Lavery and Henry likely to draw the buyers

NEXT week sees two important auctions of Irish art, that being conducted by de Vere's at the National Concert Hall on Tuesday (previewed on this page last week) and a day later another at the James Adam salesrooms. The highest price here is likely to be made by a warm hue canvas by Sir John Lavery, The End of the Day, Tangier Bay (estimate £35,000-£45,000), but two archetypal Paul Henry landscapes ought also to find many potential buyers, thus ensuring good prices.

These pictures are expected to make £14,000-£16,000 and £6,000-£8,000 respectively.

Another oil likely to excite a lot of interest is a view of Irish cottages by Stanley Royle, the artist now confirmed as responsible for the National Gallery of Ireland's The Goose Girl. It is unlikely that the example of Royle's work at Adam's would ever be mistaken as from the hand of Leech, but it is a charming picture and carries the modest estimate of £900-£1,200. A much higher price (£6,000-£8,000) is expected for Mary Swanzy's Coastal Landscape and for Gerard Dillon's Young Italians Conversing, which is estimated at £3,000-£5,000.

Curiosities include the last canvas seemingly painted by Sean Keating and a sample book illustration in pen, ink and colour wash by Norah McGuinness; very much in the style of Harry Clarke, the latter's estimate is £2,500-£3,500.

An enchanting conte and charcoal drawing of a mother bathing her young child by Sir William Orpen deserves to sell for £8,000-£10,000, Harry Kernoff's 1945 watercolour of the People's Park in Phoenix Park is expected to fetch £1,000-£1,300 and Daniel O'Neill's striking rectangular panel showing Figures in a Landscape has an estimate of £10,000-£15,000. Other artists represented in this sale include Percy French, James Le Jeune, Daniel O'Neill and Maurice MacGonigal.

. De Vere's is inviting members of the public who want to view the collection of Irish paintings being sold next week to do so - tomorrow morning, when they can simultaneously catch a lecture by Denise Ferran. At 11 a.m. in the National Concert Hall, she will speak on "Assembling the Leech Exhibition," which is currently running at the National Gallery of Ireland and for which she also wrote the catalogue.