Ryanair co-founder Dr. Tony Ryan bought Lyons Demesne, once one of Ireland’s finest houses, in 1996, after which the late billionaire restored the mansion and filled it with a vast amount of antique furniture and art. Of the 400-lots that Christie’s will offer on July 14th in London, the most valuable item is likely to be an 18th century portrait by Hugh Douglas Hamilton. Ryan paid over $600,000 for the pastel at Christie’s in 2000. On Thursday, it’s expected to fetch considerably less: $319,000-$478,00.
Update: The Hugh Douglas Hamilton portrait exceeded estimates at $537,239. In all, the sale brought in $4.7m, well above expectations.
Only a small portion of the airline tycoon’s collection will be offered in the sale, which is expected to bring more than $3.2m. Other items likely to lift it towards that total are a Joshua Reynolds portrait for which Ryan paid $223,000 at a 1999 Sotheby’s auction (est. $80- $128,000), and a set of six Louis XV giltwood fauteuils (est.$64-$96,000). Ryan bought the set in 2000 for $146,266.
Read more at Financial Times and Christie’s.
