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▲ Michael Dillon (Irish, b.1957), a set of painted wooden doors, decorated in the neoclassical style with a view of a Greek island coastline (430cm wide, 267cm high) (2) Provenance: A private collection, Abingdon Mansions, Kensington, London W8. Footnote: Irish-born Michael Dillon began his career as a muralist and decorative painter in 1986. Over the years he has worked in Ireland, the UK, mainland Europe, the USA, the West Indies, Africa and New Zealand. His work can be found in country house hotels, National Trust properties, schools, chapels, restaurants and shops. Notably, in 1991 Fortnum & Mason engaged him to paint ten large panels for the Soda Fountain Restaurant, and again, in 1998, to paint twenty-one lunettes to decorate the Food Hall. Following major rebranding, the panels and lunettes were sold at auction in 2007 at Bonhams. In 1999, Fortnum & Mason commissioned Dillon to hand-paint a single bottle of The Macallan 1926 whisky. Described as 'one of a kind', this bottle sold at Christie’s in 2018, breaking all records by becoming the first bottle of whisky to sell for over £1m. The majority of Dillon’s work has, however, been for private patrons, using his versatile talent on many diverse projects: decorating luxury yachts, painting opera sets, garden summer houses, swimming pools and helipads. Smaller commissions include conversation pieces, animal portraits, painted furniture, decorative invitations, posters and luxury packaging. The grisaille garden-view panel, a highlight of this sale, was painted in 1996. The suite of furniture, featuring scenes from Greek mythology and views of Greenwich, was acquired in subsequent years to complement the cupboard-door panels, which evoke a classical Mediterranean landscape. Dillon has exhibited in Dublin, London, Symi (Greece) and regularly holds open studios at his home in Dorset.