ADAM'S Country House Collections Day II - 14th October 2025

10 401 TAXIDERMY A pair of Rock Ptarmigans (Lagopus muta) in winter plumage, by Williams of Dublin, contained in glazed display case with painted landscape background and rockwork, with label ‘PRESENTED BY WILLIAMS 2 DAME STREET DUBLIN’. 68cm high, 59cm wide, 26.5cm deep € 2,000 - 3,000 Born in Monaghan in 1846, Alexander Williams was a man of remarkable ver- satility, hatmaker, ornithologist, taxidermist, and painter. Largely self-taught as an artist, he refined his skills through evening drawing classes at the RDS School of Art. Best remembered today for his evocative marine subjects and Achill Island landscapes, Williams enjoyed a long association with the Royal Hibernian Academy. Elected an Associate member in 1884, he held his first solo exhibition that same year at Leinster Hall, Molesworth Street, and was made an Honorary Member of the Academy in 1891. He exhibited at the RHA continuously for sixty years, from 1870 until his death in 1930, alongside con- tributions to the Watercolour Society of Ireland and the Belfast Art Society. Williams’s lifelong passion for ornithology found expression not only in his paintings, but also in the celebrated taxidermy business he established with his brother Edward. From an early age, encouraged by his father William, a hatmaker and natural history enthusiast, he developed a fascination for birdlife during family walks in the countryside around Drogheda. The family relocated to Dublin in 1860, first establishing a hat shop at no. 19 Westmo- reland Street, before moving to Bachelor’s Walk and later No. 2 Dame Street. Following their mother’s death in 1867, Alexander and his brother set up their own taxidermy business, advertising themselves as “naturalists”, a title more in keeping with the Victorian taste for collectors’ curiosities and natu- ral specimens. Their skill in creating lifelike poses and careful- ly observed detail attracted public attention. The brothers supplied specimens not only of native Irish birds and fish, but also exotic species from Af- rica, Australia, and the Americas which were sup- plied by the Dublin Zoo. Among their prominent clients was the Natural History Museum in Dublin which still possess a large array of their work on display today including a badger group. The Lim- erick Museum and Ulster Museum in Belfast also contain numerous displays of naturalistic works by the Williams brothers. What distinguished Williams’s taxidermy was the use of backgrounds painted by Alexander, exe- cuted with an artist’s eye to closely emulate each species’ natural habitat. The present lot exempli- fies this unique practice, depicting a pair of Rock Ptarmigans in their winter plumage, perfectly cam- ouflaged against a snow-covered, mountainous backdrop. Native to Arctic and sub-Arctic regions such as the Scottish Highlands, the Alps, and Sval- bard, Rock Ptarmigans are renowned for their sea- sonal transformation, their plumage shifting with the landscape. In winter, their plumage is almost entirely white except for their black tail and beak; the males further distinguished by a black facial band offset by a vivid red eye patch. Williams’s treatment captures both the precision of the nat- uralist and the sensibility of the artist, offering an object that bridges craftsmanship, art and Victori- an collecting culture. Weronika Kocurkiewicz, September 2025