Irish Art Déco bronze at Whyte’s

An unusual bronze plaque made by Gabriel Hayes is in Whyte’s art auction later this month.

Hayes was a well-regarded female sculptor in 20th century Ireland, who died in 1978, and is best-remembered for creating the carved stone panels on the facade of the art deco 1940s building in Dublin’s Kildare St which formerly housed the Department of Industry and Commerce.

She also designed some of Ireland’s decimal coins, which were introduced in 1971 and eventually withdrawn from circulation in 2002 upon the introduction of the euro currency.

An Tóstal pageants Auctioneer Adelle Hughes of Whyte’s said the bronze piece “is likely to have been a presentation plaque for An Tóstal (a series of pageants held in the 1950s to celebrate Irish culture) and features images, including a central figure holding a torch to symbols of the provinces, described as “typical of the artist’s flat stylised rendering of figures and animals”.

The estimate is €3,000-€4,000 and the piece goes on view next Saturday at the RDS where the auction takes place the following Monday at 6pm.