for his help in cataloguing this lot.
Adam's
Sep. 27, 2021
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MASK OF THE LEE
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MASK OF THE LEE bronze; (artist's proof from an edition of 3) signed h:35 w:16 in. One of only two of the River-God masks to be centred on its base is indicative of the central position over the Northern entrance of the Custom House. This head, on the same architectural axis as Anna Liffey stresses Cork's importance as second city to Dublin. The Mask of the Lee is a larger than life-size adaptation of Edward Smyth's work on the Northern facade of Dublin's Customs House. It has the head of a patrician, with wavy hair redolent of strong bow waves with the moustache and beard undulating and rippling in harmony and suggestive of ocean waves. From the forehead rises a large upturned anchor, bound around its stock with a ships rope that is draped across the prows of two mastless ships with truncated bowsprits which are laden with barrels and bales. The anchor symbolises an important harbour and the ships and their cargoes to a sea-going trade of some importance.
Whyte's
Jun. 02, 2021
Rory Breslin (b.1963) - Mask of the Campanile, Demosthenes
Est: €5,000 - €8,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) Mask of the Campanile, Demosthenes Bronze, 68 cm high x 47 wide (26¾ x 18½) Number 2 from an edition of 3 Framed by his skull-cap and his energetic billowing hair and beard, the grave and meditative concentration on Demosthenes' face is created by the deep furrows of the fore-head, the protruding brows and the shadows in the corners of the eyes. The concentration of energy in his gaze is achieved by the profound working of forms. The orator's face carries an expression of determination and nervous intensity heightened by the polished gold light that illuminates his eyes. With his mouth slightly parted as if to speak, this image is wholly in accord with ancient writers' descriptions of Demosthenes (384-322 B.C.), which present him as an aggressive politician who defended the interests of Athens. The Mask of the Campanile is an interpretation of Thomas Kirks ' (1781-1845) key stone of Demosthenes on the West facing facade of the Trinity College Campanile. The other figurative keystones depict Homer, Socrates and Plato representing the liberal arts. The Campanile marks the central axis of the main front squares of the Trinity College campus. It was designed by Sir Charles Lanyon, and the foundation stone was laid 1st. December, 1852. Built by Henry Kingsmill at a cost of £3,500, it was complete by 1854. It is the most recent bell tower in a long line dating back to the original tower of the monastery of All Hallows. The college tradition and superstition holds that any student who passes beneath the campanile while the bell is tolling will fail their exams, causing some to never pass under it until they finish their time at Trinity College. On graduation day, a celebratory walk under Demosthenes is a rite of passage. Starting Bid: € 3500
Adam's
Jun. 02, 2021
Rory Breslin (b.1963) - The June Mask
Est: €5,000 - €8,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) The June Mask Bronze, 75 cm high x 41.5 wide (35 x 16 ) Number 1 from an edition of 3 From the Clew Bay Series, which chronicles and celebrates the emergence of a selection of native flora and fauna as they appear by month in the Mayo bay area, The June Mask is ebullient and assured at the arrival of mid-summer or Meitheamh. A panoply of native flora; Honeysuckle, ferns, and Common Self-heal bustle to emerge on either side of her face. They are contained by Plantain leaves and the expansive leaves of the Lesser Burdock, the burrs of which were the inspiration for the invention of 'Velcro' by Swiss engineer, George de Mestral. Framing the chin of June, leaves of the Coltsfoot cradle the seedpods of the Birds-foot. Trefoil with a further dense array of Honeysuckle below. Around the eyes are the star-shaped Common Butterwort, or Bodán meascáin, whose leaves await to digest unfortunate insects. The work is crowned by the Irish Hare, whose head pushes through the leaves of Burdock. Starting Bid: € 3500
Adam's
May. 31, 2021
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MASK OF THE SLANEY
Est: €6,000 - €8,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MASK OF THE SLANEY bronze; (artist's proof) signed and inscribed [A/P] h:24 w:16.50 d:6 in. Dimensions of base: 9.75 by 9.75 by 9.75in. Oysters, scallops, whelks, clams and a huge crab adorn the crown and the sides of The Mask of the Slaney indicative of the abundance of shellfish in Wexford harbour. Besides the crustaceans, ears of corn and other vegetation narrate a river, which for a great part of its length has been notable for its corn crops. The lively and undulating waves of the hair of the beard suggest a river of rapid flow. With its course roughly parallel to those of the Barrow and the Nore, the Slaney rises under Lugnaquilla and flows through Bunclody and Enniscorthy eventually flowing vigorously through the narrow gorge at Ferrycarrig. The Mask of the Slaney is a larger than life-size adaptation of Edward Smyth's River-God keystone depiction on the Western facade of Dublin's Customs House. Vigorously modelled, the face reveals an interesting fusion of baroque energy and classical control.
Whyte's
May. 31, 2021
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MASK OF THE LIFFEY
Est: €6,000 - €8,000
Rory Breslin (b.1963) MASK OF THE LIFFEY bronze; (no. 2 from an edition of 3) signed and numbered h:25.50 w:16 d:5 in. Dimensions of base: 9.75 by 9.75 by 9.75in. This is the last subject of the River Mask Series. Situated centrally over the main doorway of the Custom House to emphasise its pre-eminence, the only female in Edward Smyth's river-head series approaches the ideal of Greek classical beauty. This interpretation depicts the visage framed by her braided locks, flowing hair and crowned by flowers and fruits. Blackberries, peas, damsons and wildflowers are perhaps a reference to the Liffey's fertile banks as it flows through Dublin, while the Scots pine-cone and a diadem of ornamental ferns may refer to the rivers source at Kippure and the Wicklow Mountains. The symbol of maritime dominance, the trident is flanked by two broad spears or pilums. The suggestion has been made that these are symbolic of the rights of Admiralty possessed by the city over the waters of the port and the Bay of Dublin.
Whyte's

Lots Per Page:

Rory Breslin Sold at Auction Prices

b. 1963 -

Upcoming Lots

Past Lots

0 Lots

Categories

Auction Date

Seller

Seller Location

Price Range

Popular Artists

Get Invaluable on Your Phone

Bid On-the-Go!