A Jack B. Yeats painting of Irish small-town life fetched a record artist price of €1 million last week to become the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction in Ireland.

An unidentified Irish buyer bought the Yeats, paying well above the estimate of €500,000-€800,000 at an Adam's auction. The consignor's family purchased the picture, titled A Fair Day, Mayo, in 1944 for just £250 (about €300).

Also, at a Sheppard’s three-day “Legacy of the Big House” sale, a new Irish auction record price for a piece of Chinese furniture was achieved when an internet bidder in China paid €69,000 for a pair of Huanghuali Zitan ceremonial wooden chairs, estimated at €1,500-€2,500.