Antiques & Art in Queensland

antiques&art IN QUEENSLAND

NOVEMBER 2012 MARCH 2013

ART OF Peter J Hill

GOLD COAST / MOUNT TAMBORINE

More horses housed in the Stable Gallery

P

. J. Art Gallery has featured a number of times on the inside front cover and first page of Antiques and Art in Queensland. During that time, many of Peter J Hill’s Australian paintings have been admired by the frequent readers of this popular Queensland magazine. The inside colour page has been saved, framed and, in many cases, copied by up-and-coming artists.

During the past 10 or so years that we have been involved with the magazine, the gallery has experienced several moves. Initially, the gallery was situated in Surfers Paradise, and then it was decided to relocate to the more picturesque Mount Tamborine. Having set up a gallery, P.J. Art Gallery is at home in this tranquil beautiful location where the gallery has again moved a little further up the Gallery Walk.

The latest extension to P.J. Art Gallery is called the Stable Gallery. In this unique section you can find all the equine art that Peter is famous for. The Stable Gallery looks exactly as it sounds: hay bales are in abundance, whips, lanterns, and much horse memorabilia decorates the walls. There are no live animals around but plenty of horses are scattered about on the wagon wheels and the walls.

The latest attraction to inhabit the Stable is the great Australian wonder horse Black Caviar. Peter has painted a series of four portraits of this magnificent animal. There are also some beautiful studies of draught horses.

The Stable Gallery is a special place for Peter as in his early days as a lad he enjoyed riding his own horse called Billy around the paddocks of the now very populated suburb of Merrilands.

When he started painting, Peter was amazed by all the ever-changing colours of nature, the beautiful sunsets and the sun rises. ‘I wanted to paint everything unique to our country such

as our plant life and magnificent gum trees,’ the self taught artist explains.

Although now Peter paints trees, plants, animals, skies and people, he enjoys painting horses the most. ‘Over the years I have lost count as to how many I have painted on canvas. When I lived in Canberra I would often visit the Australian War Museum and sit for hours just looking and studying the great war horses on show,’ he says.

Peter’s dedication to painting means he spends about six hours a day painting and when he needs a break – appropriately enough – he watches John Wayne movies. His grasp of the Australian vision is appreciated in diverse communities – in August Peter was invited to exhibit a solo exhibition for the Drover’s Festival in Camoweal, on the Queensland and Northern Territory border.

Some years ago there was a ram raid theft at the gallery and a number of his famous horse paintings were stolen, now believed to have been sold on the overseas black market. Though heart breaking, it was viewed as an appreciation of Peter’s reputation as a highly respected and sought-after artist. ‘I have learnt to live with the robbery,’ Peter observes, however, ‘I did take it as a compliment as the thieves picked nine of my best paintings at the time.’

Peter and I would like to take this opportunity to thank A&A for its help in making P.J. Art Gallery a must-see venue on every reader’s list when they visit the Gold Coast.

world. Nearly every continent can claim to have at least one of his oil paintings on its walls.

Peter lived in Melbourne in the 1970s where he owned and operated his own gallery at Olinda in the Dandenongs. When he moved later to Canberra, the Australian government purchased examples of his art for presentation to visiting heads of state.

During a television interview a journalist asked Peter how he would describe his art.

Peter answered, ‘When I paint a horse it looks like a horse; when I paint cattle they look like cattle. So I guess you would call me a traditional artist. I paint my paintings the way I see them, which is why so many people can relate to the places and scenes that I paint.’

P. J. Art Gallery is the only gallery where the name Peter J Hill is signed on every painting that hangs on its wall. A Canadian customer once said, ‘To get to see the outback one only has to step into the gallery and take a look around. It is like stepping from the coast into the country in one step.’

Judy M Hill, Gallery Director P.J. ART GALLERY 07 5545 0089 / 07 5527 3107 Judyandpeter09@bigpond.com.au www.pjart.com.au

“ P. J.”ART GALLERY Owned and operated by internationally known artist Peter J Hill and his wife Judy

ARTIST profile Born in 1937, Peter is a self-taught artist having started to paint as a hobby when he was 19 years old. Turning professional in the 1970s, Peter’s art works now hang in corporate boardrooms, hotels, clubs and in private collections both in Australia and around the

Peter’s paintings suit all budgets and can be packed and freighted throughout Australia and overseas Open 7 days 10 am - 4 pm

136 Long Road ‘Gallery Walk’ Eagle Heights Qld 4272 Ph: 07 5545 0089 Mob: 0428 259 014 Email: judyandpeter07@bigpond.com • judyandpeter09@bigpond.com Web: www.pjart.com.au 3

GOLD COAST/MOUNT TAMBORINE

Margaret and Neil Goldsmith creating artworks in glass

N

eil and Margaret have been working in collaboration with Studio Art Glass for over 20 years. Neil worked in leadlight for many years completing many large window commissions.

Together the Goldsmiths have worked creating utilitarian wares in the form of very large platters, bowls and vases. Their wall hangings are found decorating the walls of restaurants. These collaborations exemplify

their talent for exciting design and the use of dynamic colours.

COLLECTABLE masks While Margaret has lots of fun making exuberantly-coloured masks, which have been acquired in important mask collections of city offices, she also creates figurative glass pictures similar to her expressionistic paintings – incorporating lots of fun and humour.

MARGARET GOLDSMITH ART GALLERY

AWARDS and exhibitions The Goldsmiths’ fused and shaped kiln fired glass has been accredited by the Australian Craft Council. Their skills have won Neil and Margaret’s glass art many awards here in Australia including the Scenic Rim Tourism award.

Being members of GAS (Glass Artist Society International) and Ausglass, they have travelled extensively covering workshops and conferences in Scotland, Italy and in the USA. Margaret has also won a good number of prizes and awards for her colourful, abstract expressionism paintings. In 2009 she won the Nundah Village Festival Art Exhibition prize for portraiture and in 2010 she won second prize in the Portraits / Figures sub-category of the d’Arcy Doyle Art Awards. Over the past 20 years, Margaret has held many solo exhibitions in regional and commercial art galleries and she is represented in important private and public art collections.

SPECIALISTS in mouth-blown laminated glass

Open Wednesday to Sunday 10am- 4pm (or by appointment) 83 Bateke Rd, Mt Tamborine Qld 4272 (take Henri Robert Drive to the top, pass Guanaba Park and the next left is Bateke Rd)

One hour from Brisbane… 30 mins from Gold Coast

Ph/Fax: 07 5545 2727 • Mobile 0407 145 535 Email: margold@onthenet.com.au Superb views of the Gold Coast from the gallery

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In 2010 Margaret completed a workshop on lamination of Lambert glass conducted by Manfred Miskis, a method quickly replacing the leadlight technique. It is a hand-blown glass created in large cylinders; these cylinders are then opened and fired into flat sheets. After that the glass is laminated to a sheet of clear glass with a special adhesive and then it is framed ready for hanging indoors or outdoors.

This mouth-blown sheet glass is really beautiful when laminated in large panels and wall hangings. It requires excellent craftsmanship, physical strength and, above all, a well-developed sensitivity. It is the only way to achieve the unmistakeable individuality of mouth-blown sheet glass.

Not surprisingly, their skills have attracted much interest, resulting in the Goldsmiths completing many commissions for corporate and private clients including large wall hangings for restaurants and a number of smaller commissions. In 2010 they completed a commission for the Queensland Government Parks and Wildlife Department, comprising eight large plaques for the Shoalhaven National Park in the north of the state.

A CAREER in art Margaret Goldsmith’s career as an artist began as a professional potter. She worked in this medium for 12 years after completing the Diploma in Ceramic and Sculpture in 1975 at the then-Coorparoo College of TAFE in Brisbane. Her first painting classes were at the

innovative Brisbane Institute of Art in the early 1980s. At Kelvin Grove CAE she gained a Diploma in Visual Arts, Painting, Drawing and Sculpture, majoring in painting. She simultaneously studied sculpture under George Verine. Through her art studies, Margaret was fortunate to have great tutors, including William Robinson, David Paulson, Irene Amos, Andrew Sibley and Joe Furlonger.

ARTIST’S statement These and many other superb artists encouraged me. Through my paintings and glasswork, I attempt to capture a language that does not know stillness, only motion. My work is full of happy predictions, vital paint colours, fresh and vibrant moments of intense pleasure and the uncontrollable happiness of a dance on canvas or paper. My love of strong colour interwoven with rhythmic design is obvious. I paint from the heart in an expressionistic style in a painterly fashion of directness.

ADULT painting classes Tuition for beginners through to advanced is held every Saturday from 12 noon to 3 pm.

Refreshments are also provided and there will be an exhibition at the gallery of students’ work in 2013.

MARGARET Goldsmith Art Gallery Eighteen years ago, Margaret established a fine art gallery open to the public, showing her own work on her property in Tamborine Mountain in the midst of beautiful gardens and orchards with spectacular views to the Gold Coast. Readers are invited to Margaret Goldsmith’s gallery at the top of Henri Robert Drive (at the golf course end of Tambourine Mountain), open five days from Wednesday to Sunday, between 10 am and 4 pm. Margaret’s paintings and art glass are also exhibited in the Red Hill Art Gallery, Musgrave Road Red Hill, Brisbane.

MARGARET GOLDSMITH ART GALLERY 07 5545 2727 / 0407 145 535 margold@onthenet.com.au www.margaretgoldsmithartist.com.au

front cover

Editorial Content

Joanna Lamb, Interior: 15 colours no. 32012, synthetic polymer paint on canvas.

Courtesy the artist and Sullivan Strumpf Fine Art, Sydney.

Finalist in the Gold Coast Art Prize Gold Coast City Gallery See page 9

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More horses housed in the Stable Gallery – Judy M Hill Margaret and Neil Goldsmith creating artworks in glass Antiques on the West Side Australian native flora: The Gordon’s continuing legacy – Kathryn Nicholls The 26th Rotary Antiques & Collectables Fair incorporating the Gold Coast Book Fair – Peter Campbell A show of art in summer at the Gold Coast City Gallery Exhibitions at the Gold Coast City Gallery Basil Sellers art prize at the Gold Coast City Gallery Spirit of Australia Gallery – home to authentic Australian-made products Showcase of Aboriginal work To scrap or not to scrap: a contentious discussion point – Jenny Thomas Grace Galleries, a discount home decorator warehouse at Southport Rare and beautiful antique prints of Australia’s distinctive flora – Kathryn & Derek Nicholls Voyager goes all Pochoir for Christmas – Bill Jeffrey Jewellery of the Vienna Workshops (1903 – 1939) – Moira Drexler Explore the flea markets from Paris to Brisbane Tips on selling old gold items and silver coinage – Ken Penfold Erulo Eroli’s Baroque inspired dining table at the Antique Guild in Brisbane – Chris Hughes Artist Robyn Bauer is giving an age-old subject a fresh interpretation Celebrating diversity at the Paddington Antique Centre – Suzy Baines To top it all off, the recent history of hats Journey back in history – Cambodia – Eilisha Little Exceptional pieces in stock at Lavin Antiques – Joyce Lavin A multiple choice of collectables at Commercial Road Antiques – Ian Thomson Furniture restoration classes – a conservation ethic Nudgee Road Antiques & Design Centre – a boon for customers Alani Antique & Fine Jewellery Chandelier Restorations at the Nudgee Road Antiques & Design Centre The Ed Rosenstengel story – Jill Phillips Silver – a potted history Pack & Send: art and antique specialists – Stephen & Janet McCartney The sound post, the soul of the violin – Ilja Grawert Patchwork quilts from domestic utility to treasured artwork – Jason Bridge Woolloongabba Antique Centre & Café offers antiques for the 21st century James & Bell, Brisbane’s newest antique warehouse Glass and more at Annerley Glassworx – Denise Allen Collecting Spode at Bayside Antique & Collectables Centre – Rob & Di Metcalf

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The grand tour – Brisbane’s Antique Centres Brisbane Antique Centre opens for business Forging not forgery: the craft of the spoon maker Beautiful rugs deserve the best care – Stephen Muncey Celebrating 100 years of fine silversmithing, F.J.Mole – Silversmiths Closing down sale at Kilkivan Fine Art & Antiques The ever-expanding Salt’s at Crows Nest Roy Fredrick Salt (1940-2011) of Salts Antiques – Valerie Salt Timeless Antiques tribute to Titanic bedstead artisans – Mark & Lynne Bennett Toowoomba Grammar School’s autumn weekend art show Lancaster’s Toowoomba Antique Centre – 16 years old and going strong Looking forward, looking back ... to the future as now is another good time to invest – Heather Mildwaters Steampunk at the Ipswich Art Gallery Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris and the Moulin Rouge – Simeran Maxwell Life’s journey traced through a rescued chair – David Foster A Victorian Christmas – Susanne Gervay Art Gilding and the Midas touch promise Collector proof coins 1955 – 1963 Welcome to the workshop with Joel Duggan from Pegasus Antiques Oriental Antique Gallery’s new Brisbane store – Phillip Guan

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PATSY FOARD EXHIBITION OF COLLAGES

Royal Queensland Art Society

SUNDAY 27 JAN – FRIDAY 22 FEB 2013 25 Broadbeach Blvd, Broadbeach QLD 4218

07 5592 0440 mon-fri 11am - 3pm | sat-sun 9am - 5pm THE ARTIST HAS HAD 29 SOLO EXHIBITIONS Patsy has a Master of Fine Art and has painted and exhibited in Italy, Iceland, Spain, England, New York, Hawaii, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and the Gold Coast where she now lives. She has taught in art departments in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney.

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GOLD COAST / MOUNT TAMBORINE

s& k r Ma rdner Ga llery Ga

Antiques

on the West Side A

visit to North Tamborine is a memorable day trip from Brisbane or the Gold Coast. Take in the breathtaking views to the west while visiting Witches Falls National Park – the first National Park in Queensland – and be sure to spend time at the picnic areas, local shops, antiques and art galleries and cafés. It is rumoured that the name Witches Falls stuck after residents west of Tamborine Mountain saw lights on the side of the mountain many years ago and attributed them to the ‘Mountain Witches.’

Visitors with an interest in the arts and antiques find this village a perfect destination.

Here they are able to explore the high-quality shops on the Main Western Road in North

Tamborine in addition to enjoying the wonderful surrounding natural views.

Witches Falls Gift House at 98 Main Western Road is next to Witches Falls National Park – the oldest National Park in Queensland. Come and meet Noelina and Phil in what appears to be a small shop but is in reality a well-stocked gift store. Search through the vast array of old and collectable objects including Shelley, Royal Doulton, Crown Derby, Wedgwood, Royal Dux, Lladro and other fine names.

They have old and estate jewellery, antiques, curios and beautiful furniture in mahogany, walnut, oak and other rare and exotic timbers.

Phil combines his furniture making skills

with a flair for bringing old pieces back to life. Furniture repair and restoration is his preference, while Noelina is a skilled artisan with her sewing machine.

Continue opposite at 97 where you will now find The Shop Time Forgot and Kittys Vintage & Kitsch.

Further along at 69 Main Western Road is Marks and Gardner Gallery. Here Janene and Mary will tempt you with their art gallery showing contemporary works, or their delightful Secret Garden bookshop. If tired from wandering through the plethora of shops, sit for a while at their verandah café and let it all soak in.

Phil & Noelina Jackson 98 Main Western Rd Mt Tamborine QLD 4272 P: 07 5545 0885 F: 07 5545 0076 M: 0418 647 452 E: gifthouse@winshop.com.au

www.witches-falls-antiques-and-gifts.com.au OPENING HOURS Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun 10 am - 5 pm inc. Public Holidays Closed Christmas Day and Good Friday Open Anzac Day 12 - 5 pm Other times by appointment

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GOLD COAST / MOUNT TAMBORINE

AUSTRALIAN NATIVE FLORA The Gordons’ continuing legacy

s all F es ti ch iques se W nt A t Hou if &G

O

ver the years, many talented artists have gained recognition for their representation of Australia’s flora.

Reproduction prints of the works of Ferdinand Bauer and Ellis Rowan are probably better recognised than original antique engravings and lithographs by other artists, but when nicely framed, botanical art is enjoyed by everyone. The range of artistic styles has varied considerably over hundreds of years, providing us with a great choice.

DOROTHY Gordon wildflower paintings A gentle and artistic representation of our native flora is provided by the fine wildflower paintings of Dorothy Gordon (1930-1985), now available as inexpensive reproduction prints from Antique Print Club. With her husband David, Dorothy shared a love of Australian nature, which is obvious in the composition of her graceful watercolours that combined scientific accuracy with the individual charm in the form and colour of each species. She painted the indigenous flora from one of Australia’s oldest collections – the sanctuary for Australian native plants at Myall Park, Glenmorgan, near Dalby, in the western region of the Darling Downs.

DAVID Gordon’s grevilleas Having been referred to as ‘the grand old man of Australia flora’, David Gordon (1899-2001) was awarded the Order of Australia in 1987 for

services to horticulture and conservation.

Beginning in 1941 with 20 hectares adjacent to their home on a sheep property, he propagated native plants with seed from all around Australia. In the 1960s he planted a group of grevilleas together, and named their hybrids after his daughters. These include the best known and loved grevillea ‘Robyn Gordon’, which flowers most of the year, ‘Sandra Gordon’ – named the best-selling Australia shrub jointly with ‘Robyn Gordon’ – and ‘Merinda Gordon’, with delightful, delicate flowers.

MYALL Park Botanic Garden After 50 years devoted to the preservation and propagation of Australia’s wonderful native flora, David invited friends and family to establish a committee to guarantee the future of his project. In 1984 Myall Park Botanic Garden comprised 90 hectares planted with thousands of native plants, seeds, a herbarium of over 7,000 pressed plant specimens, comprehensive records, and David Gordon’s important botanical library. Today it covers more than 130 hectares with walking trails among arid and semi-arid Australian trees and shrubs, many of which thrive in city gardens with little water.

Myall Park now includes an art gallery and accommodation. With the assistance of fundraising, public donations and government grants, Myall Park Botanic Garden is maintained and developed by a committee of volunteers, who greatly appreciate financial as well as physical assistance.

If you love the individuality of Australia’s native flora, take the time to visit this wonderful botanic garden where you can appreciate them growing unhindered – except perhaps by the wildlife. You might even consider joining the

Friends of MPBG – details available at www.myallparkbotanicgarden.com.au.

About six hours drive west of Brisbane, Myall Park Botanic Garden is open from 20 January to 20 December. If it’s not possible to travel that far, Dorothy Gordon’s botanical prints, note cards and envelopes, and books about two treasured Australians, David Gordon and Dorothy Gordon, are available from the Antique Print Club at Neranwood, an hour south of Brisbane – or online in the Heritage Editions section of www.antiqueprintclub.com.

Kathryn Nicholls ANTIQUE PRINT CLUB Neranwood Club-house 07 5525 1363 sales@antiqueprintclub.com www.antiqueprintclub.com

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GOLD COAST

The 26th Rotary Antiques & Collectables Fair Incorporating the Gold Coast Book Fair 3 - 6 January 2013

S

et aside time in the first week of next year as the eagerly anticipated antiques, collectables and book fair will again be presented by the Rotary Club of Palm Beach from 3-6 January 2013 at the popular Jupiters Hotel & Casino at Broadbeach.

Having grown to become an institution for locals, holiday makers and serious collectors, the fair is being presented in a superb setting for the display of an array of fine quality pieces

while offering all visitors an opportunity to enjoy the spectacular entertainment and excellent dining available at Jupiters.

postcards. Antiquarian collectors can find historical documents, as well as books with an enticing selection of literary treats gathered from many parts of the world – including old and rare volumes, children’s classics, and a wide range of subjects and pastime pursuits.

WHAT’S on offer

FUND raising for charity

Over 70 dealers from interstate and locally will be exhibiting in the venue’s spacious airconditioned surroundings. They will be displaying and selling an eye-catching selection of porcelain, silver, furniture, linen, jewellery, clocks, coins, lithographs, prints, maps and

This annual fair is a major Rotary Club of Palm Beach fundraising project for charity.

The need to raise funds for projects both here in Australia and overseas is very much in our hearts, so please make a point of visiting.

Enjoy the buzz of browsing among an inspiring array of collectables and antiques presented by dealers from around Australia.

26th ROTARY ANTIQUES & COLLECTABLES FAIR jewellery, porcelain, china, silver, clocks, pottery, furniture, historic documents – and much more!

plus GOLD COAST BOOK FAIR 2013 rare books, prints, posters, maps and postcards BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE ROTARY CLUB OF PALM BEACH

Jupiters Hotel & Casino Convention Centre Broadbeach Queensland

Thursday 3 - Sunday 6 January 2013 January 2013 Fair Dates

Admission

Thursday 3 Jan 6 pm – 10 pm Adults $12 Friday 4 Jan 10 am – 6 pm Concessions $10 Saturday 5 Jan 10 am – 6 pm Under 17 Free Sunday 6 Jan 10 am – 3 pm For FREE Jupiters Parking – validate your parking ticket at the Antiques Fair

Don’t forget our Mid-Year Fair at Albert Waterways Centre Sunshine Boulevard, Broadbeach Queensland FRIDAY 19 JULY – SUNDAY 21 JULY 2013 Phone: 07 5577 2771 / 0411 649 242 Website: www.rotaryantiquesfair.com Email: AntiquesFairChairman@tpg.com.au 8

We look forward to welcoming one and all at Jupiters in January 2013 and thank dealers, sponsors and the public for their continuing support.

For more information contact Peter Campbell ROTARY ANTIQUES & COLLECTABLES FAIR 07 5577 2771 / 0411 649 242 AntiquesFairChairman@tpg.com.au www.rotaryantiquesfair.com

GOLD COAST

Stefan Dunlop, Velazquez, 2012, oil on linen.

Courtesy the artist

Rew Hanks, Krefft’s chair, 2012, linocut.

Courtesy the artist

Michelle Hamer, Triumph, 2012, handstitched tapestry and perforated plastic.

Courtesy the artist

Michael Muir, Sigh no more, 2012, oil on linen. Courtesy the artist and Eva Breuer Art Dealer, Sydney, Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane and Sophie Gannon Gallery, Melbourne

A SHOW OF ART IN SUMMER at the Gold Coast City Gallery GOLD Coast Art Prize 2012 8 December 2012 – 3 February 2013

F

ormerly known as the Stan and Maureen Duke Gold Coast Art Prize, the Gold Coast Art Prize is in its 44th year and is one of the longest running acquisitive art prizes in Australia.

The 2012 judge, Dr Campbell Gray, Director of the University of Queensland Art Museum, has selected 65 finalists from 440 entries for the 2012 exhibition. The finalists include emerging and mid-career artists from around Australia working in diverse media including painting, prints and works on paper, mixed media, installations, sculpture and video.

Rew Hanks’ detailed linocut is a visual exploration into the lives of one of Australia’s first zoologists and palaeontologists Dr Gerard Krefft (1830-1881). Director of the Australian Museum between 1864 and 1874, Krefft was controversially fired when he railed against the private interests of the Museum’s trustees, including Sir William Macleay. The print features the many animals that fascinated Krefft, as well as effects that tell the personal story of the man.

Queensland artist Stefan Dunlop’s painting Velasquez reflects on the lineage of art and Dunlop’s practice of ‘painting (his) way through art history.’ A portrait of the influential 17th century Spanish artist Diego Velasquez is reformulated with blocks of light colour, and while it belies the sombre gradual tones of Velasquez’s own 17th century paintings, Dunlop’s painting is monumental and reverential.

In her painting, Western Australian artist Joanna Lamb limits her colour palette, thereby producing a series of works with different compositions using only 15 colours to investigate domestic interiors. Lamb considered each colour contrast and tonal value to create the palette of colours that would complement each other and allow space to be readable.

Michelle Hamer’s tapestry Triumph is a demonstration of one art form transformed into another. She delicately and arduously hand stitches tapestries based on digital photographs that depict the seemingly mundane, or the ‘inbetween moments of apparent nothingness.’ By using the idea of ‘ironic romanticism’ Hamer explores the fear and emotion related to the recent economic crisis in the USA. Styles range from the hyper-realistic to highly abstract, from the conceptual to pure form, from refined and delicate sculptural detail to bold blocks of saturated colour.

Last year, a large landscape painting by midcareer artist Chris Langlois was announced the winner by 2011 judge, artist Davida Allen.

Over the years a number of high profile judges

have been involved, including Sir William Dargie OBE, Rosalie Gascoigne, Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, John Olsen, Hetti Perkins, Jan Senbergs, Daniel Thomas AM, to name a few.

The number of works by emerging and established artists acquired through the art prize over the past 44 years exceeds 330 and as such, the prize contributes a great deal to the enrichment of the Gold Coast City collection.

This year’s exhibition will again see the inclusion of a $5,000 People’s Choice Award sponsored by 19 Karen Contemporary Artspace, Mermaid Beach. Last year, Gold Coast artist Peter Smet’s painting Water Towers was voted as the most popular work by visitors to the gallery over the exhibition period. 19 Karen Contemporary Artspace is proud to once again offer the prize to a deserving artist.

All works not acquired are for sale. An accompanying catalogue is available.

the prints retain my struggle to capture details as the image as a whole takes over. Holding the border between recognition and abstraction, the works are psychologically charged, and transform suburbia into these quasi-surreal objects of contemplation.’

The works in the exhibition are for sale.

For more details contact GOLD COAST CITY GALLERY 07 5581 6567 gallery@theartscentregc.com.au www.theartscentregc.com.au/gallery

Manfred Krautschneider, Progress, 2012, pigment print, ed. 5, 120 x 90 cm.

Courtesy the artist

8 December 2012 to 3 February 2013

MANFRED Krautschneider: Suburban Reflections 9 February – 31 March 2013 Gold Coast based artist Manfred Krautschneider’s photographs transform reality, tending toward the surreal. They are palpable and yet remain elusive. Flickering at the edge of consciousness, their content is exciting and unsettling. They crackle with energy, sparking unexpected tension. These reflections of suburbia carry a knowledge of the human that is beyond their nature, much as consciousness is imprinted with the activity of the unconscious mind.

The Suburban Reflections series continues a project started in 2001 when Manfred saw well-known modern art motifs in the subtle distortions of the streetscape reflected on imperfect window glass. In these works the artist invites the viewer to see the world from a different perspective – one that may have been viewed in the past.

Flat glass (flotation process) is a 1950s invention. In the past, reflections on glass would more resemble today’s reflections on vinyl. This understanding led Manfred to hypothesise that some art movements, including Surrealism and Cubism, may have been inspired by the observation of reflections in uneven glass and polished surfaces, and the superimpositions seen on and through glass via multiple reflections.

Series 3 investigates some more extensively distorted and layered reflections of the suburban or urban streetscape. Manfred comments, ‘I have found another fascinating series of contemporary images. Some elements of these images are ephemeral and

This annual exhibition is a chance for Queensland audiences and visitors to view a selection of works that document excellent contemporary art practice in Australia Chris Langlois, Darkwood no 19 2011, oil on canvas.

Purchased 2011, Winner Gold Coast Art Prize

Total of $30,000 for acquisitions $5,000 People’s Choice Award 2012 JUDGE DR CAMPBELL GRAY, Director University of Queensland Art Museum $5,000 People’s Choice Award sponsored by

The Arts Centre Gold Coast 135 Bundall Road Surfers Paradise Qld 07 5588 4000 www.theartscentregc.com.au

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GOLD COAST NARELLE Autio: The Summer of Us 15 December – 3 February 2013

Shane Lubich, Dream 2012 (detail), pinewood and nails.

Courtesy the artist

Phoebe Cook, Australian Hide, 2012 (detail), mixed media. Courtesy the artist

EXHIBITIONS at the Gold Coast City Gallery BETTER than Real: QCA Graduates Until 9 December

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he exhibition of graduating students from the Queensland College of Art at Griffith University Gold Coast is annually anticipated, with the works providing insight into contemporary art practice on the Gold Coast. The 2012 group of students employ varying media and subject matter, yet are predominantly concerned with the future; what it holds, how they will change from what they were, and if the present is better.

Art practice incorporating the medium of sewing and craft Ursula Cook is concerned with emotion, time, memory and labour. She subverts the seemingly meditative practice of knitting into an impossible task, knitting hair to support a weighted object.

Morgan Bell applies thread to dissolvable fabric to construct faded memories using architectural form. Honours student Lisa di Bartolo is concerned with notions of feminine labours in a masculine framework, exploiting the materiality of fabric and stitching.

Theme of identity Kerensa Davis has developed small installations of personal domestic objects that reflect her upbringing and embody experiences of memory and time, dealing with issues such as motherhood, racism and postnatal depression. Phoebe Cook explores ideas of nationalism and hybridity through the motif of the dingo. She has constructed a wonderful dingo-sculpture that shares space with hybridised maps that speak of new amalgamated cultural identities. Bosnian-born artist Stanislav Pacavra arrived in Australia 14 years ago. His beautiful etched sheets of transparent acrylic feature vignettes that

Kerensa Davis, Matriarchaeology, 2012 (detail from installation), found photographs.

Courtesy the artist

reflect upon the cultural changes he has undergone during his time in Australia.

Yolanda Grace, an honours student, questions communication and knowledge by transforming medical data from imaging scans into abstract art.

Theme of childhood and upbringing In his images and installation work using ready-made objects, John Forno deconstructs thoughts, dreams, nightmares and memories utilising pop culture iconography of the past and present. Sarah Kelly’s paintings of domestic and ritualised objects piled atop each other draw upon childhood memories of the shared play experience centred on particular toys. Raynor Kirkbride is an honours student who paints from photographs of her upbringing as an only child, which she describes as a solitary experience.

Exploring time Concerned with the passing of time, through simple line drawings Alexander Iordanou has created a clever animation. Small differences in each drawing highlight the nuanced complexities of this style of work.

Hopes in dreams In the wooden structure Dreams, Shane Lubich recalls that his original dream of riding motocross bikes around the hills of Melbourne western suburbs was ruined when housing estates replaced green paddocks. It is now his dream to own a house, yet this dream is also becoming less attainable.

Narelle Autio, Green Bottle, 2009, pigment print. Courtesy the artist and Stills Gallery, Sydney

A morning walk along the shore unearths myriad ocean and sand-ravaged natural debris.

However, it is the man-made abandoned detritus that appeals to Narelle Autio, a celebrated South Australia-based artist. For Autio, each piece carries memories of long summers past.

The works for the exhibition began to form in 2007 when the artist and her family moved to a beachside home in Adelaide. For a large part of her life, the beach and the water have been important to Autio and when she moved back to the seaside, she began to explore it anew through the eyes of her two young boys, remarking that ‘their eyes, not as critical or judgemental, opened a door of curiosity and the more we looked the more we found.’

For The Summer of Us, Autio used large format film to photograph each find with an exacting eye. When viewed as a collection on a white wall, the appeal and beauty of each individual object is amplified, yet each separate photograph of a thong, a fish, a glove become entangled with each other – similarities in form and shape emerge. These man-made objects that wash up on the beach are left by humans, yet share visual similarities with ocean creatures that swell from the ocean onto the sand. For example, lost gloves visually grow to resemble five fingered sea creatures.

In Plastic Gun, a toy object that has been discarded at the beach reanimates itself in Autio’s photograph. Covered in sand and detritus, it is loaded with a precious object from the ocean.

As coast-dwellers, The Summer of Us exhibition intimates to our affinity with the ocean and the beach. For Autio, the works in this exhibition become a collective memory of all those who have visited the ocean and also a stark reminder of the continuing impact we have on our environment. It is a document of what we as a people and a culture have left behind after those long summer days, a melancholy reminder of a time spent and gone.

For more details contact GOLD COAST CITY GALLERY 07 5581 6567 gallery@theartscentregc.com.au www.theartscentregc.com.au/gallery

SEXING UP THE CITY – WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? A Gold Coast Bulletin and The Arts Centre Gold Coast Breakfast Event Don’t miss this breakfast event in conjunction with the Gold Coast City Gallery’s provocative new exhibition Sexualising the City, which presents the art, fashion and popular culture that gave the Gold Coast its sexy reputation.

Panellists from tourism, media, design and art discuss the way the Gold Coast has been promoted with a sexy image and ask whether there should be new imagery to represent the Coast.

A delicious hot breakfast will be served with tea, coffee and juice. The morning also features a beach glamour fashion parade from Molly and Polly Swimwear.

DATE: Fri 23 Nov TIME: 7.00am - 9.00am VENUE: Paradise Showroom COST: $30.00 BOOK: Online or phone Box Office on 5588 4000 Gold Coast postcard booklet c1963. Publisher: John Engelander & Co. Pty. Ltd., Melbourne. Gift of Chris Martin, 2004

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Narelle Autio, Plastic Gun, 2009, pigment print. Courtesy the artist and Stills Gallery, Sydney

Narelle Autio, Gloves, 2009 [composite of several images] pigment print. Courtesy the artist and Stills Gallery, Sydney

GOLD COAST

BASIL SELLERS ART PRIZE at the Gold Coast City Gallery 9 Feb – 31 Mar 2013 ‘My hope is that this prize will take lovers of sport and art into what may be unchartered, but ultimately rewarding, territory, leading to an engagement that will enhance their enjoyment of each other’s loves.’ Basil Sellers AM suburbs. The deceptively simple panels in Dream team combine the colour palette of the suburban home, the typography of the shopping strip, and the passions of the public bar.’

In her catalogue essay, Joanna Bosse, Curator, Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne writes, ‘For close to three decades, Jon Campbell has produced works of art that celebrate the particular character of his “leftie, westie, working class” view of Australia. His work centres on Australian suburban life and culture; drawing on rock music, car culture, and local references such as neighbourhood signs and motifs.

‘For Australian Rules football fans, the concept behind Campbell’s new multipanel painting Dream team hardly needs explanation. Selecting his subjects from across generations and teams, Campbell has chosen his top 22 players’ nicknames and rendered them on small-scale boards with the skill of a master sign writer. The hand-held scale is important, recalling the signs fans hold up at live games, as is the choice of colours and font for each name. Playing with anticipated associations is part of the fun: Campbell has given Captain Blood (Jack Dyer) a comical amusement park vibe; and the tough swagger one might expect of a player named Cowboy (Kevin Neale) dissolves into plump bubblegum sweetness. The overall soft, pastel palette further dilutes the inherent masculinity of the subject matter.’

JON Campbell’s Dream team

Melbourne-based artist Brook Andrew’s works explores the athleticism of traditional indigenous hunting techniques and the iconography of the boomerang. He is interested in sport as an avenue for promoting cultural pride and aspiration. Australia 1 is based on an image from the 19th century album of sketches by Prussian-born explorer William Blandowski who led an expedition to the Murray and Darling River junctions in 1856-57. This image has recently also been used as proof of the origin of Australian Rules football in Aboriginal culture.

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In 2012 the prestigious $100,000 Basil Sellers Art Prize was awarded to Irish-born Melbourne artist Jon Campbell for his work Dream team, depicting the nicknames of famous AFL players, past and present. The work consists of 22 enamel paintings on board featuring names such as ‘Captain Blood’, ‘Cowboy’, ‘Dipper’, ‘Daisy’ and ‘Buddy Love’.

Director of the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne, Dr Chris McAuliffe commented that the judges commended Campbell’s ‘blending of a pop art style with the colloquial language of the

BROOK Andrew, Australia 1

Brook Andrew, Australia 1, 2012, mixed media on canvas. Courtesy the artist and Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne

FINALISTS Brook Andrew, Richard Bell, Lauren Brincat, Jon Campbell, Pat Macan, Louise Hearman, Greg Creek, Eugene Carchesio, Gabriella Mangano and Silvana Mangano, Simon Perry, Kerrie Poliness, Patrick Pound, Sangeeta Sandrasegar and Christian Thompson.

Jon Campbell, Dream team, 2012 (detail), enamel on paint on plywood, 22 paintings, installation. Courtesy the artist, Kalimanrawlins, Melbourne and Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney

GOLD COAST CITY GALLERY

SIMON Perry, Incident at Twickenham & Twickenham official Simon Perry is a British-born artist that has lived in Australia for the past 20 years. His wax sculptures Incident at Twickenham and Twickenham official centre on a sports controversy in the early 1970s at Twickenham Stadium during a rugby union game between France and England. A young Australian man Michael O’Brien ran naked across the ground, breaking play, reportedly to win a bet. Senior curator at The Ian Potter Museum of Art Bala Starr writes that ‘[Perry’s] sentiments lie with the pioneer Australian streaker subverting the rules and codes of the British establishment.’

Other pieces in the exhibition include a suspenseful video work by artist Lauren Brincat, delicate yet powerful action drawings of boxers by Eugene Carchesio and textured oil paintings by Louise Hearman that detail the minutiae of sporting activity.

Lauren Brincat, 10 metre platform, 2012 (production still), single-channel HD video, 6:9 ratio, colour, sound. Courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery

For more information contact GOLD COAST CITY GALLERY 07 5581 6567 gallery@theartscentregc.com.au www.theartscentregc.com.au/gallery

Vida Lahey, Rainbow Bay, Coolangatta c. 1952, oil on board.

Purchased with the generous assistance of ADFAS Gold Coast, 2010

he Basil Sellers Art Prize is staged at the Ian Potter Museum of Art, the University of Melbourne every second year since the inaugural prize in 2008. In 2013, the Basil Sellers Art Prize will tour for the first time to another gallery. Queensland audiences and tourists will have access to the thought-provoking and engaging artworks at Gold Coast City Gallery.

Not the Archibald in a footy jumper, the prize is a fresh take on the theme of sport, encouraging artists to boldly ask the questions, rattle preconceptions and explore sporting culture – perhaps luring art and sports supporters from their strongly held positions on opposite sides of the ring.

From a national field of over 300 entrants, work by 15 shortlisted finalists comprise the 2012 exhibition. The prize of $100,000 awarded to the winner makes the Basil Sellers Art Prize one of the richest in Australia.

The prize has been initiated and generously supported by Basil Sellers AM. Basil, a businessman and philanthropist, has made his career breathing life into ailing companies. A recognised art collector, Basil divides his time between Europe and Australia (or wherever the Sydney Swans are playing that weekend).

The Basil Sellers Art Prize is a long-term project involving five biennial awards from 2008 to 2016 staged at the Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne. The acquisitive prize is aimed at changing Australians’ perception and enjoyment of art and sport.

As well as presenting a diverse and dynamic program of exhibitions and events, Gold Coast City Gallery houses the renowned City Collection of contemporary and historical artworks documenting the character of the Gold Coast as well as the development of Australian art practice

The Arts Centre Gold Coast 135 Bundall Rd Surfers Paradise Qld 07 5588 4000 gallery@theartscentregc.com.au www.theartscentregc.com.au Mon - Fri 10am – 5pm weekends & public holidays 11am – 5pm

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GOLD COAST

Spirit of Australia Gallery Home to authentic Australian-made products AUTHENTIC Aboriginal didgeridoos

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pirit of Australia Gallery offers the biggest variety of Eucalyptus species didgeridoos on the Gold Coast. You can find plain ones such as Eucalyptus woolybutt from one to 1.3 metres, and plain ones in bloodwood and ironbark.

Hand-painted didgeridoos by Aboriginal artists such as Johnny Turnbull, Colin Wightman, Lionel Phillips, Karl Hardy, Lionie Roser and others can be found in mallee and woolybutt (85 cm to 1.4 m). These artists also paint full size (1.3 – 1.6 m) didgeridoos on bloodwood or ironbark.

OPALS and jewellery

APPAREL

The gallery displays a large variety of Aboriginal hand-painted necklaces, bracelets, and other jewellery. An impressive collection of black, crystal and matrix opals originated from Alan Rise, Coober Pedy and other inland opal-mining centres. You can select your own loose opal stones and pendants from Boulder opals, mainly dug from the Queensland opal mines at Yowah, Koroit and Opalville.

There’s a large selection of t-shirts and lycra, hand dyed, tie dyed and printed that are Australian made and feature licensed Aboriginal designs. The gallery offers a wide range of other distinctively Australian products: - Canvas paintings, boomerangs, emu callers and eggs, pottery, wooden carvings - Crocodile and kangaroo leather accessories (belts, wallets, necklaces, bracelets, bags etc) - Australian-made toys - Sheepskin footwear (slippers and Uggs) - Ties, scarves, nappery, novelties and gifts - Harley Davidson official licensed merchandise

OILSKINS, jackets and hats Traditional oilskin jackets and leather bush hats for the harsh environment of the Australian outback are also available.

Spirit of Australia

G A L L E R Y Specialists in Authentic Aboriginal Fine Arts and Artefacts

Shop No. 5, 3171 Surfers Paradise Boulevard Surfers Paradise Qld 4217 Phone: 07 5561 0330 • Fax: 07 5561 0331 Email: info@spiritofaustraliagallery.com Website: www.spiritofaustraliagallery.com Open 7 days 9 am - 9 pm 12

SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA GALLERY 07 5561 0330 www.spiritofaustraliagallery.com

GOLD COAST

George Tjugarrayi, 70 x 110 cm $5,900 Anthony Walker, triptych, 3 x 91 x 51 cm

Showcase of ABORIGINAL

WORK Jeannie Petyarre, 140 x140 cm $4,500

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pirit of Australia Gallery is the only Aboriginal art gallery in Surfers Paradise. The Gallery offers a unique collection of traditional and contemporary Aboriginal paintings by Central Australia’s most famous artists such as Walangkura Napanangka, Gloria, Jeannie and Kathleen Petyarre, Abie Loy, Evelyn Pultara, Margaret Lewis Napangardi and Ronnie Tjampitjinpa.

The more contemporary and modern Aboriginal art is exhibited by Yondee, Trisha Mason, Colin Wightman, Melissa Wright, Grant Paulson, Bibi Barba and others.

Spirit of Australia Gallery offers the largest collection of didgeridoos on the Gold Coast.

Over 200 authentic, termite-eaten didgeridoos are on display. The Gallery offers free lessons on playing the didgeridoo to customers wanting to learn.

You will also find a unique and wide variety of Aboriginal artefacts and souvenirs including boomerangs, apparel, pottery, crafts and gifts. Visitors to the Gold Coast should drop by the Gallery and take a photo of the largest didgeridoo that the Gallery displays at our entrance.

Ronnie Tjampitjimpa, 92 x 150 cm $14,900

Ningurra Naparulla, 54 x 86 cm $4,900 Goompi Vgerabah, 90 x 170 cm $2,900

SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA GALLERY 07 5561 0330 www.spiritofaustraliagallery.com

John Turnbull, 90 x 120 cm $1,690

Spirit of Australia

G A L L E R Y Specialists in Authentic Aboriginal Fine Arts and Artefacts

Kuddtji, 90 x 150 cm $5,500

Goompi Vgerabah, 90 x 170 cm $2,900

Anthony Walker, 120 x 180 cm $2,900

Shop No. 5, 3171 Surfers Paradise Boulevard Surfers Paradise Qld 4217 Phone: 07 5561 0330 • Fax: 07 5561 0331 Email: info@spiritofaustraliagallery.com Website: www.spiritofaustraliagallery.com Open 7 days 9 am - 9 pm A Cora, 90 x 90 cm $750

John Turnbull, 60 x 150 cm $1,690

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TO SCRAP OR NOT TO SCRAP a contentious discussion point

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ver the years we have acquired an array of metal objects, from either hand me downs or purchases, which we hoped would increase in value and eventually add to our superannuation.

Generally over a period of time and allowing for inflation and fashion, most pieces – especially the more decorative – will increase in value substantially. Today with gold and precious metals, including silver, having risen so dramatically, one must ask the question: Whether to scrap or not to scrap?

WHAT is the true value A classic example is an Edwardian silver tea service consisting of a teapot, milk jug, sugar bowl and tray which 20 or 30 years ago was bought for $500 or $600. Weighing around 2 to 3 kilos it is now worth $1500 to $2000 as a set or $2000 to $3000 in scrap silver.

How do you overcome the dilemma of having to scrap a piece of fine workmanship for the extra money and erase another item of potential historical value? There are many examples like this and often the answers are only too clear for those of us who were lucky enough or astute enough to have invested in precious metals.

I can relate back to the time when my father was collecting gold coins and the price of gold was $32 per ounce. He was earning about $80 a week and made a point of buying a Krugerrand once a week and anytime there were a few dollars left over, he would buy a gold sovereign. Today a Krugerrand retails for $1800 or more depending on circulation quality, and a sovereign sells for a minimum of $350. These coins are regarded as bullion coins, but a lot of other gold coins are being melted down and turned into ingots.

FASHION versus financial gain During the ’70s when chunky jewellery was all the go I, like everyone else, had an extremely heavy Italian chain link bracelet and neck chain with ID tags. The fashion changed and my bracelet found its way to the bottom of my cupboard and lived there for many years. A few years ago while packing to move house I came across it again and realised that there was 90 grams of 18 ct gold now worth $4500 to melt down. Needless to say in this case the solution was easy – melt it down.

On the other hand and at a different time, this could have been a double length Victorian muff chain in rose gold of a similar weight and a similar value. Would you melt this

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down? You could keep it for another 100 years or pass it down to the next generation and risk letting it end up as a $10 item in a garage sale due to lack of knowledge.

LOST forever in a melting pot Sadly, many gold items are finding their way to the melting pot and tonnes of beautiful antique items of jewellery and decorative wares are being lost forever. It may be frightening to imagine what is being lost but many will take advantage of the current situation and sell the family’s heirloom silver.

Watches have not missed out in this equation either and many of us have granddad’s old gold fob watch. There was a time when an item like this was revered and greatly loved as a family heirloom that was bequeathed to the eldest heir or successor to the family. Today in the retail world, an average 18 ct gold fob watch sells for approximately $1000, depending on the condition of the movement. Today not many care about the movement on the average 18 ct gold watch case which fetches around $1500 to $2000.

Even old television sets have not been spared as the electrodes are made of gold and platinum and are worth more than the entire set.

PRESERVING the past Gold Coast Antique Centre believes in the survival of beautiful items and refuses to scrap anything of true aesthetic value or historical worth, so sellers can be assured that such pieces will survive the next generation as well as being paid more than the scrap value.

In addition, ordinary items that are broken, run down or unwanted such as silver cutlery, tea sets, trays, chains, watches, rings, brooches and any items of gold, platinum or silver that are superfluous to your needs, the centre will purchase at the best price.

If it hasn’t been worn or used in the last few years there is a good chance it will never see daylight again. To take advantage while metal prices are high, drop by the centre to have appraiser Niko Zafir value your memorabilia and, while you’re there, feel free to meander through and take a look around.

ABOUT the Gold Coast Antique Centre The centre sells authentic antiques and collectables that are correctly labelled and competitively priced. Over 20 specialist

dealers offer beautiful – and sometimes bizarre – items that attract bargain hunters – including mirrors, paintings, sculptures and prints. For furniture lovers there’s rapidly changing stock such as solid wood dining sets, bookcases, desks, chairs and china cabinets from all eras.

The centre is a popular meeting place for tourists and locals to discuss their favourite pieces or a lifetime of collecting.

Open every day the Gold Coast Antique Centre is conveniently located on the Gold Coast Highway in the centre of Miami, halfway between the airport at Coolangatta and the heart of Surfers Paradise, and one hour south of Brisbane.

Jenny Thomas GOLD COAST ANTIQUE CENTRE, MIAMI 07 5572 0522 / 0414 338 363 www.goldcoastantiquecentre.com.au

GOLD COAST

GRACE GALLERIES a discount home decorator warehouse at Southport

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dd some panache, sparkle and an oriental flair to your home, office or restaurant, decorating with an eclectic range of statement pieces and decorator items available at our discount home decorator warehouse on the Gold Coast.

Grace Galleries stocks a wide range of quality furniture, decorative arts, home decorator items and collectables to suit the most discerning taste.

MORE to choose from The timeless and eclectic stock showcased in our warehouse at any time may include decorative and collectable furniture, Chinese ceramics, Tang-style horses, lamps, crystal and coloured glassware, Asian furniture, decorative clocks, classical and modernist figurines and sculptures, mirrors, paintings and prints, tribal art, big boys’ toys and collectables with that special appeal only found in creative well-designed pieces.

As well as supplying homemakers, decorators and collectors in southeast Queensland, interstate and overseas visitors looking for a unique item will find something special in our warehouse gallery. We believe

that a thing of beauty is a joy forever: invest in quality pieces that can follow you anywhere.

Our stock is also available for hire for fashion, film and photo shoots.

ONLINE for easy shopping Grace Galleries displays a wide range of stock on its website at www.gracegalleries.net which is conveniently listed under five major categories: 1. Ceramics and Glassware 2. Collectables and Ladies Fashion 3. Furniture and Mirrors 4. Paintings, Prints, Sculpture 5. Tableware and Decor Items Potential buyers from anywhere in the world can browse online and contact Grace Galleries by phone or email grace@gracegalleries.net to arrange shipping. Over 1,000 items are available and new items are added daily. If purchasing smaller collectable items, most can be posted anywhere in Australia in a 3 kg – 5 kg express bag for a cost of just $20.

EASY to find Our ground level warehouse style premises are located at 18C Young Street, Southport, close to the library (the entrance is through the large gates – look for the large lions out the front).

The parking here is easy and convenient. For those unfamiliar with Southport, it is the business centre of the Gold Coast and only three kilometres north of Surfers Paradise and less than one hour from Brisbane’s CBD. We are open Monday to Saturday from 9am.

For an appointment outside of these hours, please phone GRACE GALLERIES 0408 109 427 grace@gracegalleries.net www.gracegalleries.net

BE informed We send out a weekly email with details of new items - if you would like to be on our mailing list, please let us know by emailing us at grace@gracegalleries.net.

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GOLD COAST

RARE AND BEAUTIFUL ANTIQUE PRINTS of Australia’s distinctive flora

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ustralian flora has a unique and strange beauty that has been appreciated around the world for hundreds of years. Natural history artists travelling with early European expeditions carefully recorded the specimens that were quite unlike any they had seen. Scientists accompanying these voyages of exploration were commissioned with collecting seeds and specimens.

EARLY east coast discoveries The first major records of Australian nature were not made until the east coast of Australia was discovered and charted by James Cook in the Endeavour in 1770, with the combined Royal Navy-Royal Society scientific expedition. Accompanying Cook’s voyage were the great English naturalist Sir Joseph Banks, Swedish botanist Daniel Solander, Finnish botanist Dr Herman Sporing Junior and talented Scottish topographical and botanical artist, Sydney Parkinson.

BANKSIAN collection While some illustrations of animals and birds from Cook’s voyages were published in London by Hawkesworth in 1773, the majority of the botanical discoveries remained largely unknown for many years because Sir Joseph Banks, who was mainly interested in botany, retained the majority of the botanical specimens in his own library and herbarium.

In his will Banks bequeathed to his ‘infatigable and intelligent librarian Robert Brown a life tenancy of his Soho Square house with the use and enjoyment of its library and

collections’ which on Brown’s death were to pass to the trustees of the British Museum.

Instead of waiting, Brown transferred the collection to the British Museum in 1827.

Today the Banksian collection is part of the Natural History Museum.

FRENCH illustrations predate English works Many engravings of botanical specimens from French explorations were published before English ones as Paris was both a cultural and scientific centre in Europe, and fine botanical artists were given royal patronage. Queen Marie Antoinette appointed Pierre Joseph Redouté as official court artist. After painting his way through the French Revolution, Redouté was next employed by Napoleon and Josephine.

Napoleon encouraged science and they both loved botany. Although Redouté is now best known for his portraits of roses and lilies, there are some exquisite, rare, scientifically accurate engravings of Australian flora that he painted around the beginning of the 19th century from specimens cultivated in the superb gardens of Napoleon and Josephine’s Chateau de Malmaison outside Paris.

PUBLISHED English illustrations After settlement of Australia in 1778, newly discovered botanical specimens were sent to Kew in England. From 1787 ‘in response... to solicitations for a work (combining) Botany and Gardening, William Curtis (Praefectus Hortis of Chelsea Physic Garden at Kew) began publishing copperplate engravings

www.AntiquePrintClub.com A wonderful selection of original antique prints of Australian flora

95 Mt Nimmel Road Neranwood QLD 4213

W.J. Hooker, Acacia lanigera (wattle), c. 1829 Right: Pierre Joseph Redouté, Metrosideros (bottlebrush), c. 1800

illustrating botanical specimens from around the world in The Botanical Magazine or Flower-Garden Displayed. Illustrations of Australian botany (many with fine dissections of flowers) were accompanied by text advising where they were found in New Holland, as Australia was then known.

The earliest antique prints were on handmade paper and hand-coloured with natural ochres that have not faded over time. Initially engraved on copperplates, from around 1830 engravings were made on more durable steel plates; and around 10 years later the process changed to lithography, which allowed more fluidity in drawing.

Some lovely, finely engraved specimens of Australian flora were by Frenchman Pancrace Bessa (a contemporary of Redouté) and Englishman Benjamin Maund. Paxton’s Magazine of Botany and Register of Flowering Plants was comprised of brilliantly handcoloured aquatint engravings and lithographs.

More close to home, Frederick Manson Bailey’s Flora of Queensland included fine lithographs, circa 1899-1902. These were mostly lithographed by Fred Elliott who is better known for his maritime watercolours.

VISITING the Antique Print Club-house The importance of antique engravings of the early discoveries of Australia’s flora cannot be overestimated. Their aesthetic quality endures

and enriches as their historic rarity increases due to their vulnerability over the passage of time. When preserved with conservation framing methods they become an education tool of beauty for future generations. Antique Print Club has a great selection of rare and beautiful antique prints of Australia’s distinctive native flora, and antique maps and prints of most other subjects.

Antique artwork need not be expensive.

Engravings and lithographs hundreds of years old can cost as little as $50 or as much as $5,000 – depending on quality, condition, demand, and rarity. With Australian botanicals, if you do not required an original antique print, Heritage Editions reproductions are also available.

Since closing their Milton gallery in Brisbane last Christmas, Derek and Kathryn Nicholls welcome visitors to their Antique Print Clubhouse at Neranwood each Sunday between 10 am and 4 pm and other times by appointment.

In the hills above Little Nerang Dam off Springbrook Road behind the Gold Coast, the Antique Print Club-house is separate from their home and surrounded by Australian native trees, shrubs and bird-life.

Kathryn & Derek Nicholls ANTIQUE PRINT CLUB 07 5525 1363 www.antiqueprintclub.com

We’re in the hills behind the Gold Coast, an hour south of Brisbane CBD

Open on Sundays from 10 am to 4 pm – or by appointment

sales@antiqueprintclub.com 07 5525 1363

Banksia integrifolia, c. 1827 published in William Curtis, The Botanical Magazine or Flower-Garden Displayed

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GOLD COAST

SANCTUARY

ANTIQUES

A GALLERY OF VINTAGE & CLASSIC JEWELLERY & ANTIQUES

MASTHEAD WAY, MARINE VILLAGE, SANCTUARY COVE GOLD COAST QLD PH: 07 5514 8070 17

BRISBANE

Voyager goes all POCHOIR FOR CHRISTMAS

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eautiful hand-coloured illustrations of all forms are at Voyager. There are lovely planche from the desirable Gazette du Bon Ton framed ready to go as

well as from the scarce fashion classics of Journal des Dames et Des Modes. In book form, published on the Champs-Elysées in the 1920s, we have a superb collection of illustrated works all hand coloured on delicate paper tipped in including the romantic Daphnis et Chloé by Longus; divine poetry Collection Emeraude Emaux et Camees by Theophile Gautier with aquarelles by Joumard and the very sexy Plus Beaux Vers by Alfred De Musset.

EGGS but no bacon at Voyager Maybe not one for the ladies is our unique collection of painted eggshells recording some of the 20th century’s boxing heroes. These superb portraits in fighting pose are all nicely done, including Tommy Burns, Primo Carnera, Ezzard Charles and the great Joe Louis. They would make a great addition to any pugilistic themed collection.

Voyager Rare Books Maps & Prints

FINE bindings don’t come finer Talking of fine bindings conjures up the names of quality bookbinders, distinguished firms with long established reputations including Bickers & Sons (est. 1881), Bayntun-Riviere (est. 1829) and Sangorski & Sutcliffe (est.

1901) now along with Zaehnsdorf (est. 1842), which is now part of Shepherd’s.

Each binder often placed his stamp delicately and unobtrusively inside the front endpapers. Voyager always has a selection of their work available. These good examples are now commanding decent prices.

Classical works are targets for lovely bindings. On our shelves is Stories of Livy by Church, Plutarch’s Lives (a perennial), historical accounts such as The Chronicles of Froissart with its startling detail of the much forgotten Battle of Otterburn. We also have finely dressed poetry by Shelley and Tennyson (Enoch Arden [and] the Princess) and our favourite S&S binding The Way of the World and Love for Love illustrated by Kettelwell.

Our copy carries the library bookplate of Loelia Lindsay, Duchess of Westminster. Loelia lived the high life; knew everyone who was anybody and was the inspiration of Ian Fleming’s Miss Moneypenny of James Bond fame.

QUALITY binding in Brisbane It would be remiss of us not to mention our own Roger Perry of Warner, Brisbane who worked with George Bayntun of Bath. Roger produces the best finishing we have seen in Australia and our shelf carries several examples of his work including Darwin’s Origin of the Species and the elusive work by Gullaume, The Amazon Provinces of Peru.

WELSBY originals Thomas Welsby (1858-1941) distinguished Brisbane resident, influential in business, sport (played half back for Queensland) and education, was a great writer on matters relating to Moreton Bay. His collected works (almost) were republished by Jacaranda Press and are in themselves collectable. Original copies are fought over at the best of book auctions. Available are good copies of Bribie the Basket Maker (1937) from the library of Cairns legal bibliophile Alan McInees,

Parlez-vous Français – Superb illustrated books from 1920s Paris

Rare Queensland Books a Speciality On the Balcony, Brisbane Arcade 160 Queens Street, Brisbane

Phone 07 3211 1231 www.voyagerbrisbane.com 18

Memories of Amity (1922) with the stamp of Welsby’s residence ‘Amity of New Farm’ and the terribly hard to find Sport and Pastime in Moreton Bay (1931) number 191 of a limited edition of 300 copies. This edition is signed

by Thomas Welsby in his distinctive style.

Welsby’s house Amity was likely named after the vessel John Oxley used during the discovery of the Brisbane River. Incidentally, Voyager has recently acquired a superb example of the first large scale map of the Brisbane River based on Oxley’s work published by Duperrey in Paris in 1827.

Beautifully framed, the map hangs proudly in our shop in the historic Brisbane Arcade.

ECLECTIC eccentric is the go If books, maps and prints are not your thing then Voyager may still interest you in the toys for boys and girls department. We always have a fine microscope or two along with unusual collectable slides, sextants, telescopes and the odd scientific instrument such as a vintage Wimshurst machine, or our latest gadget, a binary translator for the mathematically challenged.

Voyager will be open every day in December, so come and see us on the Balcony, Brisbane Arcade, but leave enough time as there’s a lot to see and we always like a chat.

Bill Jeffrey VOYAGER 07 3211 1231 www.voyagerbrisbane.com

BRISBANE

JEWELLERY of the Vienna Workshops

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he Vienna Workshops (Wiener Werkstätte) were founded in 1903 by three men: architect Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956), artist Koloman Moser (1868-1918) and patron Fritz Waerndorfer (1868-1939).

The aim of this group was to design items that were both elegant and functional to ensure all areas of life came together as one large work of art – a ‘symbiosis of the arts.’

Their focuses covered architecture, furniture, ceramics, metalwork, jewellery, glass, textiles and even leatherwork with the goal of restoring the values of handcraftsmanship to an industrial society in which such crafts were dying. It grew out of the Austrian Secessionist movement which inspired the Werkstätte to put arts and crafts on an equal footing with the work of a painter of sculptor.

INSPIRED by Klimt & Japan The jewellery of the Wiener Werkstätte has a very distinct style and could be described as little pieces of architecture. This was not surprising given that the jewellery section of the workshops began immediately after the Wiener Werkstätte formed and both Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser were the designers who gave their designs to the goldsmiths and silversmiths. Their work was also inspired by the simple elegant lines of Japanese art and Charles Rennie Mackintosh designs.

Hoffman’s designs were usually grid-like or square and set with cabochon semi-precious stones, forming a very geometric pattern.

Viewing examples of Hoffmann’s works while on a recent trip to Vienna, I was also reminded of Gustav Klimt’s paintings, not surprisingly as the Wiener Werkstätte as well as the artists of the Secession are considered to be his successors.

Hoffmann’s work uses delicate squares and circles and each item is a complete work of art.

His pieces make the semi-precious stones look very precious indeed and very, very beautiful.

Through his jewellery designs, one can appreciate that Hoffmann was an architect.

Although similar to Hoffmann, Moser’s designs were more floral; delicate leaves and leaf shapes, swirls that could almost be described as fractal are delicate and decorative.

The motto of the Wiener Werkstätte was: ‘Better to work 10 days on one piece than to manufacture 10 pieces in one day.’ Little wonder there was an emphasis on good craftsmanship. Though the designs can be described as simple, if you take a close look at the way the stones are set, the work is amazing.

(1903-1939)

The Wiener Werkstätte’s celebration of the beauty of geometry, its elegance and square style went on to influence the craftsmen of another great movement – the Bauhaus – as well as the innovative architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Thank you Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser, this dynamic duo and mix of

architect and artist were a great inspiration for the artists of the Vienna Workshops. Their style is fascinating us still and, for that, we have a lot to be thankful for.

Moira Drexler KELLIES ANTIQUES 07 3221 4825 www.kellies-antiques.com Blog: kelliesantiques.wordpress.com

Kellies Antiques

HOW to identify Werkstätte There were many different designers of the Wiener Werkstätte. Items were stamped with the double ‘W’ and the maker’s mark. If you see any designs looking similar to that photographed here, then first always look for the double W stamp, it is probably a Wiener Werkstätte piece.

Although by 1905 there were 100 employees, it is very difficult to come across original pieces. Important jewellery designers of the Wiener Werkstätte were: Eugen Pflaumer, Josef Hossfeld and Karl Kallert, Carl Otto Czeschka, Bertold Löffler, Arnold Nechansky, Otto Prutscher and Dagobert Peche.

Celebrating 150 years since the birth of Gustav Klimt, I was drawn to Vienna and loved visiting the exhibition hall and the various museums. Previously only having seen such items in books, having the opportunity to view original Wiener Werkstätte jewels was so inspiring and a dream come true. I will always love this group and, living in Germany at present, I have witnessed firsthand how the Wiener Werkstätte was inspired by the Secession and Mackintosh designs.

Gallery Level (Upstairs) BRISBANE ARCADE Shop 16, 160 Queen Street Brisbane Ph: 07 3221 4825 www.kellies-antiques.com 19

EXPLORE THE FLEA MARKETS from Paris to Brisbane

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nique France invites you to visit the world-famous Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen (Flea Market Paris /Saint Ouen) at Porte de Clignancourt. Steeped in history, this famous place comprises 14 markets with over 2,500 stalls combining antique dealers, artists, designers, craftsmen and artists and selling a range of interesting furnishings, antiques, jewellery, clothing and bric-a-brac.

The marchés aux puces began in the late 19th century, originating from a public safety decree. On 7 March 1884, Seine region préfet Eugène Poubelle declared that owners of buildings must provide residents with at least three covered containers for household rubbish and that it needed to be sorted into perishable items, paper and cloth, crockery and shells.

FROM rag-and-bone to the moon Consequently the ‘rag-and-bone men’ of Paris began picking through these bins at night, selling the best junk the next day, where they assembled near the marché’s current location, benefiting from grouping their wares together.

These scavengers’ overnight ‘fishing’ trips of the streets of Paris earned them the name pêcheurs de lune (moon fishermen).

However, it soon became apparent that these ‘moon fishermen’ had a good eye for interesting finds and chic Parisians were attracted, taking to Sunday strolling to investigate and peruse the miscellaneous objects for sale. Such outings became an enjoyable promenade, although it is said that the market’s name originated for obvious reasons: goods were often infested with fleas.

On a side note, Poubell’s system in addressing the city’s refuse problems, considered revolutionary at the time, saw the term poubelle become the official word for rubbish bins in France.

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Today the St Ouen market is one of the largest flea markets in the world with a professional association managing the 15 acres it covers in the 18th Arrondissement, which is renowned for its vibrancy on market days.

As well as respected dealers and artists, there are a number of well-patronised casual restaurants, mostly specialising in crêpes or snacks in this Paris area. One of the more famous and popular ones is Chez Louisette, a charming retro-style bistro featuring accordion music and Edith Piaf hits.

FINDING the bargains On market days – which are Saturday to Monday, the early bird certainly catches the worm so ensure you arrive early for the best bargains. In fact, when we buy for Unique France, we go at sunrise. Another good time for bargain buys are Monday afternoons when numbers are down and shopkeepers want to make a sale, but bad weather at any time will usually result in bric-abrac vendors closing early.

Getting a great deal depends on your knowledge and understanding of the items you’re hoping to buy. You’ll be fine if you speak French and know how to haggle but you really don’t need these skills to enjoy some time browsing or looking for souvenirs. However if you’re looking for an expensive or rare item, we recommend hiring a private guide. We offer such a service at Unique France, so please don’t hesitate to contact us when you’re preparing your trip or refer to our website.

Les marchés aux puces are a must-see on your itinerary when next visiting Paris. Dive into the history of France through the furniture and many charming styles. And if you don’t plan to go to France anytime soon, visit us at Unique France in Brisbane and enjoy a tour around our selection of fine French pieces – some hand-picked at the flea markets of Paris.

UNIQUE FRANCE 07 3254 0404 info@uniquefrance.com.au www.uniquefrance.com.au

BRISBANE

TIPS ON SELLING old gold items and silver coinage The current trend in high metal prices means advice on selling old gold and silver is timely

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he recycling of scrap and unwanted gold items and silver coinage provides about 12% of the world’s gold and silver supply. Whilst some sources are very familiar, others are less obvious – such as recovering silver from photographic solutions, electric terminals and switches as well as computers, however it is jewellery and silver coinage that are the main source of supply.

In times gone by, gold was purchased on what was stamped and also backed up by the use of acid testing kits to roughly determine the percentage of gold. Known as the touchstone test, it provided a simple, cheap and fairly reliable test of metals for many years. In fact touchstone testing originated in ancient times when a small stone tablet was used to determine the purity of precious metals and nowadays the phrase is often employed as a metaphor for judging the merits of a concept.

TODAY’S X-ray testing In this day and age very sophisticated and portable XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) guns are used. These guns can penetrate the metal and give a very accurate qualitative assay report – if they are calibrated correctly.

This type of on-the-spot analysis has enabled buyers to close the margin or percentage gap needed to cover for bad buys such as heavily gold plated necklaces, and in cases of under carating. This means instead of being 9 ct, the article might in fact be 8 ct. It has become very obvious that a large number of gold items are not quite what they are stamped; this has come about not by manufacturing deceit but just by bad workshop practices. At the end of the day, it all adds up and comes off the profit.

Today, good operators pay the public from 90% to 100% of the gold spot price (London price). This was unheard of until the use of the XRF allowed for accurate testing. Such buyers are supposedly making a minimum of 10% profit on the GST rebate that they will receive.

Many also play the market, punting on the price rise which seems to happen. With the use of XRF units and computers, it is not difficult for buyers to forward sell say 90% or more of their daily purchase at the close of business each day. This also allows them to avoid being wedged into a falling market.

SILVER in pre-decimal coins Australian silver coins issued before decimal currency all contain a percentage of silver. The Commonwealth Government first issued silver coins in 1910 and adopted the British sterling silver standard so from that year until 1945 coins were made of sterling silver (92.5%).

The term ‘Pre’ is used for this period and covers the Australian silver coins (threepences, sixpences, shillings and florins) that were issued then.

From 1946, the Commonwealth Government reduced the percentage of silver in coins to 50%, so the term ‘Post’ is used in referring to the Australian silver coins issued from that year until 1964 when production ceased prior to the introduction of decimal currency in 1966.

An exception is the 50 cent piece from 1966 which contained 80% silver. Referred to as ‘rounds’ because of their shape, these versions were struck only for a year before rising silver prices halted production.

All these coins are bought by multiplying a factor of the coin’s face value: 1 shilling = .10 cent, so 10 x 1 shilling = $1.00; so you will be quoted a figure of 10 x for post-silver, 20 x for pre-silver.

SUGGESTIONS and warnings prior to selling Check all of your coins first. For early Australian coins from 1910 – 1932 that are not heavily worn, collectors and dealers are willing to pay a premium.

Before you sell, shop around for the best prices. Do not believe brochures: there is a company operating around Brisbane offering supposedly ‘fantastic prices’ when in fact it is only paying 50% of what other firms are willing to pay.

Always phone around as all these coins have a huge market outside of melting. When you phone up, ask what price the seller is offering for the carat per gram, for example, 9 ct per gram, 18 ct per gram. Be sure to also ask what the service fees are and any extras that will be charged. It’s also well worth checking the Wanted to Buy section in the newspaper.

Stay away from gold buyers in shopping centres: these places pay high rents and are

mostly staffed by inexperienced people who are quite cannibalistic in their buying attitude.

DO your research It is strongly advised that you do your research first. Make up a list and you can quickly see the difference in prices. Many operators publish prices on their web site which is also very helpful. These buying prices will cover gold coins as well.

Do not take good quality antique jewellery articles to gold buyers as they will not treat them with the respect or offer the price that they deserve. By all means show them but first obtain prices from two or three established estate jewellery buyers.

and the buying price that you could easily get on this day for gold was as follows: • 9 ct $20.41 per gram • 18 ct $40.81 per gram These prices are subject to change and are influenced by the exchange rate with the US dollar and the daily gold price. If the exchange rate is high, for example, US$1 = AUD $1.05 then the local gold price will be low. If it was the other way around then the local gold price would be higher. It is a game of percentages.

For further information or referrals to ethical buyers, please contact Ken Penfold PENFOLD JEWELLERS 07 3221 7516 / 0400 322 175 penfoldjewellers@tpg.com.au

PRICE on the day This article was written on 19 October 2012

Est 1964

Penfold Jewellers

Reg. No. 26

FOR ALL INSURANCE VALUATIONS ON JEWELLERY, GEMS, SILVERWARE Insurance • Probate • Matrimonial

• Free cleans • 2 copies of valuation • Flat fee per item • Colour photos • Provenance established Brisbane’s Antique Specialists Silverware, collectables and gemstones Valuation ‘While You Wait’ (by appointment) FAMILY LAW • INSURANCE • PROBATE

P: 07 3221 7516 F: 07 3221 7206 M: 0400 322 175 Shop 5 Anzac Square 206 Adelaide Street Brisbane QLD 4000 Australia penfoldjewellers@tpg.com.au 21

Erulo Eroli’s Baroque inspired dining table at the Antique Guild in Brisbane

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rulo Eroli (1854-1916) is one of the most influential Italian artists of the 19th and 20th centuries, often being associated with the revival and championing of traditional tapestry weaving in Europe.

Internationally, Eroli’s fame and prestige has been cemented by his exquisite oil and watercolour paintings, many of which now reside in museums and distinguished private collections the world over.

While many painters of his age were committed to heralding the advancing modernist aesthetic, Eroli instead preferred a more traditional style that recalls a classical elegance with strong baroque sensibilities. It is his paintings that capture these themes that withstand the test of time and are still favoured at market.

Eroli’s work is highly sought after by collectors, with works in all mediums fetching high prices at auction. Record hammer prices at the houses of Christie’s and Sotheby’s have seen his exceptional paintings in oil and watercolour demand between $70,000 and $80,000.

PAINTING treasured by the Vatican During his career, Eroli’s paintings earned him numerous awards and accolades, including a prestigious gold medal from Pope Leo XIII at the Sacred Art exhibition at Turin for his PreRaphaelite painting of The Holy Family, which is considered one of the Vatican’s treasures and still graces its walls today.

A true patron of the arts, Eroli presided over many guilds and took an active role in fostering communities of fellow artists to nurture the rich cultural and artistic climate of Italy. While he was regarded very highly by the Vatican and papal authorities, he did manage to regularly ruffle bureaucratic feathers by going so far as to create Italy’s first artist’s union protecting them from government entities and challenging censorship laws.

AESTHETIC ideals vested in a table At the Antique Guild in Brisbane, a very rare and unusual piece of Eroli’s can be seen that exemplifies this artist’s skill and grace to the

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utmost. Running the border between art and furniture, this unequalled masterpiece features the artist’s work in a 12-seat grand formal dining table. The 10 dining and two carver chairs and original four-foot table extension are each hand painted by Eroli with a scene of two lovers in courtship. Eroli signed and dated the table and the name of his Roman studio, Via del Babuino, is inscribed on the lower left hand side of the table’s central painting of a pastoral scene of ladies in fine dress tending sheep.

It is evident that Eroli’s love and passion for the paintings and aesthetic ideals of the Baroque and Renaissance periods have translated into this beautiful table, made in a refined traditional rococo style. The deep elegant green, which dominates the table, and the beautiful floral accent paintings on the apron and cabriole legs, are both reminiscent of the later Baroque age and the early stages of the Rococo art movement.

The table is framed beautifully by a rich gold, highlighting the sleek curves and intricacies of the table’s fluid design. The cabriole legs of the table and chairs all feature a raised pad foot, a common design in 18th century Italian furniture.

The chairs have been upholstered with hand painted fabric to match the rococo theme. On the vase backing of each chair is a unique and individual bucolic scene of two lovers in courtship, all lovingly hand painted by Eroli and conveying a different aspect of love.

Timber available in Rome for the manufacture of furniture was either pine or poplar. The wood was then gessoed and painted. This suite is probably pine. Made in 1911, the table was finished only a few short years before his death in 1916. A few years after its creation the table was purchased by an American opera singer in the 1920s. The dining suite was transported to California where it remained until just recently when it was purchased as part of the collection for the Antique Guild in Brisbane and brought to Australia.

DESIGNED for intimacy Those lucky enough to enjoy an evening at this table have remarked at the intimacy the

shape of it creates. The welcoming and delicate curved form makes conversation easy between diners and allows all 12 members of a party to feel involved and included without being pressed for space or stiffly separated.

Some of Australia’s top CEOs have met at this table for intimate meetings, sipping tea from sterling tea sets and discussing governance and strategy.

Truly this sumptuous piece of furniture is a rare gem for Brisbane and will serve as a crowning jewel for the most discerning of collectors. A rich piece of history, the dining suite will continue to appreciate in value. As noted by the professional appraiser, the value is based on the quality of the craftsmanship, the fame of the artist, and the unique medium in which we find Eroli’s excellent work. There will never be another like it.

Chris Hughes THE ANTIQUE GUILD 07 3221 3112 www.theantiqueguild.com.au Further reading F. Clementi, ‘L’arte dell’arazzo a Roma’, in Capitolium, vol XIV, 1939 C. Belloni, ‘Lo studio Eroli’, in Strenna dei romanisti, vol XXX, 1969 G. F. Lomonaco, Acquerelli dell’Ottocento, Roma 1987 Stemmario V. Spreti, Enciclopedia Storico Nobiliare Italiana, Milano 1928

BRISBANE

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PADDINGTON

Artist Robyn Bauer is giving an age-old subject

A FRESH INTERPRETATION R

obyn is working on her latest commissions – portraiture which also includes depictions of animals. Her recent painting Self Portrait as Marie Antoinette has led to a new focus on this ageold genre where people and animals are usually combined in the one canvas.

Throughout history animals have been a

subject for artistic exploration on many levels.

Stone Age artists decorated their caves with images of the animals that provided their food source. Ancient Egyptian artists and priests depicted many of their gods with human bodies and animal heads. Animals and birds have been recorded as scientific subjects, as a curiosity or marvel, as symbols and

ROBYN BAUER STUDIO GALLERY AND SCULPTURE GARDENS 54 Latrobe Terrace Paddington Qld 4064 07 3511 6380 Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Saturday 10.30 am - 5 pm www.robynbauergallery.com.au www.robynbauer.com studio@robynbauergallery.com.au 24

metaphors, or simply as man’s best friend.

In the 17th century, hunting scenes become a popular subject illustrating dramatic life and death struggles between man and beast. In the 18th century, artists celebrated the natural beauty and majesty of animals in their natural habitats while in the 19th century, Victorian artists painted sentimental pictures of domestic pets. Equestrian and hound portraits were a prominent part of the collection of many a manor house or chateau, sometimes displayed more conspicuously than the images of family ancestors.

The presence of animals as a visual component of human culture is enduring.

During the last century the term ‘wildlife artist’ became the preferred title for contemporary animal painters.

The whole idea of discovery as a concept is one that Robyn finds stimulates her imagination as an artist. Her paintings of animals are done with a sense of discovering them for the first time as the first Europeans would have done; ‘Not in the scientific manner of a natural historian but with a sense of wonder and excitement and an almost surreal drama,’ she says.

Her kangaroo studies are all drawn from Lone Pine Sanctuary where she has been a daily visitor. After familiarising herself with real life animal models, she has attempted to work intuitively, ‘melding together the different genres of botanical art, portraiture and landscape elements in an original way.’

Robyn’s new work pays homage to these many sources and is proving popular with contemporary collectors.

For more information contact Robyn Bauer ROBYN BAUER STUDIO GALLERY & SCULPTURE GARDEN 07 3511 6380 robynbauerstudio@hotmail.com www.robynbauergallery.com.au

PADDINGTON

Celebrating diversity at the

PADDINGTON ANTIQUE CENTRE JAPAN comes to PAC

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ovember is traditionally an important cultural and community month in Japan – Culture Day is celebrated on 3 November and Labour Thanksgiving Day on 23 November. To celebrate, the Paddington Antique Centre – PAC – is adding a Japanese flavour to the centre.

For example, PAC will be displaying a small collection of old handmade wooden kokeshi dolls. These dolls belonged to an elderly Japanese lady. As her descendants were not interested in them, she donated them to her grand-daughter’s Australian mother-inlaw who brought them to us to sell. The proceeds will go to the Nepal Australia Friendship Association.

To complement this display we will have a small but beautiful collection of vintage and antique kimonos, obi, and Japanese ceramics on show.

The floor space will be dedicated to a selection of revamped furniture that has been hand-painted and redesigned by Madam Zaza.

CHRISTMAS capers Our planning for the Christmas foyer is well underway with staff and dealers enthusiastically participating in working bees to make the decorations. The centre’s theme will be a celebration of Paddington colours – black, green and silver.

Look out for our weekend footpath markets and carol-singers throughout the centre.

IN DEFENCE of traditional furniture...

Traditional brown furniture appears to be in the doldrums at the moment. Auction houses both in Australia and the UK are reporting sluggish prices for Victorian, Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau furniture. It’s time to recalibrate and take a fresh look at where this type of furniture fits into today’s lifestyle.

As both sellers and purchasers, let’s forget what has come before; wipe the slate clean and start again. We can’t afford to be weighed down by the baggage of times past. We need to respond with fresh eyes to the circumstances that present themselves to us today. Private sellers should be more realistic about the prices they will obtain for their furniture when selling and not be thinking about what they may have been paid for pieces purchased some time ago.

Dealers need to be prepared to sell more reasonably so as to move things on.

Consumers need to rediscover the value of quality workmanship and understand that a quality piece will fit into any décor.

Quality is actually the determiner of everything; that and rarity. Any piece from any period that is well designed, beautifully crafted in good timber and that has some rarity about it will always have value.

There are however, more middle-of-the-road pieces that are of good quality that are still worth purchasing and in today’s market they are more affordable than ever. I believe that all environments benefit from at least one piece of furniture that has some age to it – such items add depth and warmth to a room.

As someone who loves design for its own sake and values workmanship, I have huge respect for good furniture across the centuries whether the style is to my liking or not.

Art deco and mid century styles appear to be increasing in popularity. Again, the key is quality. There is a lot of ordinary ‘stuff’ out there that passes as deco or mid-century that will give you the look but wouldn’t be considered an investment piece.

The trend of painting timber furniture is continuing, much to the despair of many.

However, it must be acknowledged that this is a fine way to recycle many very ordinary pieces which may otherwise find themselves on a scrap heap. The trick is to ensure that if you choose to paint a better quality piece, protect it with an undercoat and primer so it can be more easily stripped when the cycle comes back around to the look of raw timber, as it inevitably will again. Might I also suggest that white is not the only colour out there worthy of consideration!

The bottom line is, that it’s a buyer’s market and we all need to adapt to the changed environment. However, buyers should look carefully at what they’re purchasing and remember that quality, workmanship, design and longevity should count for something, even in our disposable 21st century.

HIGH Tea Revival We hope you were able to catch part of our High Tea Revival in October. The foyer was dressed as an old-fashioned tea house resplendent with white linen, fine china, flowers and silverware. Our in-house coffee shop launched a new High Tea menu for this special occasion, which included Sandra’s delicious panna cotta and Campari jelly shots.

Watch for more High Tea traditions at Sandra’s Plaza Theatre Café.

LOCAL artist exhibition Well-known local artist, Jan Jorgensen, recently used our foyer space to display a selection of her art just prior to the launch of her new book,

Changing Places, Brisbane. Jan is known for her inner city artwork, particularly streetscapes of Paddington and Rosalie. Her book features a poem about our building and mentions our very own Stan Prickett.

SHELL crazy A very successful foyer display of shells and beach themed items including quite an old collection of unusual shells and coral was so popular it sold out in the first week! Clearly, there are a number of shell enthusiasts out there so we will endeavour to repeat something similar next year for those who missed out this time around.

PAC in 2013...

We have a number of plans for the coming year. To keep up with what’s happening at Paddington follow us on Facebook or check out our website.

We wish all our customers a warm and joyous Christmas and all the very best for the New Year.

Suzy Baines PADDINGTON ANTIQUE CENTRE 07 3369 8088 info@paddingtonantiquecentre.com www.paddingtonantiquecentre.com

Something old for something new Be seen to be green and adopt something old to become your something new ❖ ❖

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To top it all off

THE RECENT HISTORY OF HATS A s the weather warms up in the Southern Hemisphere it is natural for a girl to turn her fancy to, amongst other things, fashion. Picnic sets, swimwear, spring race meetings, cotton frocks and (increasingly, once more) hats!

A staple part of both men’s and women’s outfits in the early to mid 20th century, the hat has fallen from grace over the past half century. Having been relegated to a ‘functional’ wardrobe item for the sole purpose of protecting one from the harsh rays of the sun, much of the style and flair of this humble head attire has been lost.

HEY-DAY of the hat The hey-day of the hat as a fashion item here in Australia would most definitely have been the 1940s through to the mid 1960s. These are the years people refer to when they comment that their ‘mother would never leave the house, even to go to the corner shop, without her hat and gloves.’

Like all items of fashion, the hat has been subject to change based on social, economic and political circumstance as well as taste.

Social pressures can be seen during the war years (1939-1945) in the hat styles adopted by women. Styles tended to be practical, often resembling those of men’s hats reproduced in both wool felt and straw. Women also tended to choose colours in neutral tones – black, brown, grey and taupe – to ensure that they could be worn with a number of different frocks and suits.

CULT of glamour However, as the world entered the 1950s, postwar lifestyles embraced the end of rationing and the cult of glamour and excess; more extravagant hats replaced the neat, compact and functional hats of the 1940s. Large broad brims, bright colours, lavish adornments and rich fabrics were the order of the day and the popularity of custom-made hats to co-ordinate with outfits grew rapidly. ‘A hat for every outfit and an outfit for every occasion’ was the fashion catchphrase of the ’50s.

NEW time: new look Even the changing social position of women had a significant impact on the design and construction of hats throughout the ’40s and ’50s but never more so than as the world leapt into the swinging ’60s. Evolving technologies

allowed milliners to explore the changing times and growing independence allowed women to take advantage of advancements in cosmetic products including innovations in hair fashion. The growing popularity of volume, volume and more volume in hairstyles drove changes in millinery fashions and popularity, and eventually even saw it begin to wane.

10 TIPS on wearing a hat

can be functional and stylish; • Hats Everyone can wear a hat, you just need to • find the style that suits you best; • Women’s hats were not, like most men’s,

designed to be worn directly on top of the head. Many were styled to be worn tilted to one side or worn to the back of the head, play with the position of the hat on your head before you dismiss it; A gentleman’s hat should sit comfortably, approximately one inch above the ear; Many hats were designed to be secured with a hat pin. Hat pins should be threaded through the hat and then through the hair style, thus securing the hat to the head. This process should be carried out with caution as many modern hairstyles tend to lack the volume of yesteryear and sit much closer to the scalp. You may find it beneficial to secure a piece of elastic or a hair comb to the hat to hold it secure rather than using a hatpin; If you are having difficulty determining which side is the front of the hat look for the join in the ribbon that usually secures the inside edge of the brim – this is the back; Store your hat well and it will serve you well. Store in a hat box or large box that can be sealed to avoid insect damage, stuff the crown with acid free tissue paper, brush off dust with a soft brush and use steam to reshape any damage from storing; Modern hats designed by skilled and talented milliners are wonderful but don’t forget that in wearing a vintage hat you are adding your story to the annals of fashion history; Think outside your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to mix up styles and eras in your hunt to top off your outfit; and finally If in doubt – wear a hat!

• •

• •

• • •

Fortunately the fine craftsmanship and traditions of these past milliners is still available to us today. At Atomic Martini Vintage we stock a large selection of original men’s and women’s hats from the 1920s through to the 1970s. For day, evening, cocktail or special occasion we love to wear hats ourselves and can help you find just the right hat to top off your outfit.

We invite you to contact us at ATOMIC MARTINI VINTAGE 07 3262 5622 lisa@atomicmartini.com.au www.atomicmartini.com.au

26

BRISBANE

The Silver Pagoda

The Gold Buddha

Journey back in history -

O

n a recent trip to Indochina, there was so much to see and observe that I decided to concentrate on writing about my impressions of one country – Cambodia.

The boat trip up the Mekong Delta was a real pleasure. The décor of my gorgeous little cabin was Art Deco, a style which continued throughout the ship and fitted well with my lifestyle. The charm and friendliness of the staff created an easy ambience with the passengers.

As we sailed along we visited many villages and islands along the way and spent some time at a floating market which sold exotic fruit and vegetables. Every day we would visit different areas, taking the sampan to cruise through narrow river channels and enjoy the beautiful landscapes. A visit to a local fish farmer’s house showed how the fish are bred under their floorboards; holes cut in the floor contained different batches so when they reach the right size, the fish are taken to market. At the various small villages we saw how a variety of cotton products were made from cotton weaving. Rattan and cane weaving were popular too, as were ice cream and sweet making. There seemed to be no end to the ingenious methods these people were capable of.

Stopping at the capital of Phnom Penh, our visit to the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda was a delight. Inside the Royal Palace was amazing – everything was gold, including high columns as well as magnificent ornamentation. The guide was unsure if pure gold was used however, either way, the richness of the whole area with its golden

CAMBODIA

throne and golden display cabinets and their many contents were very impressive.

We also visited the Silver Pagoda, which is also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha because the main structure is made of emerald but it’s referred to as the Silver Pagoda because of its silver floor, which is completely covered with 5329 silver tiles.

Inside this temple many artefacts are stored – especially Buddhist statues made of various precious metals such as gold, silver and bronze as well as marble, and inlaid with diamonds, rubies and sapphires. One gold Buddha contains thousands of embedded diamonds. There are also many murals along the gallery walls depicting scenes from Khmer history and an area devoted to elephants as they played an integral part in building the whole palace compound as well as all the great temples.

One of these temples is Angkor Wat – the next stop and pinnacle of the Cambodian holiday. After disembarking the ship there was a short bus ride to our hotel at Siem Reap.

Though there are many temples in that region, Angkor Wat is the largest and most spectacular. Nobody is certain when the building was first started but according to some stone inscriptions and unearthed tools, it is estimated to be around the 6th century.

In the wall carvings, the Indian influence is apparent with many references to Vishnu and Krishna from the Hindu deity. The detail in these carvings – which depict battle stories and historical scenes in bas-relief extending

from one side of the building across to another – was extraordinary. Visually there was so much to absorb. It took us three days to traverse the temple which saw us clambering over uneven steps and through narrow corridors, worn away with centuries of use and the passage of time and neglect. These issues are now being rectified through many countries being involved with its restoration.

Even though the work necessary is enormous, Angkor Wat still exudes an extraordinary grace and charm that makes you want to return again and again.

The Seven Faces of Buddha

Eilisha Little EILISHA’S SHOPPE 07 3358 1448 / 0423 830 515

The King’s Palace

Member of QADA Proprietor: Eilisha Little

Antiques, Objets d’Art, Furniture, Porcelain, Sterling Silver, Old Jewellery, Collectables & Linen Experienced Hand French Polisher, Insurance Work Undertaken Open: Tuesday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm Saturday 10 am - 2 pm Sunday 11 am - 4 pm

Angkor Wat

109 James Street New Farm Qld 4005

Phone 07 3358 1448 AH 07 3844 3619 Mobile 0423 830 515 Apsara’s Heavenly Nymphs

The long corridor of Angkor Wat

The Emerald Buddha

27

Exceptional pieces in stock at Lavin Antiques L

avin Antiques have a range of quality English and European antiques ranging from late 17th century to the aesthetic movements, including Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco. You can find the perfect feature item or develop a whole period collection.

I am pleased to introduce to readers some of the exceptional items in stock at present and the periods they represent. Any one of these items could become the focal point of a room, setting the tone, period and colourings of the furnishings. Of course the dedicated antique collector may just be waiting for one of these items to complete a room or a collection.

17th century

George III fold-over table, c. 1800, mahogany, after a design by Wilkinson

One of our earliest pieces takes you back to the height of the Jacobean period, this oak chest of drawers made in the Jacobean style, dated c. 1685. During the reign of James II of England (VII of Scotland), known as the Jacobean period, designs and motifs from Europe and imports from as far away as Asia were plentiful. While luxury goods were extravagant, court architecture reflected a move towards a new, more restrained classical style.

18th century

19th century

A magnificent mahogany library bookcase comes from the period of George III, c. 1780.

King George III was an avid collector of paintings and books. The outstanding mahogany fold-over table was made after a design by Wilkinson, this scarce item from the later period of George III, c. 1800. They would complement each other in a contemporary or a traditional interior.

Surely a national treasure, the well-executed early 19th century Australian serving table has various rare specimen timber inlays and is a rarity, even in its country of origin.

Lavin Antiques has an exceptional pair of bonheur du jour from the Victorian era, c. 1860. French for ‘daytime delight,’ this is a dainty type of lady’s writing desk, originally introduced in Paris about 1760.

Card table, c. 1886, made by Gillows & Co (Lancaster England), amboyna and ebonised with parcel gilding

Australian serving table, early 19th century, specimen timber inlays

George III four tier what not, c. 1800, mahogany

28

Amboyna and ebony bonheur du jour, c. 1860, one of a pair

Another piece with a function is a mahogany press with exceptional timbers. It is stamped Holland & Sons and dates from the mid-Victorian period, c. 1870. Founded in 1803 by William Holland (active 1803-43), becoming Holland & Sons after 1843, this English furniture firm was responsible for many royal commissions, winning a prize at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and remained under family control until closing in 1942.

The superb amboyna and ebonised desk is stamped Edwards and Roberts, (see page 39), from the Victorian era, c. 1860. Edwards & Roberts was founded in 1845 in London and continued to trade until the end of the century as one of the leading London cabinet-makers and retailers working in a variety of styles, both modern and revivalist.

The amboyna and ebonised card table with parcel gilding is stamped Gillows & Co, made in the Victorian era, c. 1886. Robert Gillow began making furniture around 1730 and over two centuries, Gillows encapsulated the history of English furniture and its manufacture as a national and then an international supplier of quality furniture. The firm won commissions to furnish and decorate public buildings in Australia, France, Germany, India, Russia, South Africa and the USA, notably executing Pugin’s designs for London’s Palace of Westminster from 1840.

An outstanding Art Nouveau cabinet has a plaque inscribed ‘D. Hibbert’. Its doors are made up of a series of convex glass panels with specimen timbers and mother-of-pearl inlay.

Lavin Antiques provides quality English and European antiques from the late 17th century through to the 1930s. To experience the uniqueness and quality of our antiques please visit our website.

Joyce Lavin LAVIN ANTIQUES 07 3391 2300 info@lavinantiques.com.au www.lavinantiques.com.au

TENERIFFE

A multiple choice of collectables at Commercial Road Antiques

W

orking in a centre with as much variety as Commercial Road Antiques, one could be excused for becoming schizophrenic. The centre’s staff appreciates there are a variety of needs and aims for collectors of quality antiques and collectables.

DEALERS to visit In this respect, we have received a boost with the addition of a retired UK dealer, putting many of his fine pieces on the market here.

Silver and estate jewellery are items proudly showcased by AAADA dealer Peter Martin in his expanded area within the centre, along with some quality furniture and lighting.

Asian antiques and collectables are also extensively represented. Well-known collector Shirley MacLeod of Ambassador Antiques is a leader in this field and an expert for those who want well-informed advice.

TRIBAL arts Then there are tribal and early items from Papua New Guinea, Australia and the Pacific plus African art. This is another unique area of specialisation that our staff has embraced.

RETRO In addition we have the retro dealers, those important dealers who find the unusual and once familiar everyday items which are now more in demand than ever. Add to this mix the clothes, recycled and ever popular. But wait, there’s more!

CATERING to all collecting interests A forest of books, multiple art works, lithographs, militaria and a range of furniture from fine to modern add depth to the centre’s offer and staff knowledge. So you see, our worthy staff is required to have an appreciation for a wide variety of items but be able to resist the temptation to buy!

Lynzay

TWENTY years of service This centre is an old wool store which has stood since 1858. For the past 20 years it has shown antiques and collectables for buyers from all over Queensland and Australia.

There have been only three changes of ownership: initially it was Scott’s New Farm Antique Centre, then New Farm Antique Centre. The present owner Ian Thomson renamed it Commercial Road Antiques as it seemed logical to name our centre more specifically for its location on Commercial Road in Teneriffe.

LOCAL history Teneriffe was officially given suburb status only in 2010, although it has been known as such since 1975. In 1854, the Hon. James Gibbon, MLC and property speculator, purchased 48 hectares of land along the ridge dividing New Farm from Newstead, naming his property after the largest of the Canary Islands, Tenerife (he used double ‘f’).

His 1865 Georgian style stone residence was designed by Melbourne architect William Henry Ellerker who had won the design competition for Queensland’s Parliament House in 1864. This large residence was the focal point of the early development of Teneriffe, reflecting changing lifestyles and tastes in Brisbane.

We look forward to many more years of service to collectors of antiques and collectables.

Ian Thomson COMMERCIAL ROAD ANTIQUES 07 3852 2352 commercialroadantiques@gmail.com www.commercialroadantiques.com

“THE BEST CENTRE

Antiques

Exciting new showplace with fine furniture, antique & estate jewellery, silverware, ceramics and glass PETER MARTIN • 0412 599 299 AT COMMERCIAL ROAD ANTIQUES • 07 3852 2352

A mixture of experience, product knowledge and a friendly disposition makes shopping here at Commercial Road Antiques so rewarding. Come and put us to the test.

Au s t ra l i an An t i q u e a n d Art Deal e rs A s s oc iat i on

IS ALSO A HAPPY, HAPPENING PLACE

Commercial Road Antiques & Decorative Arts

85 Commercial Road Teneriffe QLD 4005 Open 7 Days 10 am – 5 pm 07 3852 2352

www.commercialroadantiques.com 29

BRISBANE

Chest of drawers, fully restored

Before restoration

Beginning restorations

Furniture Restoration Classes

A CONSERVATION ETHIC F

rank van Brunschot Fine Furniture is now offering furniture restoration classes. These classes offer a great opportunity to gain practical knowledge and experience whether you are a novice or have existing knowledge. Furniture restoration is a very rewarding process and is accessible to both young and old. Most period furniture can be transformed into a functional and

aesthetically pleasing piece with a little bit of patience and commitment.

Classes are designed to be flexible in content and to cater to the individual student’s needs and abilities. Frank gives a broad overview of the restoration processes and over an eight week term, takes students through all the required traditional techniques and the theories behind their uses. Frank encourages an approach to

fine furniture restoration & conservation of antique furniture • cabinet-making • design

restoration which is based on a conservation ethic. This involves respecting and maintaining original techniques, materials and finishes.

THESE are a few of the skills you will learn: • Polishing: what is a finish, different types of finishes and how they work • Washing back or stripping back a finish • Repairs and cabinet work, traditional adhesives, joinery and veneer work • Preparing a surface for polishing, colour matching and staining • The polishing process, shellac based traditional French polishing, waxing and oil based finishes.

Classes are held in Frank’s fully equipped workshop designed for all aspects of furniture restoration and cabinetmaking. This is a relaxed and encouraging environment, providing a positive and rewarding learning experience.

Classes are limited to just eight lucky students each term, providing plenty of hands-on time with Frank teaching as well as Paul tutoring.

The modest course fee includes all required materials, polishes, waxes, solvents, timber and veneer, and every necessary hand tool and machinery.

Frank is a qualified cabinetmaker and teacher with a Bachelor of Arts (visual) from ANU. He has many years of experience in antique furniture restoration and in exciting commissions, making and designing solid

timber custom-made furniture. Frank has a genuine commitment and passion for his work and is always generous with his knowledge.

TERM two commences 16 April Classes are run during the school terms throughout the year. Students participate in one three-hour class each week. Why not enrol in a shorter, four or six week course to find out how hands-on you want to be?

Payment is made at the beginning of each course. The next term commences on 16 April 2012.

Frank van Brunschot Fine Furniture offers excellent antique furniture restoration services as well as custom made and designed furniture. Phone or email Frank for further course details and restoration or commission inquiries.

TERM TWO TIMETABLE Wednesday night 6 pm – 9 pm Saturday morning 9:30 am – 12:30 pm Sunday afternoon 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm Course fees (prices subject to change) Eight weeks $595.00 Six weeks $460.00 Four weeks $324.00 FRANK VAN BRUNSCHOT FINE FURNITURE 07 3216 2707 frankvanbrunschot@yahoo.com.au www.frankvanbrunschot.com

• french polishing • free quotes

07 3216 2707 0412 954 716 1a 229 Robinson Rd Geebung www.frankvanbrunschot.com

Furniture restoration student

30

Frank polishing an antique table top in his well-equipped workshop

BRISBANE

CHELSEA ANTIQUE LIGHTING

39 Brookes Street Bowen Hills Brisbane 4006 07 3852 5500 email sales@chelseaantiques.com.au web www.chelseaantiques.com.au (for lighting dimensions please visit our website)

31

BRISBANE

Nudgee Road Antiques & Design Centre is attracting businesses that complement a boon for customers

C

atherine Ricketts and Kevin Parker, proprietors of Nudgee Road Antiques & Design Centre would like to thank customers and friends who attended the open house party on 11 August celebrating their new renovations.

It was a huge success and everyone commented on the centre’s amazing transformation. Through word of mouth, many new customers turned up and the positive feedback has been most valuable.

Since the opening, the centre has attracted a number of new traders. Catherine and Kevin aim to have a variety of professionals within the trade to provide their specialist services, sell their unique products and make the centre into a one-stop antique and design complex.

A WEALTH of experience Over the last 20 years Catherine and Kevin have witnessed vast movements in the antique trade. The shift in the industry has seen them address the interior design market by combining antiques with contemporary decorator pieces, and attending to the needs of landscape gardeners looking for that special item of outdoor furniture or statuary. Their centre is a reflection of changing times, tastes and trends.

DESIGNING interiors today Stock displayed encompasses a vast array of antiques and modern items, from a small delicate trade bead to a vast and imposing marble gazebo. Centuries-old oriental antiques are shown alongside flamboyant chandeliers.

Nudgee Road Antiques & Design Centre Operated by Parker International Pty Ltd

277 Nudgee Road, Hendra, Queensland 4011

European Arts & Furniture

Antique and Fine Works of Art Importer, Retailer and Wholesaler

Oriental Arts & Furniture

A treasure trove to be discovered

Marble Items

• Custom designed material for projects • Developers, Landscapers & Interior Designers welcome

Stoneware Cast Iron Wrought Iron

Lighting

Antiques Appraisal Services • General Insurance

• Family Division

• Deceased Estates

• Antique Certificate

Australian & European Specialist

Oriental Antique Specialist

Kevin Parker

Catherine Ricketts

0411 709 660

0411 709 669

Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Sat 10am-4pm

Tel 61 7 3268 2869

Fax 61 7 3268 5200

Email info@parkerinternational.com.au Website www.parkerinternational.com.au

32

Decorative wrought iron gates and fencing are in high demand. To meet clients’ needs, Catherine and Kevin provide advice and assistance with custom-made designs and measurements, working with clients to achieve that special look. They have incorporated a number of eye-catching wrought iron items like security grills, gates, fencing and doors into their centre.

EXPERT valuation service Catherine, an oriental antiques specialist and Kevin, an expert in European antiques, also provide valuation services. This includes valuations for household contents insurance, insurance claims, family division or authenticity. As part of the service, an appointment can be made for a private consultation at a client’s premises.

RELAX at the centre There is a coffee shop near the centre’s

courtyard. Take this ideal opportunity to combine a leisurely stroll around the complex with a cup of aromatic coffee in hand.

EASY to find Nudgee Road Antiques & Design Centre is located in the inner northern suburb of Hendra, near Doomben Racecourse.

Conveniently located, it is only a 10-minute drive from Brisbane’s international and domestic airports. Catherine and Kevin invite you to come and explore the exciting array of continually arriving new stock and look forward to welcoming you to their premises.

For more information contact Catherine Ricketts & Kevin Parker PARKER INTERNATIONAL PTY LTD 0411 709 669 / 07 3268 2869 info@parkerinternational.com.au www.parkerinternational.com.au

BRISBANE

ALANI

Antique & Fine Jewellery

Chandelier Restorations Pty Ltd N Chandelier Restorations and Creations Chandelier Restorations is focused on providing high-quality service and customer satisfaction – I will do everything I can to meet your expectations.

I take great pride in our work whether it’s restoring chandeliers or lighting back to their original beauty, or creating a piece that is custom made to your needs.

With a variety of designs to choose from, I’m sure you’ll be happy working with me.

Look around my website and if you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact me.

Kamahl Mustafay Mobile 0433 120 208 chandelierrestorations@gmail.com

udgee Road Antiques & Design Centre is very happy to welcome Joyce Krause of Alani Antique & Fine Jewellery who has opened up her office and showroom in the ground floor space. Joyce first became an antique dealer over 25 years ago and now specialises in antique, vintage, classical and unique pieces of jewellery which she sources from around Australia and overseas.

There is sure to be something in her wellstocked shop that you cannot resist, either for yourself or that special someone, especially with Christmas fast approaching. She also has a team of experts who provide jewellery repairs and valuation services.

Joyce’s friendly personality shines through when you first walk through her shop. Her knowledge of jewellery will make your visit to her shop a pleasure. Her shop is open from 10 am to 3 pm Tuesday to Saturday.

ALANI ANTIQUE & FINE JEWELLERY 0418 197 124 alaniantiques@yahoo.com.au

www.chandelierrestorations.com.au Nudgee Road Antiques & Design Centre 275 Nudgee Road Hendra QLD 4011

Ph 07 3268 7725

Chandelier Restorations at the centre

E

arlier this year, Chandelier Restorations Pty Ltd proprietor Kamahl Mustafay was the first to grab the opportunity of setting up his business in Nudgee Road Antiques & Design Centre.

With over 20 years in the trade, his loyal customers have followed him to wherever he sets up.

Situated in the front premises on the main road, the showroom-cum-workshop has also attracted new clientele. Business has boomed to more than he expected. His services are now in such high demand that there is a waiting list for his expertise in lighting restoration and redesigning.

He takes great pride in his work, whether it is restoring chandeliers or lighting back to their original beauty or creating a special piece that is custom made to his client’s needs.

With customers moving back into the trend of having a standout chandelier as a showpiece in their homes, Kamahl has organised to import a container of the latest designs in chandeliers and table lamps. This shipment will be arriving just before Christmas. Keep an eye out for his window display at night to view these new arrivals.

Chandelier Restorations is focused on providing high-quality service and customer satisfaction – Kamahl will do everything he can to meet his client’s expectations. He is so passionate about his work that he opens to the public seven days a week. In addition, he will travel to a client’s location – as far as interstate – to provide an on-site service. So, if a customer

calls into his shop and he is out, the centre’s staff will ensure that a message is passed on.

Call into his showroom and have a chat.

ALANI ANTIQUE AND FINE JEWELLERY Nudgee Road Antiques & Design Centre 277 Nudgee Road Hendra 10am - 3pm Tuesday to Saturday or by appointment

CHANDELIER RESTORATIONS 0433 120 208 / 07 3268 7725 chandelierrestorations@gmail.com

Antique, vintage and unique items of jewellery Jewellery repairs Valuation service Joyce Krause Mobile: 0418 197 124 E: alaniantiques@yahoo.com.au

33

Silky oak settle

Three-door bookcase or cabinet made in silky oak

Record cabinet in silky oak

The Ed Rosenstengel story I

n recent years there has been an outburst of interest all over Australia in the work of regional craftsmen, especially those who are members of the Guild of Fine Furniture. Most admired of these in Queensland is Ed Rosenstengel who 40 years ago – at the time of his retirement – was already a household word among collectors for elegance of design, integrity in the use of local materials and craftsmanship of the highest order.

Born in Toowoomba in l887, Ed Rosenstengel was the son of German immigrants who had come to Australia in 1871. His father, originally an upholsterer, set up a furniture business and Ed, the ninth of 12 children, left school at the age of 15 and became an apprentice in his father’s workshop.

He left at the age of 18 to travel and acquire skills as a furniture craftsman from a series of masters: first in Sydney, then Auckland and later in the United States and Europe. At the turn of the century he spent several years in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the best-known American centre for the manufacture of domestic furniture.

After brief periods in Europe he returned to Toowoomba in 1911. In 1922 he moved to Brisbane which offered him the kind of clients for whom he could do his best work, since the majority of his pieces were custom built to the needs of individual clients, though always under the master’s guidance.

34

His taste was refined and eclectic. He was an admirer, for example, of French rococo, which was in fashion in the 1920s – as we can see in the decoration of the State Theatre, Sydney. If he used more austere forms – those drawing on neoclassicism, he liked to add decoration in low relief, always with exquisite delicacy and the finest detail.

His showroom and workshop were at 524 Brunswick Street, New Farm. He preferred to work in Queensland maple or silky oak and always chose the soft furnishings and stains that he kept secret. Polishing was done by hand. All his employees were craftsmen in the field.

Ed Rosenstengel was a designer who supervised all that was manufactured and inspected it before allowing it to bear his name. His early pieces had a small metal plate attached and later he affixed a small red transfer. Some of the special pieces were signed by hand. Upon his retirement, he preferred to close the business, rather than sell the goodwill, in order to protect the integrity of his name forever.

But he had a general as well as a sophisticated clientele. For these he made kitchen furniture, tables, chairs, cabinets, and sometimes bedroom and dining room furniture as well. All were elegantly designed and crafted but in a cheaper wood such as pine.

At the end of World War II, when soldiers were coming home to marry and set up house, his name was one that young people knew.

Whole households of his furniture were provided for this new and educated market. As these households are sold up it is these more commercial pieces that find their way, along with many other finer pieces, into the shops of local Brisbane dealers.

Over the years the Phillips family has handled many wonderful Rosenstengel pieces.

During the course of a special weekend, Discovery Corner had on display a selection of furniture from Rosenstengel’s private collection such as a maple gentleman’s chair, with his initials carved in the centre back and a special extension on the arm designed to hold a cup and reading matter.

All of Rosenstengel’s pieces, even those that were made for the commercial market, show signs of individual distinction. He was an artist as well as a craftsman, and the finest of his work, with its elegant lines and tasteful decoration, is unique.

Although their age does not qualify them as antiques, it is only a matter of time.

They already have the values of distinct individuality and rarity that go hand in hand with classic craftsmanship.

Jill Phillips DISCOVERY CORNER AT BRISBANE ANTIQUE EMPORIUM 07 3862 2155 discoverycnr@bigpond.com

Gossip chair made in silky oak

Silky oak tray mobile with gallery

Silky oak two seater designed with open arms

CLAYFIELD

794-810 Sandgate Road (Cnr Junction Road) CLAYFIELD Qld 4011 AMPLE ON-SITE PARKING (VIA JUNCTION ROAD)

Phone 07 3862 1600 Email: info@brisbaneantiqueemporium.com.au

Website: www.brisbaneantiqueemporium.com.au OPEN 7 DAYS 10am – 5pm 35

L A

avin ntiques

FURNITURE · CHANDELIERS · CERAMICS · PAINTINGS · RUGS · TEXTILES

Importers of fine quality antiques

Phone 61 7 3391 2300 Email: info@lavinantiques.com.au

Fax 61 7 3391 2331 Website: www.lavinantiques.com.au

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

GOLD COAST

The Gold Coast Antique Centre is an exciting gallery in Miami with over 25 dealers displaying an ever changing range of rare antiques and collectables. It’s an Aladdin’s cave of treasures including the finest glassware, antique furniture, jewellery, clocks, toys, movie memorabilia and much more.

The Gold Coast Antique Centre is a must see venue located at

2076 Gold Coast Highway, Miami • Phone 07 5572 0522 • Mobile: 0414 338 363 More than a website – shop online @ www.goldcoastantiquecentre.com.au OPEN 7 DAYS 10 - 5 Sun 10 - 4 37

Phone 07 3862 1600

794-810 Sandgate Road (Cnr Junction Road) CLAYFIELD Qld 4011

Website: www.brisbaneantiqueemporium.com.au

Cordelia Antiques

Johanna Thannhauser specialising in antique jewellery Shop 33, Brisbane Antique Emporium

07 3862 1600

Discovery Corner Quality, rarity and personal service is of prime importance

4 DOOR BOOKCASE A quality, 4 door, Australian bookcase, Blackbean, silky oak, circa 1870 height 2410mm length 1840mm depth 620mm

PRICE $13, 500

Always buying quality antiques Also specialising in Rosentengel furniture

Phone Jill Phillips 07 3862 2155 0402 339 643 38

Sterling silver tankard made by George Smith (London), 1799

Sterling silver toast rack made in Birmingham, 1827

SILVER

Sterling silver casket made by William Hutton & Sons (London), 1895

a potted history

C

ollecting silver is one of the most flexible pastimes. You can collect small, relatively inexpensive pieces, or items with great social or historical relevance worth many thousands of dollars. As with all collections, you can specialise according to a style, country of origin, or period of history in which you are particularly interested.

Collectors of silver are also historians realising this is necessary to better appreciate its full story. No other branch of the arts has been as subject to wars, crises, fluctuations in trade or changes in taste. It wasn’t until the middle of the 19th century that preserving pieces purely because of age or artistic merit became accepted: until then silver or gold plate was regarded by its owner as a reserve to be consigned to the melting pot and converted to coin whenever the need arose.

SILVERSMITHING techniques: the basics The artistry of many pieces cannot be fully appreciated unless something is understood of the silversmiths’ techniques. As silver is too soft in its natural form for practical use, it’s necessary to alloy it with another metal, usually copper, to give additional strength. After smelting, the molten metal was poured into shaped moulds of the object to be made. At this point the silversmith’s work begins: the basic tool of his craft for thousands of years has been the hammer. In some countries, particularly smaller centres, guilds of hammersmen existed comprising blacksmiths, whitesmiths (or silversmiths), coppersmiths and others.

A variety of small anvils and the use of many hammers at a high rate of accurate striking were necessary to form the different shapes required. As silver becomes brittle and unworkable without the application of heat, the piece is heated constantly to approximately a dull red six hundred degrees centigrade, a process known as annealing.

As a rule, the surface of a piece is relieved by some form of decoration – by one of or a combination of three principal ways: embossing, engraving and chasing. Chasing is generally distinguished from engraving in that the design can be seen on the reverse or inside of the piece.

After completion the piece was immersed in a weakened solution of sulphuric acid and was then scoured clean. In the past, the final polishing was turned over to women, the only task traditionally performed by them.

Sterling silver teapot made in London, 1825

Burnishing by hand was taken over by machine over a hundred years ago.

become obligatory throughout France until 1506, it was almost certainly instituted in Paris at least 50 years before. The guilds were dissolved in 1797.

ORIGIN of hallmarks

ENGLISH hallmarks

Marks are linked with the development of the smith guilds. Most of the principal towns throughout Europe had well-established bodies by the 14th century, and in all large centres some mention of a town mark occurs by that period. However varying standards resulted in unscrupulous smiths stamping low-quality work with the mark of another town.

The date-letter system, familiar to French and English collectors, was not designed to date a piece but rather was a means of identifying which assay master held office so that if a piece was substandard after marking, both he and the maker could be held accountable. The credit for first instituting an alphabetical system of dating goes back to Montpellier in 1427, necessary because the town had the reputation in the previous century of producing the worst silver in the country. Although the date-letter system didn’t

Sterling silver viniagrette made by Thomas & William Simpson (Birmingham), 1821

London marks are of particular interest in that they have remained virtually unchanged since their introduction in the 15th century. The leopard’s head, the famous London mark, is first mentioned as obligatory in 1300, although it was almost certainly in use over a century earlier. In 1363 every master goldsmith was required to have his own mark.

An important 1462 charter is believed to have instituted the regular system of date-letters in 20-year cycles incorporating the leopard’s head, beginning in 1473.

Like France, symbols were used until the middle of the 16th century, when initials began to be used. In 1543 the lion passant was added. From then onwards, one finds the same four marks on London silver – a maker’s mark, the lion passant, date-letter and leopard’s head. In addition, the reigning sovereign’s head, which was a duty mark, appears from 1784 to 1890.

EUROPEAN centres Principles centres of the industry also existed in Italy and Germany with highly organised guilds established in the Netherlands and Scandinavia. Consistently high standards were maintained across many centuries, largely due to the emphasis placed on marks.

Hopefully we can help you obtain your next piece of high quality silver.

DISCOVERY CORNER AT BRISBANE ANTIQUE EMPORIUM 07 3862 2155 discoverycnr@bigpond.com Further reading Richard Game, Silver – Pleasures and Treasures, London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1967

Pair sterling silver berry spoons made by William Bellchamber (London), 1830

Pari sterling silver tazzas made by James Dixon & Son (Sheffield), 1906

Sterling silver standish made by Henry Wilkinson (Sheffield), 1850

Three-piece sterling silver tea set made by Viner’s (Sheffield), 1939

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CAMPERDOWN

Brasac enterprises

One of a set of five framed photographs selected by Max Dupain from amongst his favourites, for sets of limited edition prints published for the Royal Blind Society in the late 1980s.

Set of five framed $2,500. Individual $600 each.

Moonflower, 1982

Sunbaker, 1937

Girard Perregaux 9 ct white gold stainless steel case back 17 jewel $2750

Interior Elizabeth Bay House, 1978

At Toowoon Bay, 1985

Blue Gum Forest, c. 1940

Cartier Gold on sterling silver quartz c. 1990 $1500

24 Jewel VGOC 31198614 case 168018, 18 ct gold Omega Constellation c. 1971 $3800

Of the three nine piece sterling silver tea sets made by Garrard & Co London in honour of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, this is the only known surviving example.

Hallmarked Garrard & Co London 1953/54, weight approximately 11 kilos

Omega Seamaster 14 ct c. 1960s $1895

Longines Admiral 10k gold filled, c. 1965 $2295

GOLD COAST ANTIQUE CENTRE 2076 GOLD COAST HIGHWAY, MIAMI QUEENSLAND P: 61 7 5572 0522 M: 0412 229 117

Gerrard Perregaux gyromatic, original band, c. 1960 $1295

Gold diamond and jade stick pin $3750

CAMPERDOWN MEWS 212-220 PARRAMATTA ROAD CAMPERDOWN NSW P: 61 2 9550 5554 M: 0412 229 117

BOTH OPEN 7 DAYS 40

A selection of English hallmarked sterling silver frames and antique silver available.

ALBION

Pack & Send

art and antique specialists

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rt and antique dealers, galleries and museums are now realising that using Pack & Send for their logistics is a means of providing a superior level of service to their customers and actually saves them time and money.

At Pack & Send we specialise in transporting art and antiques, which means that we stock an extensive range of packing supplies – including bubble wrap, acid-free films and tailor-made boxes made of cardboard, pine or plywood – for both shops and individuals who choose to do their own packing. Museums, art galleries and antique dealers Australia-wide are finding our service truly valuable and ask us to take care of the entire logistical process – from pick-up to packaging to paperwork, freighting and safe door-to-door delivery.

No other company in Australia does this.

By letting us take care of all the details, curators, dealers and collectors are free to concentrate on their core business. At Pack & Send we will personally manage the entire job and even computer-track the item en route until it arrives safely and in pristine condition at its destination.

We are the only freight company that will send as well as pack antiques and art for you.

When you consider the price of packing the item yourself on top of another company’s freight charges, Pack & Send’s price – as well as its hassle-free, one-stop shopping convenience and total service solutions – makes it a very attractive option.

antique item. Protection against loss and damage is available through all Pack & Send stores, giving you peace of mind when sending valuable items and one-off pieces.

NO JOB Too Big or Too Small When you call Pack & Send, regardless of whether the job is large or small, we can professionally pack it and co-ordinate its delivery to anywhere in the world. Anything from an envelope, archaeological artefacts, to large oversize paintings and 100-year-old antique chandeliers, Pack & Send have the expertise to transport it safely.

Pack & Send Albion is open 5 days a week, from 8.30 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday. The team at Pack & Send look forward to the opportunity to offer their services in solving any packaging or freight problem you might have.

Stephen & Janet McCartney PACK & SEND 07 3262 9742 albion@packsend.com.au www.packsend.com.au Packing for The Antique Guild, Stamford Plaza Brisbane

PEACE of Mind With our specialist knowledge and our experience in the packing and freighting of fragile, large, awkward and valuable items, we are able to cover even the most fragile art or

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WOOLLOONGABBA

THE SOUND POST “ the soul of the violin

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sound post is a small piece of dowel made of well-aged European spruce.

Despite its rather insignificant appearance, the sound post is the soul of a bowed stringed instrument like the violin. It’s exact location is critical to ensure perfect sound transmission.

LOCATION The sound post stands inside the violin, connecting the top plate and back plate, and is located slightly below the right hand bridge foot. It is standing up only under tension, not glued to the inner surfaces of the plates. It therefore has to stand under the correct tension – too loose and it will fall over, too tight and it will damage the plates. Its end grain surfaces have to fit perfectly to the inner surfaces of the plates of the violin.

The sound post has to be at a certain spot behind the right hand foot which is different in every violin, but follows a strict set of rules depending on the build, shape and density of the plates. If the sound post is moved only a tenth of a millimetre away from that place, the whole violin will not sound as beautiful any more.

It takes many years of experience to be able to put the sound post in the right place, fitting it to the inner surfaces under the right tension and at the right spot. Many inexperienced people have tried to move it themselves or fit a new one without the right tools and knowledge, and have destroyed the inner surfaces of their valuable and irreplaceable master violins.

FITTING the sound post With a special tool I measure the inner distance between top and back and roughly cut a piece of prepared spruce dowel to the right length. I cut the end grain surfaces with a very sharp carving knife to an angle similar to the arching of the plates.

Next I stick the sound post to the special tool called a sound post setter. This is carefully inserted into the violin through the fhole, and I carefully stand it up in roughly the correct position. Then I look through the little end-pin hole to check how well it is fitting. In order to be able to see the other side of the sound post I use a little dentist’s mirror.

This whole procedure is repeated until the sound post fits perfectly, both in the right spot and under the right tension. After that is achieved, the sound post can still be moved around to fine tune the instrument.

If the sound post is in the right spot in relation to the violin and to the position of the bridge, the violin will have a beautiful, even carrying sound, and the strings will speak easily when played with the bow. It truly gives the violin’s sound its soul.

Ilja Grawert ILJA GRAWERT VIOLIN-MAKER 1800 882 468 www.grawert.com.au

It takes many years of experience to be able to put the sound post in the right place, fitting it to the inner surfaces under the right tension and at the right spot

”

A selection of tools for fitting the sound post

Carefully inserting the sound post on the sound post setter into the violin through the f-hole

Sound post made of aged European spruce, held by sound post setter tool

Tuesday~Friday Tuesday~Friday 10 10 am~5 am~5 pm pm Saturday Saturday 10 10 am~2.30 am~2.30 pm pm

Sound post standing up in the right spot in an exposed violin body

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WOOLLOONGABBA

PATCHWORK QUILTS from domestic utility to treasured artwork

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uilting and patchwork have existed for thousands of years. The word ‘quilt’ derives from the Latin culcita, meaning a sack or mattress filled with stuffing. Quilt now refers to a textile sandwich, with a top layer of fabric that is either pieced or appliqué (or both), a bottom layer of plain fabric and a filling for warmth in between.

EARLY history The earliest depiction of this craft dates back to 3,400 BCE with a sculpted figure of an Egyptian pharaoh wearing a quilted robe. The first quilts found their way to Europe and the British Isles during the Crusades in the 11th and 12th centuries. The earliest surviving quilted bedspread was made in Sicily in the 14th century. By the mid-16th century, quilting and patchwork were established trades in England and Europe. Girls learnt to make quilts and patchwork while quite young, many before they were three years old.

Young girls regarded the quilt as the most important part of their trousseau. Each girl was required to produce 12 quilts before she was married. The 13th, the bridal quilt, was usually made by the community in which the girl grew up.

AN AMERICAN tradition created When India formed part of the British Empire, the British caught the rage for quilts.

They took the quilt to America where the technique was ideal for settlers who often needed to make do with very little. Between 1840 and the American Civil War (1861-1865) Americans moved house frequently. The friendship or signature quilts reflected farewells to family and friends.

Many quilts travelled with the pioneers in the covered wagons that crossed the Appalachians heading westwards towards the Pacific. Those who died on the journey were often buried wrapped in a quilt.

The pioneers had no regular supplies and had to be careful with what they had. Bits of old clothing were saved for use in quilts. In many cases these were the parents’ and grandparents’ clothes. They usually remained back in the East because the journey to the West was too arduous for them.

QUILTING bees Log cabins were not well insulated so quilts were in demand and needed to be extra thick.

When a quilt had to be made, a pioneer woman would drum up support from the female members of her family and other women friends and neighbours, forming a group to make the quilts together. An ordinary quilting bee would usually contain about eight participants but if they had a larger space available, this might rise to 12.

Quilting bees would often last all day and it was considered very important to make a contribution to a quilt; so important that people took offence to not being invited to take part in a quilting bee.

A world of customs and legends is associated with quilt making during this period. Early settlers were extremely religious and as such they felt that a perfect quilt would be offensive to God, as only God could be perfect. So often there was a deliberate error made in the border.

This makes the quilt more valuable!

entirely different type of patchwork into vogue, a collection of crazy patches in random order.

However up to the beginning of the 20th century virtually no quilts were sold.

COLLECTED as art Collecting and appreciating quilts is a relatively new passion, triggered by the exhibition Abstract Design in American Quilts held in 1971 at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. The exhibition instantly legitimised quilts as an art rather than a craft. Women saw the quilts as outstanding examples of women’s achievements while historians and museums became aware that quilts were folk art.

There are many types of quilts including presentation quilts, collection quilts, mourning

quilts and friendship quilts. As more than three-quarters of the beds in the USA in 1880 were covered with quilts, many very reasonably priced quilts of good quality are readily available to the collector and, as no two quilts are the same, every collection will be unique.

A major difference between quilts and most other forms of antiques is that quilts were made by a group of people out of friendship and love. Today in Australia, quilting still mainly attracts women and there are an increasing number of classes and clubs taking part in creating these works of beauty and art.

Jason Bridge COLONIAL COLLECTABLES 0431 403 897 colonialcollectables@msn.com Further reading Annette Gero, ‘Collecting antique patchwork quilts’, Collectables Trader, July-August 2004, pp. 8-12

TEXTILES and design By the mid-19th century, the USA had its own textile industry to provide inexpensive fabrics, notably cotton calicos, in hundreds of colours and patterns. Women could express their feelings for colour and design, and quilting reached its heyday in the period from 18751920. Fine quilts were even entered in competitions at regional fairs.

Most early settlers came to America to avoid religious persecution and two sects in particular are responsible for stunning quilts: the Pennsylvania Dutch and the Amish. Strong colours and geometric design epitomise their works which are among the most desirable and expensive of all quilts.

Thus it was the womenfolk of the 18th and 19th century American pioneering days who developed quilting and patchwork to the nowfamous collectable art form. So although the quilt is popular in many European countries and was certainly not invented in America it is today regarded as if it was an original American manifestation.

IMPACT of technology Early quilts were entirely hand-made and the invention of sewing machine by Elias Howe in 1846 made it possible for women to not only work in comfort, but obviously much faster.

Tasks that would have taken up to 20 hours were now being completed in two to three hours.

Due to the availability of commercially made bedding in the late 19th century, the quilt moved out of the bedroom into the parlour.

VICTORIAN taste reflected in designs The development of Victorian tastes brought an

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COLONIAL COLLECTABLES

ANTIQUES • JEWELLERY • OLD WARES BOUGHT & SOLD

9 Logan Rd Woolloongabba 4102 M: 0431 403 897 email: colonialcollectables@msn.com 43

WOOLLOONGABBA

WOOLLOONGABBA ANTIQUE CENTRE & CAFÉ offers antiques for the 21st century

lipstick, sky high heels, victory rolls, pin curls and finger waves, this is your chance. Be sure to book in advance as numbers are limited for these ‘one on one’ makeovers. Help Miss Chrissy keep the traditions of our foremothers alive. Let her enhance your natural inner and outer beauty through the best of vintage style and etiquette. Go to our website and like us on Facebook for details over summer.

THAT Kodak moment Remember that? Thankfully you can get old ‘roll type’ film suitable for vintage bellows and box brownie style stills cameras, some vendors even offer development and prints as part of their service. Since the rise and rise of digital imaging there has been a solid pushback from enthusiasts, photography students and professionals who still love film and are curious about these old cameras and the idiosyncratic photos they produce.

The demand is definitely there and we haven’t been able to get enough of these, units being snapped up as soon as they hit the store.

Our dealers have stepped up their fossicking and come up with a shipment out of the UK which promises to be a treasure trove for the cameraholics out there. A hundred or so of these cameras, Kodak – Eastman, Agfa, Zeiss and others will be in-store this summer, so drop in for a look at the range and get snap happy.

I

n recent years, modernism and the modernism design era has cemented itself a place as an important and unique design epoch. The Woolloongabba Antique Centre is a key destination for buying with a number of dedicated dealers specialising in this genre.

With Australian and English sourced pieces and imports of the best of American modernism we offer a vast range of sought-after items.

One country’s design flair that perhaps reflects some of the best in furniture of this era is Denmark. Arne Jacobsen, Hans J. Wegner, Finn Juhl, Boerge Mogensen, Grete Jalk, Verner Panton are but a few names recognised as some of the 20th century’s most influential furniture designers.

Accenting your home with a modernist item or two and finding that perfect piece of design history to complement your home has become super chic. The Woolloongabba Antique Centre has a broad range of Danish wares to satisfy everyone from the serious collector to

MOVIE poster & memorabilia sale the home improver, with specialist dealers importing direct from Denmark. As well as showcasing higher end items, many good quality mid century furniture at affordable prices are also offered.

With the rise and rise of apartment living and all its conveniences, mid century furniture seems to complement this lifestyle as it is commonly functional and conservatively sized, making it a great attraction for the contemporary home. New stock arrives in November, and it promises to be spectacular!

THE LINDY Charm School for feminine style Dedicated to the revival of the golden age of glamour, Lindy Charm School Headmistress Miss Chrissy is bringing her rollers and hairspray to Woolloongabba Antique Centre with a pop-up salon.

If you fancy a makeover or are keen to delve into Miss Chrissy’s world of red

We are pleased to have major movie memorabilia dealer John Reid popping up for an in-store sale in February next year. John has a vast collection of movie posters and memorabilia from all ages in his collection and he will be bringing a wide selection. We will have everything from Hitchcock to Star Wars and every genre and point in between.

The sale promises to be a visual feast with John also bringing a range of original rare posters for locally-made Australian films.

These Aussie posters are becoming sought after due to a resurgence of interest in our rich film history.

John has supplied items for major libraries and government organisations. He has spent years in the US and the UK developing his taste and sourcing stock. John has consigned important collections to Christies in London and supplied items for Warner Brothers Movie World. This sale will be a real treat for customers. These posters are eye-catching and

collectable art pieces and look great framed on the wall. We will have an accessible price range for all tastes and budgets.

WAC Café – the mid shop pit stop Described by The Courier Mail as one of Brisbane’s best ‘secret’ cafes, our milk bar café is at the heart of the store. With over 65 dealers and 1500 square metres, it can be a bit exhausting getting around to all of the store’s nooks and crannies. So mid-shop, our customers often put their feet up in one of our 1950s inspired booths and feast on a wide selection of savouries and indulgent sweets – including our famous Mars Bar Cheesecake.

With fresh juices, malted milkshakes, great Merlo coffee, toasted wraps and Turkish sandwiches, you can be re-fuelled and reenergised in this charming space.

THE BARE Bones Barbers On the last Sunday of every month, those fabulous Bare Bones Barbers are in the house quiffing and chopping up a storm for the discerning gent. A handy way to get a trim for guys who are a little short on time, while you wait, our vintage pinball machines and Elvis movies in the cinema will keep you entertained.

Don’t forget to keep your hair in order with Bare Bone’s awesome Upper Cut Deluxe range of pomades and hair-care products.

MODERN mix in a vibrant space Woolloongabba Antique Centre is a thoroughly modern approach to an old idea of presenting antiques, collectables, jewellery, furniture, clothing and Kitchen-alia in an airconditioned and vibrant space. The Centre’s diverse range of ‘shops’ will see surprise sit next to nostalgia, style next to kitsch. And the same goes for the tunes you will hear, with the likes of Dolly Parton, Etta James, and Muddy Waters, and some good old-fashioned Slim Dusty weaving their magic in your ears.

In snapshot, some items of provenance may include an exciting range of modernist mid century furniture and home wares. Vintage fashions of the Hollywood glamour genre, a fine collection of Australian Antiques, estate jewellery industrial design and up-cycled antiques, French brocante, rural antiques and shabby chic, rockabilly, kitsch and collectables such as militaria, ceramics, glassware, toys, kitchenalia and garagenalia. Prestige vintage fashion labels from Chanel, YSL, Hermes, Dior, Valentino and Tiffany are a must see.

The centre has become a jazz ‘destination’ with the Butter Brothers now attracting a growing group of loyal admirers most weekends as they play smooth tunes in the foyer.

The Wellington Road edifice which now houses Woolloongabba Antique Centre was formerly occupied by Copeland & Pickers for 30 years. The building has recently undergone an impressive $1 million renovation to bring it back to its original ‘saw toothed’ industrial glory. The centre is open every day from 9 am to 5 pm and for the convenience of patrons there is plenty of parking in our car park at the rear of our building. Like us on facebook.

For more information contact WOOLLOONGABBA ANTIQUE CENTRE 07 3392 1114 info@wolloongabbaantiquecentre.com www.wolloongabbaantiquecentre.com

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WOOLLOONGABBA

JAMES & BELL Brisbane’s newest antique warehouse

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ym James and Wayne Bell are both established and respected dealers in antique and vintage furniture, china, linen and clocks. After dealing through antique centres in Brisbane for many years, they found the need to expand their retail business to bring their numerous English and Australian antiques, period and vintage furniture, and collectables together in one premises.

They have managed to house a large quantity of these interesting goods at their new warehouse in 199 Logan Road, Woolloongabba. The location in the renowned Woolloongabba antique and period precinct provides a major focus for this exciting type of Brisbane shopping.

The new warehouse sees Kym now returning to the precinct where she started 30 years ago with her first antique store before moving into auctioneering. Since then, Kym has imported many containers from the UK and her customers have bought a wide variety of goods from her over the years, resulting in her becoming well-known as a dealer.

Kym and Wayne endeavour to present quality products, carefully restoring many of the pieces put out for sale so they are ready to be placed in your home. Furthermore, as nearly all the stock has been imported by the proprietors, it is fresh to the public.

STOCK specialties James & Bell also deals in portrait miniatures, ambrotypes, objects and sterling silver – some of Kym’s traditional areas of interest. Wayne’s particular interest is in old clocks and he plans to maintain an interesting variety for sale.

As well as aiming to offer special things for the collector, Kym and Wayne also want to help their customers make their homes more liveable at reasonable prices – they aim for the eclectic look. Now that contemporary interior designers have moved on from the recent popular craze for minimalism, the eclectic look, with its exciting emphasis on a mixture of the old and the new, is now in and becoming firmly established. It is hard to give a real personal stamp to a house without using pieces that are well made and have character and the patina of age. Good furniture and accessories provide a means of self-expression and for the luxury that makes good surroundings more interesting to home owners and their friends.

ABOUT the warehouse The new warehouse has free spacious parking for 30 cars and an entrance at the rear of the building (via Taylor St) making it a most convenient location. The front of the shop has a large showroom with a separate room showcasing quality china and objets d’art.

Everything is comfortable and inviting and the goods are all clearly priced for the convenience of customers.

James & Bell is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 10 am – 4 pm, or by appointment. All enquiries are welcome and the service aims to be as helpful and informative as possible. Do pay a visit to 199 Logan Road on your regular trips to the Woolloongabba antique precinct.

James & Bell Antiques

JAMES & BELL ANTIQUES 07 3891 5233 / 0438 677 788 www.jamesandbell.com.au

Kym James and Wayne Bell have opened their new 500 sq m SHOP AND WAREHOUSE FULL OF ANTIQUE, DECO & VINTAGE FURNITURE PLUS COLLECTABLES A large selection of imported and quality Australian furniture and collectables to please everyone

OPEN WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY 10AM – 4PM 199 Logan Rd Woolloongabba QLD 4102 t: 07 3891 5233 m: 0438 677 788 e: info@jamesandbell.com.au convenient entrance & parking at rear for 30 cars

www.jamesandbell.com.au 45

ANNERLEY

GLASS AND MORE

caught your attention and will see you doing your Christmas shopping in Annerley Glassworx. We are looking forward to meeting you.

at Annerley Glassworx CITY HALL project update

ANIMAL series expands

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The stock I have sourced this year has proved to be so exciting. There are now many more friends for Miss Piggy. The animals, made from colourful 44 gallon drums, include cats and dogs and I am looking to possibly have on the floor a full sized horse!

My staff may shake their heads but they admit it works. When you have 80,000 cars per day racing past your shop you have to find a way to catch their eye. So I hope we have

e are now proudly associated with the restoration of City Hall.

There is still a section to be completed but it involves removing leadlights from a skylight frame so we are still to be notified as to when that can be achieved.

Thank you to Pira, my workshop manager, for all his onsite time. He really enjoyed being in the city and eating his lunch amongst the fashion conscious, but says he now has to upgrade his wardrobe!

Mention this page and we will give you a discount!

XMAS orders For those of us who have to plan for Christmas sales, it is a stressful time having to purchase ahead and guess what will be popular. Not only do we have to plan for the retail store, we have to now be very careful about promising leadlight orders to be ready before 24 December. Over the years we have certainly run right to the wire a few times.

Let’s hope we can organise our schedule so that our customers will have their commissions ready on time this year as well.

Annerley Glassworx LEADLIGHTS, LAMPSHADES, TUITION, SUPPLIES, REPAIRS 770 IPSWICH RD ANNERLEY QLD 4103 PH: 07 3892 5352 www.glassworx.com.au

OPEN 7 DAYS 46

Denise Allen ANNERLEY GLASSWORX 07 3892 5352 www.glassworx.com.au

CLEVELAND

COLLECTING SPODE at Bayside Antique & Collectables Centre

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pode china is highly collectable. A number of factors contribute to this popularity – as well as its quality and easily recognised patterns, Spode was a pioneer of its day and is still in production.

The wonderful history of Spode china begins with Josiah Spode (1733-1797). After working for several years with other potters, Josiah went into business for himself and founded the Stoke-on-Trent pottery company, Spode, in 1770. The success of his venture allowed him to purchase the Church Street, Stoke factory in 1776 and Spode wares were made there continuously until 2008.

Josiah Spode was credited with two major achievements. The first was the perfection of blue under-glaze printing. In the late 1700s, blue and white Chinese porcelain was increasingly difficult to obtain as imports slowed. Josiah was recognised as having developed the technique for underglaze transfer printing on earthenware and having produced the first printed Willow patterns.

Spode’s blue and white wares were generally considered among the finest ever made and the most famous pattern Italian (1816) continues to be made to this day.

DEVELOPMENT of bone china The second was his development of a new type of porcelain he originally called Stoke china but changed to bone china. It contained bone ash. This has been described as ‘the single most significant development in the history of his industry – the perfection of the formula for fine bone china’. It outclassed all other English porcelains in both beauty and durability and is regarded as the forerunner of all modern English bone china.

Josiah’s son, Josiah II (1754-1827) also trained as a potter and ran the firm’s warehouse in London. He took over the factory on his father’s death in 1797 and continued the business in partnership with William Copeland from 1813. In the early 19th century, the company grew to be the largest pottery in Stoke.

ROYAL warrants Another significant event occurred when Josiah Spode II was appointed ‘Potter to the Prince of Wales’ when the Prince Regent visited the factory in 1806. The company has held royal warrants ever since.

After the death of Josiah II in 1827, his son Josiah III ran the business until his untimely death two years later. Ownership of the Spode business was purchased by William Taylor Copeland who became the sole owner in 1833. He took a partner, Thomas Garrett and the firm became Copeland and Garrett until 1847 when William Copeland continued on his own. The business remained in the Copeland family until 1966.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the Spode brand name was used alongside the Copeland name, for example, Copeland late Spode. In 1970, the company name was changed to Spode Ltd to commemorate the founder, Josiah Spode.

Spode was part of Stoke-on-Trent’s heritage for nearly 250 years. In 2008, the company called in administrators. In 2009, the Stokebased Portmeirion pottery company bought Spode and Royal Worcester from the administrators. Spode continues to be manufactured by the Portmeirion Group at their factory in Stoke-on-Trent.

The purchase did not include the Royal Worcester or Spode factories and the original Spode factory site is now home to the Spode museum, housing a ‘stunning collection of wares illustrating the unique contributions of the Spode and Copeland factories to the English Ceramics industry.’

A COLOURFUL legacy It is worth noting that, while Spode’s various blue and white patterns were the most popular in the market of the day and remain a favourite of today’s collectors, there were also many other beautiful designs and colours manufactured. In the early 1800s, Spode developed other colours such as green, brown, purple, grey, black and, later on, pink. Twocolour underglaze printing, as well as other methods such as enamelling and gilded decoration, were implemented to expand the Spode range which included ceramic items for dinner and dessert, breakfast and tea, toilet and personal hygiene plus ornamental wares and toys.

Whether collectors confine themselves to the blue and white or the other pattern colours, whether they embrace all patterns and styles, there is no doubt they will be building a collection of both beauty and value.

ABOUT Bayside Antique & Collectables Centre Find us one street block away from the long running and very popular Cleveland Markets.

Open seven days a week, from 10 am to 5 pm, the centre can easily be reached by car, rail or bus: Just a 30-minute drive from Brisbane City with ample parking, a short flat walk from Cleveland Railway Station through Raby Bay Harbour and Cleveland CBD, or a bus stop right at the door.

Our dealers stock a wonderful array of antiques, collectables and old wares. Whether collecting, investing or simply searching for a gift for family or friend – there is something for everyone.

Visit Dolly’s on the mezzanine floor for recycled fashions such as retro, vintage, preloved and labels. Whether for everyday wear, a special function or theme party, it’s proving very popular, especially with younger customers, and offers great rummage value.

Look for our Roller Girl standing out the front each day. Pop in. Be surprised by the hidden nooks and crannies – the centre is larger than it looks! Its spacious layout ensures easy access for wheelchairs, motorised scooters, walkers and prams. Relax and enjoy a complimentary cuppa.

In addition, for those requiring products for wood care and maintenance of their favourite furniture pieces, Bayside is a stockist for the very popular Howard Products such as Restor-AFinish, Feed’N’Wax, Orange Oil and Wax sticks.

Make a visit to Bayside the first part of a day spent enjoying everything the Redlands has to offer, from the bay and islands to the inland countryside. It’s a great place to explore. Bayside – one visit and you’ll be hooked! Enjoy our Spode display.

Check out our website and visit us on Facebook for a glimpse of what the centre has to offer. If you Like Us on Facebook, you can keep updated with information and photos of new stock.

Rob & Di Metcalfe BAYSIDE ANTIQUE & COLLECTABLES CENTRE 07 3821 0936 baysideantique@optusnet.com.au www.baysideantiqueandcollectablescentre.com

Over 30 shop spaces catering for a wide range of antiques, collectables and old wares, including furniture, ceramics, glass, silver, decorative arts, jewellery, books, coins, medals, ephemera, art, toys, photographics, militaria, tools and much more. Includes a mezzanine floor dedicated to vintage, retro, pre-loved and labels fashions and accessories.

BAYSIDE ANTIQUE & COLLECTABLES CENTRE 162 Bloomfield Street, Cleveland Queensland 4163 (UBD map 185 p.18) Open 7 days 10 am - 5 pm • Ph: 07 3821 0936 • Mobile: 0419 671 279 • Like us on Facebook • Email: baysideantique@optusnet.com.au • www.baysideantiqueandcollectablescentre.com • On site and street parking • Approx. 30 mins from Brisbane CBD • Complimentary tea and coffee • Easy access for wheelchairs, mobility scooters, prams • Dealer enquiries welcome re spaces and cabinets

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Paddington Antique Centre

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Commercial Road Antiques & Decorative Arts

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Offering Professional Service On Site or in Rooms Antiques • Art • Furniture • Silver • Ceramics • Glass • Jewellery • Collectables • Clocks • Old Toys • Militaria • Speciality Items Complete estates or single items through AUCTION or on CONSIGNMENT Quality and interesting items bought and sold For an independent Licensed Auctioneer with many years of specialised experience in the Antique and Collectable Trade contact Mark Nott 0419 703 886 mgnott@optusnet.com.au

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ANTIQUES 184 Mooloolaba Road Buderim QLD 4556

07 5445 4033

DAZE

85 Commercial Road, Newstead Open 7 days 10 am to 5 pm P: 07 3852 2352

Brisbane Antique Emporium Cnr Junction and Sandgate Rds, Clayfield Open 7 days, 10 am to 5 pm P: 07 3862 1600

Woolloongabba Antique Centre 22 Wellington Road, Woolloongabba (Cnr Nile St) Tues to Sat 9 am to 5 pm, Sun 10 am to 5 pm P: 07 3392 1114 F: 07 3392 1116

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Bayside Antique & Collectables Centre

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Nudgee Road Antiques & Design Centre

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Ipswich Antique Centre

162 Bloomfield Street, Cleveland Open 7 days 10 am to 5 pm P: 07 3821 0936 277 Nudgee Road, Hendra Mon to Fri 9 am to 5 pm, Sat 10 am to 4 pm P: 07 3268 2869 86 East Street, Ipswich Central Thurs to Mon 10 am to 5 pm (closed Tues & Wed) P: 07 3281 2330

Brisbane Antique Centre 4014 Pacific Highway (crn Beenleigh-Redland Bay Road, Exit 30 off the M1), Loganholme Open 7 days 9 am to 5 pm P: 07 3806 0118

Commercial Road Antiques & Decorative Arts

MANSON FRAMERS MFG PTY LTD

• RESTORATION OF OILS, PAPER ART AND FRAMES • CONSERVATION FRAMING • TAPESTRY AND ART SUPPLIES • CUSTOM MADE STRETCHERS • SPECIALISED MATT CUTTING

Mon-Fri 8.30 am - 5 pm • Sat. 8.30 am - 12 pm

ANDREW & RONALD STS WYNNUM QLD 4178

07 3396 4251

CHAMBERS & CROSTHWAITE ANTIQUES 26 Nudgee Road (cnr Stevenson) Hamilton, Brisbane Antique and estate jewellery, porcelain, linen, silver, silver plate, glass, crystal, collectables and furniture bought and sold Shipments of sterling silver constantly arriving

Phone 07 3268 6778 Member of QADA

GONE BY

Australis of Montville Antiques

OF GYMPIE Just arrived: impressive marble top credenza, large light oak kitchen dresser, pair of silky oak & leather armchairs, 4 captains chairs, maple & silky oak tables and sideboards, marble top table on ornate iron base, large corn crusher. Plus constantly changing range of china, collectables, and desirable objects all at prices that please.

See our website www.dazegoneby.com.au for a small selection of our stock

2 MINUTES OFF THE BRUCE HIGHWAY, 15 CALEDONIAN HILL GYMPIE 07 5482 4571 Open Wed - Sun 9 am - 4 pm www.dazegoneby.com.au 48

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KIMBELL

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Independent Auction Service

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167 Latrobe Tce (Cnr Collingwood St), Paddington Open 7 days 10 am to 5 pm P: 07 3369 8088

We buy & sell quality antiques & collectables including a large range of • jewellery • fine china • silver • pottery • furniture • investment pieces

The largest range on the sunshine coast 162 Main St, Montville, Qld 4560 Ph: 07 5442 9400 shireantiques@bigpond.com Days of business: OPEN 6 DAYS • CLOSED TUESDAYS

BRISBANE

BRISBANE ANTIQUE CENTRE opens for business

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fter much anticipation, our doors opened to the public on Saturday 13 October. All hands were on deck as we worked into the wee hours to ensure everything would run as smoothly as possible, and we are glad to report that the day went off without a hitch.

With a total floor space of just over 2300 square metres, incorporating a dedicated antique auction centre, the glorious Frenchthemed La Café Eiffel as the main entrance – serving the delectable Schibello coffee for the most discerning of coffee aficionados, as well as the dealers’ floor space, Brisbane Antique Centre is set to become one of the largest antique super centres under one roof.

DIRECTIONS to BAC It’s easy to locate the centre as our 14 metre wide billboard faces the south bound traffic on the Motorway (M1). You will find us at Loganholme, between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, just off Exit 30 on the Motorway, which is also the start of Beenleigh-Redland Bay Road. Look for the large building at the roundabout just as you come off the Motorway and you are there. We have more than 140 dedicated off street car spaces for convenient customer parking.

With highly visible M1 and other major arterial road exposure, we are seen by more than 200,000 vehicles a day according to recent Department of Transport surveys. This equates to an ever increasing flow of customers through our doors.

DEALERS team up From a dealer’s point of view, the advantages are significant. Having one level for the entire hard floor space makes wheeling and carting a breeze. A five-metre roller door also gives easy access 24 hours a day, allowing flexibility for re-stocking. State-of-the-art electronic and physical security barriers are already in place around-the-clock to ensure the security of

valuable stock. Several internal partitions have already been erected at the request of incoming dealers to allow them to create their own canvas in their individual space.

Many customers have already expressed how much they love the set-up of the centre and are quite eager to make return visits as we continue to expand. As more and more dealers team up with us we encourage customers to come back regularly to also find any elusive items they may be chasing.

FIRST auction on 3 February 2013 Brisbane Antique Centre will hold its very first auction on Sunday 3 February 2013 and auctions will continue to be held on the first Sunday of each month following that. The auction will commence at 10 am, with viewing on the immediate Saturday before and on the morning of the auction itself. There will be a maximum of 500 listings per auction to allow everyone to have some normality in their day and still be home for dinner. Stay tuned to our website for updates as we get closer to the day.

Some lovely pieces of antique furniture, estate jewellery and vintage collectables have already been consigned by the general public and we are excited by the interesting items already coming through the doors! One of the pieces being an early rifle owned by ‘Wild’ Wright of the Ned Kelly Gang with full provenance.

We look forward to seeing you at Brisbane Antique Centre, customers and dealers alike, and welcome any enquiries. The centre is open daily from 9 am – 5 pm, and will be closed only on Christmas Day and New Years Day. As we come into the crazy end of the year, the team at Brisbane Antique Centre wishes safe travel to all and best wishes for the holiday season.

BRISBANE ANTIQUE CENTRE 07 3806 0118 admin@brisbaneantiquecentre.com.au www.brisbaneantiquecentre.com.au

4014 Pacific Highway Loganholme QLD 4014

NOW OPEN

◊ 2300+ sq m one level antique super centre ◊ Dedicated antique auction centre (1st auction Sunday 3 Feb 2013) ◊ French themed Café Eiffel as our entrance ◊ 140+ dedicated off-street car parking ◊ 24 hour on-site security ◊ Great Motorway (M1) visibility and very easy access immediately off EXIT 30

admin@brisbaneantiquecentre.com.au

07 3806 0118

www.brisbaneantiquecentre.com.au 49

FORGING NOT FORGERY The craft of the spoon maker

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o a silver collector interested in the craft of the silversmith, the method of manufacture of any piece should have a huge bearing on its value, no less so than with flatware. Early spoons are fine examples of specialist craftsmen working with very basic tools to produce articles of flowing lines that unfortunately are often overlooked when compared to larger articles in the smithing repertoire.

It is worth remembering that inventions and

discoveries culminating in the Industrial Revolution had a dramatic effect on the specialist spoon maker. The production of steel, for example, a material combining hardness with flexibility and tensile strength, was able to be fashioned into complex durable dies capable of producing multiples of the same style.

Coupled with a steam engine that could drive huge presses to make the commercial potential of the dies a reality, these new technologies allowed for hundreds of spoons

to be made almost entirely by machine. Prior to this, a spoon had to be made by hand.

TOOLS The transformation of a solid rectangular bar of silver into a hand-made silver spoon does not use separate sections or any soldering. It is all done by the use of hammers, a teist or form of slightly curved anvil, a single bar of silver and the trained eye and steady hands of the silversmith.

Today, the process of the hand-made spoon remains little changed since before the Industrial Revolution, even if the number of practitioners is greatly reduced.

WORKING silver

Jewellers Association of Australia Silver Design Award Winner 2010

• Designer and maker of hollow ware and flatware • Repair and restoration of antique and modern silver Visit our website at: www.dc-silversmith.biz or call us on 0401 383 645 50

From the design the silversmith firstly calculates the size of the metal bar to be used, taking into consideration how much it can be manipulated during the forging stages. Silver is very malleable and will readily change shape under the blows of a hammer as long as it is annealed, or softened, once it gets work hardened.

Using the plasticity of silver, the spoon maker must forge the bar to make it longer and wider, thereby eliminating nearly all the wastage that would occur if the item was cut out from thick silver sheet. The hammering can be done while the metal is cold, but it is quicker to forge while the metal is hot, and this would be the common practice.

Placing the silver bar in a hearth the silver is heated to a dull cherry red. Heating too much and the metal will shatter under the blows of the hammer; under-heat and the process will take longer.

Gripping the heated metal in a pair of tongs, the metal is held to the teist and using heavy forging hammers the metal is slowly spread to widen and lengthen it, working both the handle and bowl sections.

Hammer it too wide or too long and it is virtually impossible to reduce it back to size, consequently all actions have to be done using controlled directional blows, constantly checking the size against a template.

During the forging stages the work remains flat. If a rat-tail is required it is formed by laying the bowl section down on to a flat block that has a tapered groove cut into it, and hammering the metal down until the tail is completed.

Rat-tail spoons require the central line of the bowl to be thicker than usual to allow for this added sinking process, with great care needed to keep the tail square to the central axis.

FORMING up a spoon Shaping the bowl begins by creating the curved neck. This section is hammered into a v-shaped hard wood block further than the finished angle to allow for changes that occur when the bowl is shaped.

For a single spoon, free-form shaping would probably suffice, but for multiples and sets a bowl die would be made. If a die is used the silver flat bowl section is hand held between the die and a lead block, and the die struck until the dished bowl shape is achieved.

During this process, the stretching of the bowl will pull the handle back into the correct finishing position. At this point most of the hammering is completed and the filing, sanding and polishing processes finish the spoon.

FORGING process Sometimes antique spoons will show a dark line down the centre of the handle and this is often where the maker has slightly folded the metal over during the forging stages. Annealing can create fire-scale or copper oxide to rise to the surface of the metal and the dark stain down the centre is caused by the fire-scale being trapped in the folded-over section.

To remove it would be time consuming, and remember, most flatware was sold by weight, so the maker would be reluctant to spend time on removing it only to receive less for his work. It should to be treasured as a mark of the hand-made spoon.

The only time when the forging process will differ from the usual practice is when additions are attached to the spoon such as with the antique seal-top or Apostle spoons.

The same applies to my own version of the seal-top spoon. The bowl and stem are forged in one piece with the seal-top soldered on as an obvious addition, making it ideal for engraving the initials of a new-born child or as a birthday gift. The koala-top spoon is produced using the same techniques as with the seal-top.

The most outstanding spoon maker of the modern age is Richard Cook who worked for many years with Stuart Devlin. He continued his craft after the Devlin workshops closed and I am privileged to have received instruction from him during visits to England.

If you would like to see examples of this most exacting and little understood craft, or require assistance with restoration of your own silver collection, please contact me n DAVID CLAYTON 0401 383 645 / 07 3245 1565 david@dc-silversmith.biz www.dc-silversmith.biz

RICHLANDS

BEAUTIFUL RUGS DESERVE THE BEST CARE

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As not all rugs are woven identically, different weaves and dyes require custom cleaning techniques

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areful maintenance of your rugs is essential. At RugWash we are experienced in this work and encourage discussion to reach a clear understanding of what can be expected to keep your rugs in the best possible condition.

CHOOSING a rug cleaner isn’t easy Whether you bought a rug, kilim or carpet for decorative, practical or investment purposes, cleaning begins with finding the right rug cleaning company. At RugWash we all share a common love for the pieces of woven art that clients bring through our doors.

Weavers have spent months and sometimes years to weave that rug that you have placed in your home, so we continually hone our skills and knowledge to ensure that we provide the very best services to protect these textiles. We are regarded nationally as one of the premier rug cleaning and repairing facilities in the country.

At RugWash, cleaning a hand-woven rug is a multi-step process from vacuuming, to washing and drying. Care is taken in every step to ensure your investment is maintained and your rug is brought back to its original beauty. As not all rugs are woven identically, different weaves and dyes require custom cleaning techniques – but sadly, not all rug cleaners know these important differences.

We recommend having your rugs professionally cleaned by an experienced rug cleaner.

KEEP it clean!

The best way to keep a rug clean is to keep it from getting dirty in the first place. If everyone removes outdoor shoes when entering the house, as people do in most rugweaving countries, it will save your rugs from most dirt, provided this practice accords with your lifestyle. Bare-foot or sock-foot traffic is much gentler to a rug than a hard outdoorshoe sole or spiked heels.

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Have your rug cleaned only when really necessary. Rugs in main areas may need a yearly cleaning. Rugs in other areas can wait several years for professional cleaning. To judge how dirty a rug is, pick up a corner and while holding it, kick the back of the rug sharply. If a cloud of dirt flies out of the pile, the rug is dirty and is begging for a good cleaning. Take heart, some loose dust and wool fibres are normal.

RugWash offers a pickup and delivery service throughout the Brisbane metropolitan area. We are open every Saturday morning from 8:30 to 11:30 am for convenient drop off and pick up of your rugs.

REPAIRS and restoration Rugs often lead a very tough life. Pets, insects, flower pots and the wear of daily use all take their toll. There are always times when something has to be done to maintain your rugs.

Many different stabilisation, repair and restoration techniques are available to treat these weavings done by hand. Likewise it requires skill, experience and the right materials to repair and restore your rugs.

• Holes and damage can be rewoven with nearly undetectable results, or simply sewn to prevent further loss • Fringe repair and edge repair is one of our frequent minor repairs • Worn areas can be restored, though extensive overall wear can be cost-prohibitive to treat.

Good results require materials with the closest match of colour, fibre, and spin. We dye the majority of our materials ourselves, using both synthetic and natural dyes. Yarns are spun, or re-spun to provide the best match.

STORAGE tips The first and most important piece of storage advice is to always store rugs clean. Have them washed properly and then prepared for storage. We highly recommend applying our moth-repelling agent which makes the wool less appetising by changing the taste of the wool. Otherwise there’s a chance you’ll wrap

hungry little rug-snacking insects in with your rug in a nice protected environment, and a year or more later when you open it up again you could be in for an ugly and expensive surprise.

It is so important that each rug be wrapped in material that allows air to pass through, but nothing else. Cotton or linen is recommended.

Avoid plastic at all costs.

With changes in the weather, moisture must not be allowed to become trapped inside air-tight plastic wrapping. The results will be a mould problem, that will likely next become dry-rot and finally, you may find irreversible damage to your rug.

It is important that the integrity of the package is intact. Avoid storing wrapped rugs directly on a floor. Always keep them elevated,

at least on a very low shelf or rack to allow better access to air circulation. Should there be a flood or unnoticed leak, this elevation will keep your rug sitting above a puddle, avoiding the risks of slowly absorbing water.

Finally, it is wise to open your wrapped rugs once a year or so, just to enjoy a look and to run a vacuum over them. Check both the front and back sides. You don’t need to have them re-washed.

Stephen Muncey RUGWASH QUEENSLAND 07 3375 9896 stephen@rugwashqueensland.com.au www.rugwashqueensland.com.au

Est. 1957

• Immaculate traditional rug washing • Expert repairs • Restoration • Conservation • Custom cut non-slip underlay • Moth repellent

Unit 24-315 Archerfield Road, Richlands Qld 4077

Phone: 07 3375 9896 Email: stephen@rugwashqueensland.com.au www.rugwashqueensland.com.au

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BIRKDALE

Celebrating 100 years of fine silversmithing F.J.Mole – Silversmiths

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n 2013, F.J.Mole – Silversmiths will celebrate 100 years of working as silversmiths in Queensland. Established in 1913 by English trained silversmith Fredrick Joseph Mole, the company has been in continuous operation as manufacturers and restorers of church wares, silver trophies, table wares and other items.

We have witnessed many changes over the years. During World War II we were a protected industry, with staff required to assist with manufacturing for the war effort. Where

once we were responsible for making silver contacts for electrical contacts in army tanks, technology has replaced these systems and the cheaper cost of foreign manufacture has seen this type of work almost disappear.

NEW commissions with a traditional focus We continue to be kept busy with our traditional focus on church ware manufacture and restoration. Recent jobs have included the restoration of three tabernacles and the manufacture of a hanging sanctuary lamp to

replace one that was stolen from a church.

The sanctuary lamp was made from brass sheet with cast angels to hold the chains. This was a traditional design of F.J.Mole, and we utilised casting patterns that have been used since the start of the company.

UPDATING our workshop Recently installed new equipment in the workshop enables us to provide a complete service to our clients requiring restoration work. Among the machinery purchased is a new pipe and tube bender that accurately rolls replacement bed rods and lamp parts. A new large machine lathe has increased our metal turning capacity. Recent jobs on this lathe have included the turning of parts for the sanctuary lamp, manufacture of a replacement rod end for a bed, and turning up a special tool to facilitate a difficult repair on the base rim of a small jug. We still have a small precision lathe and a large capacity metal spinning lathe.

Our new casting setup is being finalised.

We have always done small-scale sand casting and lost wax casting of small items, however we are now finding there is an increasing demand for larger lost wax castings. To meet this demand, we purchased a large kiln for quite large lost wax castings, such as replacement brass castings for furniture. The kiln will also be used in casting parts for some of the items we manufacture.

SOME interesting commissions

Antique cash register restored to working order

Hanging sanctuary lamp made by F.J.Mole-Silversmiths in 2012

F.J.MOLE – SILVERSMITHS

Over the past few months we’ve completed a number of other interesting jobs. A brass inlaid card table had a number of missing brass pieces. The strips were of unusual widths, requiring each one to be cut individually. The process involved the initial cutting on our new motorised guillotine, followed by pulling the strips through a draw plate to straighten and harden them. They were then finished by filing the ends and dressing the edges by hand.

Another job was the repair of an antique cash register that had jammed up. Upon

checking, it was determined that the machine had been incorrectly assembled after being restored elsewhere. This had caused part of the mechanism to break. The broken parts were used as a pattern to make replacements, and we were able to return the cash register to working condition. Repairs such as these become a labour of love. It gives us great pleasure knowing that through our work magnificent mechanical devices of the past can live on to intrigue new generations.

The most exciting assignment undertaken in recent months has been the restoration of a magnificent collection of antique oil lamps for a Brisbane antique dealer. He had purchased the collection of unrestored lamps which had been in storage for more than a decade. To date we have restored nine table lamps and eight hanging lights, with several more to come. Most of these are more than 100 years old and have all their original parts.

Our work has included stripping many layers of paint, repairing seized burner mechanisms, replacing worn and damaged threads as well as polishing and clear coating all of the parts.

FREE online history In 2013, as part of our celebration of 100 years, we will be publishing a free comprehensive online history of F.J.Mole Silversmiths, and also intend to make this available in a limited edition hard copy. If readers have any F.J.Mole items in their possession we’d love to have pictures for inclusion in this history of an iconic Australian business. It would be great to have the story behind the item as well – sometimes these are as interesting as the item itself. We are looking to cover all areas of the company’s history, with a publication date of October 2013. Please ring or email us if you would like more information or you can supply us with details for inclusion in this history.

F.J.MOLE – SILVERSMITHS 07 3822 8563 / 0419 700 069 sales@silversmithsandplaters.com.au

EST. 1913

Also trading as Silversmiths and Platers F.J.Mole Silversmiths celebrating 100 years of silversmithing in Brisbane in 2013.

Manufacturers and Restorers of Silverware, Trophies and Churchwares SPECIALIST RESTORERS OF ANTIQUE METALWARE Sterling Silver items • Brass and Copper Wares Pewter • Bronze and Spelter figures • Silverplated items BRASS AND IRON BEDS RESTORED AND FOR SALE

Lamp before restoration

Free Pickup and Delivery throughout Brisbane and the Gold Coast region or make an appointment to visit our Birkdale workshop

Please see www.silversmithsandplaters.com.au for details Phone 07 3822 8563 • Mobile 0419 700 069 sales@silversmithsandplaters.com.au Mail Orders welcome to PO Box 3320, Birkdale QLD 4159

SERVICING THE TRADE AND PUBLIC 52

Restored table lamp

KILKIVAN

CLOSING DOWN SALE 30% OFF ALL STOCK Regrettably Kilkivan Fine Arts and Antiques are closing down. All stock must be sold so come along and purchase a bargain

| FURNITURE | PAINTINGS | JEWELLERY | CHINA AND COLLECTABLES There are many pieces of Royal Worchester, Royal Albert, Moorcroft, Mary Gregory, Royal Doulton and others

OPEN THURSDAY TO SUNDAY FROM 10AM TO 5PM

OCK T S L L OFF A % 0 3 E N SAL W O D NG CLOSI OPEN Thursday to Sunday 10 am to 5 pm 6 Bligh Street, Kilkivan, Queensland 4600 Ph: 07 5484 1602 Fax: 07 5484 1603 Email: info@kfaa.com.au Website: www.kfaa.com.au

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CROWS NEST

The ever-expanding Salt’s at Crows Nest

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alt’s has done it again! That’s right – the huge Edwardian-housed antique store at Crows Nest is still progressing after 30 years, with even more stock then ever.

Roger and his wife Natasha tell me that they have just completed filling two 40-foot high cube containers in the UK. That’s a total of over 270 pieces of quality antique furniture amounting to over 10 tons. Roger has been a sole trader at his store for over 18 years and will continue to offer an amazing range of goods in his 12000 sq ft showroom.

He also tells me that these latest consignments will bring his stock total to over 800 pieces of furniture, making his store possibly the largest singularly owned antique furniture warehouse in Australia.

Stock includes over 25 hallstands, 50 display cabinets, 100 sideboards including many mirror backs, scores and scores of tables, set of chairs, dressing tables, large Victorian chests of drawers, bureaux and also an excellent selection of roll top desks, wardrobes, cocktail cabinets, bedside cupboards, tea trolleys, occasional tables and odd chairs including spoon backs, Victorian parlour chairs, tub chairs and hall chairs.

The Salts say that they are ‘Living the dream’ and that work never feels like work when you love what you do. It is well known that Roger and his wife are always happy to help and advise visitors and clients answering any questions, whether about the stock they carry or just having a chat about antiques. As second generation antique dealers their

knowledge of antiques is extensive and they are experts in many fields.

Their latest consignment will be in before Christmas and they tell me they had a fabulous time collecting these latest containers, running into old friends and sharing many yarns.

SALT’S newest line Salt’s has just started importing a stylish range of cast iron garden furniture and architectural goods. Roger told me that he saw a need for someone to stock a range of quality garden features. He is now importing pieces that include impressive cast iron garden gazebos, lace work garden benches, heavy tables and chairs, fountains, Victorian style street lamps and half a dozen different types of large and ornate garden urns.

Being the direct importer means bypassing the middle man and passing on the savings to clients. With 30 tons of cast iron garden wares on hand you won’t be disappointed. Remember, spring is just around the corner so, if you’re wanting to recreate that French or English summer garden now is the perfect time to come and source those unique pieces at Salt’s.

OPENING hours Roger says that the store is open 9 am to 4 pm Wednesday through to Sunday, but advises if travelling from a long way to ring ahead first.

Roger believes that the forward planning will avoid disappointment in case the shop’s operating hours have been amended due to unforeseen circumstances. Both Roger and Natasha look forward to welcoming you soon.

For more information contact:

SALT’S at CROWS NEST 07 4698 1266 / 0438 469 812 rogersalt@bigpond.com

RO G E R S A LT A N T I Q U E F U R N I T U R E S P E C I A L I S T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I M P O R T E R OPEN Wed – Sun 9 am – 4 pm Please ring first

Phone 07 4698 1266 Mobile 0438 469 812 E rogersalt@bigpond.com

S TILL THE BIGGES T AND BES T ON THE DOWNS

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CROWS NEST THE ESTATE OF ROY SALT

SALTS ANTIQUES Crows Nest QLD GENUINE CLOSING DOWN SALE everything to be sold

50% OFF THE LOT grandfather clocks • wall clocks French clocks • bracket clocks barometers • kero lamps • lustres Doulton • Mary Gregory • dolls • polyphons music boxes • porcelain figures • furniture OPEN WED - SUN 0408 989 032 07 4698 2179 Valerie Salt

www.saltsantiques.com.au

tribute to a tireless trader

ROY FREDERICK SALT (1940-2011) of Salts Antiques W

hen Roy Salt was very young, it was predicted that travel would be a big part of his future; so later on when he took his family to England’s east coast, he thought that was it – little did he know that it meant Australia.

Roy was born in 1940 in Derbyshire, England, one of three children. His father owned a radio and TV shop but after falling ill, the family fell upon hard times. Roy helped out in the shop and was also called upon to rewire houses. Consequently he decided to become an electrician, leaving school at 15 to pursue this trade.

However having spent many an hour trawling second-hand shops – starting as a kid buying up old gramophones and the like for a few shillings – he realised his real passion lay in antiques, so at 21 he opened his first antique shop with his brother and then went on to open his own shop in Derbyshire’s Matlock area. This area held its appeal for over ten years in which time he married Val (in 1961), and together they opened several antique shops.

Roy then decided to move the family to the coastal town of Bridlington. He’d get up at 6 am to drive over two hours to Sheffield,

Derby to do his calls; filling his van then returning to sell the stock to Belgian and Australian shippers. This was so successful that he decided to emigrate to Australia so he could ship the containers from England himself.

In 1980, when he was 40 years old, he obtained Australian citizenship and brought out his family – Steven 16 years, Jane 14 and Roger 7. On arrival, he and Val bought a VW campervan and spent three months on the road in Queensland with the family before settling in the town of Crows Nest, Roy buying the old 4 Square grocery store and founding Salts Antiques.

Running antique stores in a number of country towns catered to Roy’s healthy wanderlust, and he took the family to Childers (for 2 years), Yandina (around 4 years with their Big Cow Antiques Centre) and to Esk where they bought the Staging Post Inn. Several years ago Val and Roy returned to Crows Nest and although Salts Antiques specialised in train models (a result of his youthful pastimes), glass and china, Roy’s passion was always for Victorian clocks: ‘A good investment and better than money in the bank,’ he believed. Although Roy always loved

talking about clocks, he also knew a lot about many other items. Having a wealth of knowledge not only made him interesting to talk to, but also a very good dealer and well respected in the trade. And catching up with his old mates at the Newark, Ardingly and Swinderby fairs was a highlight when he visited the UK each year. It was apparent that travel remained an unabating passion for Roy, for after his death Val discovered among his papers plans for yet another trip overseas.

Roy worked till the end and, although he had been ill for several years, his death was sudden, occurring on 24 June 2011 on his 71st birthday. Indeed when Val asked him the day before what he wanted to do for his birthday, he replied: ‘Open the shop, of course!’ Their daughter Jane came back to help run the shop with Val but now, after 50 years, Salts Antiques is closing. Thus a page turns in the annals of the Australian antiques business as Roy Salt and Salts Antiques are bid a fond farewell.

Valerie Salt SALTS ANTIQUES 0408 989 032/07 4698 2179 www.saltsantiques.com.au

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TOOWOOMBA

Timeless Antiques tribute to

Titanic bedstead artisans

During our restorations we often marvel at the skill of the original bed artisans, the strength and endurance of their raw material over time, and their completed bedstead design. When working with and restoring these old cast iron and brass bedsteads, we believe we are helping preserve them for future generations to enjoy. Today we use original bedstead and mail order catalogues to assist with our restorations ensuring the bedsteads maintain their original design.

BEDSTEAD recollection

Recovered brass bed frames. Images courtesy www.titanic100thanniv.com

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MS Titanic was designed to be the ultimate 1912 experience of luxury travel and was one of the most majestic ships of the time. Constructed by Hardland and Wolff, Titanic was built to impress the passengers travelling on the liner. Had Titanic survived until today, the vessel would be one of the greatest floating showcases of early 20th century artisan skills ever created.

One hundred years later, Titanic continues to fascinate people around the world. Timeless Antiques would like to pay tribute to those who created and built Titanic, sailed on the liner, and especially to those who lost their lives and lie buried on the ocean floor with Titanic. One century later, it is the ship of dreams to many people who have dedicated part of their lives trying to unravel the many secrets that went with the vessel to the ocean floor on the night of 15 April 1912. Titanic remained a ship of intrigue

with the exact location unknown for 73 years, until 1985 when Jean-Louise Michel and Dr Robert Ballard located the wreck using a remote operated vehicle at a depth of 2.4 miles and approx. 13 nautical miles from the last recorded position relayed by the Titanic’s Fourth Officer – Joseph Boxhall – together with the new distress Morse code signa – SOS. Wreck images, at last came to the surface and were viewed across the world. Amongst the Titanic debris on the ocean floor and scattered through the rusting hull are dozens on brass bedsteads. Many were found standing upright in their original staterooms, although the timber walls and timber furniture were destroyed by the sea.

How proud the original brass bedstead artisan would be to know that after all that happened on the night of the sinking and despite decades of darkness, their fine workmanship remains.

TIMELESS

Antiques

Mark & Lynne Bennett Specialists in Original Brass Bed Restorations

Phone: 07 4633 1195 Mobile: 0412 071 160 117-119 McDougall St Toowoomba QLD 4350 Email: timeantq@bigpond.net.au www.timelessantiques.com.au

Taking care of furniture for generations of tomorrow 56

When James Cameron, director/writer of the 1997 film Titanic, personally witnessed the wreck, clearly the brass beds left an impression on him, and in turn his recollection has impacted on us and we thank him for taking the time to write about something others may have left unsaid and would be unknown to us.

‘Moving forward into first-class staterooms on the port side, the wooden walls between the rooms, as above on the Boat Deck, have virtually deteriorated to nothing. However, many, if not all, brass beds are still standing in place, upright. The beds in the region of room A-30 are of a pattern seen in 1911 Shipbuilder (p. 95). The same design was found opposite on the starboard side. The small finial “urns” at the top of the bedposts are still brightly gilt as are the head and footboard bas-reliefs, which depict sacrificial ox skulls decorated with garlands. A plated gimbal lamp lies across the top of one headboard, fallen from where it had been hung the night of the sinking when the wood wall behind it crumbled away.

To the left of the lamp is an electrical outlet and switches, just as in the Shipbuilder photo, the lamp still plugged in. I was particularly struck by the number of brass beds we saw on the starboard side. The stateroom walls might be gone, but it was easy to tell we were entering another room when we passed two beds end to end. Brass bed after brass bed could be seen off into the darkness, their gilded details reflecting back the lights of our ROV. They almost invariably looked in perfect condition. The only damage I ever saw was a missing finial and one or two footboards canted one way or another, not perfectly vertical. On the starboard side, some cloth lies draped over one of the brass footboards. No colour is apparent; the fabric just looks black.

I recall seeing a similar cloth fragment in another stateroom, perhaps on D Deck. It seems that, once again, contact with the metal has protected it.

Without a doubt, the RMS Titanic reflected the skill of thousands of tradesmen and craftsmen (and women). Today, although there are no living survivors, Titanic’s story continues to be retold in books and movies and since the discovery of the ship many artefacts have been recovered, including brass bed ends. These are now cared for in the numerous Titanic museums around the world.

During our many years of association and restoration of antique brass beds we have often said to clients, one of the greatest attributes of a brass bed is that it is stable and solid, and ultimately will stand the test of time for later generations to enjoy. When reading James Cameron’s recollection and on viewing Titanic wreck photographs our statement was truly validated. Can you imagine personally seeing the brass bedsteads reflecting eerily back out of the interior darkness, standing fully upright in almost perfect condition, sharing their beauty again, despite their dark, wet and salty tomb? We certainly now have documented proof of our often used statement – brass bedsteads can stand the test of time for future generations.

Timeless Antiques salutes the Titanic’s master bedstead craftsmen and acknowledges the sources which enabled us to write our RMS Titanic tribute, remembering those 1517 souls who tragically died on that fateful voyage, may they all Rest in Peace.

Mark and Lynne Bennett TIMELESS ANTIQUES 07 4633 1195 / 0412 071 160 timeantq@bigpond.net.au www.timelessantiques.com.au

http://marconigraph.com/titanic/cameron/cameron3.html

The curator of the exhibition 1912: A Titanic Odyssey – A Centenary Exhibition at the Avery Historical Museum, Soho Foundry spent 30 years researching the Midlands connection to the Titanic. His research revealed that approximately 70 per cent of the ship interior was made in the Midlands including all the brass beds, which were manufactured by the Hoskins and Sewell of Bordesley.

At the turn of the century, Birmingham was a major industrial hub with many bedstead manufacturers based there, including Hoskins and Sewell, whose beds are documented to the Titanic. A publication of the time, The Shipbuilder in 1911, states that Hoskins and Sewell were known for their ‘Varnoid’ process, which resulted in giving brass work a lustre and finished that was unequalled by any other lacquer of the period. They also guaranteed this process to withstand the forces of sea air and sea water.

Our restoration process also includes the use a modern-day lacquer to retain the polish and finish of our work and we are impressed with the durability of the Varnoid process, whatever it might have been. As hard as we have tried, locating original records is an extremely difficult task. Many records were destroyed when companies closed and many others were destroyed during the bombings in World War II. No doubt there are records safely tucked away in archives, libraries and private collections and we hope someday these might come to light so we can learn more about our brass bedstead artisan forebears.

Titanic bedstead design. James Cameron noted, ’This is the pattern of brass bedstead we found in all A-deck staterooms explored.

The brass appears a dull tone today, not shiny, but looks to be completely free of corrosion.

The finials and decorative elements on the headboards and footboards are gilded and are as bright as ever.’

TOOWOOMBA

Paula Walden

Beth Mitchell, Mad Hatter, photograph, 100 x 50 cm

Damien Kamholtz, The Spit That Joins the Magic Together VI, 2012, mixed media on board, 45 x 45 cm

Toowoomba Grammar School’s

autumn weekend art show 23 – 24 March

T

oowoomba’s tree-lined streets, historical buildings, and magnificent parks and gardens provide the perfect setting for one of Australia’s best art shows – the Toowoomba Grammar School Art Show. With 600 paintings from 200 selected artists from around Australia, the exhibition features novice and emerging talent to high-end investment art.

Over 40 new artists with an exciting range of genres will exhibit in 2013. Prices start as low as $40, up to six-figure masterpieces.

The Toowoomba Grammar School Art Show provides a great opportunity for both buyers and artists. Artists have their work viewed by a large audience – over 2500 people attended the 2012 art show – and buyers always find a great range of quality art, all in the one location. The art show generates sales of over $120,000 each year.

Whilst a lot of art is bought on-line these days, it does not compare to seeing the actual art with all its detail and fine nuances. ‘The Toowoomba Grammar School Art Show provides an opportunity for everyone to have an enjoyable time,’ says Peter Hauser, Headmaster of Toowoomba Grammar School.

‘Both those who love art and students of art have the opportunity to see a wide range of original artworks.’

FEATURED artists Established artists for the 2013 art show include David Boyd, Pro Hart, Robert Dickerson, Hugh Sawrey, Ray Crooke, Norman Lindsay, Tim Storrier, Geoffrey Proud, d’Arcy Doyle, Denise Daffara, Antje Collis, Kate Smith, Christian Morrow, Judith Da Lozzo, Linda Keough, Luisa Rossitto, Lena Pwerle, Liddy Napanangka Walker, Di Elsden, John Gould (circa 1840s) Megan

Payne, Ross Tamlin, John Cottrell, Emma Sheldrake, Starr, Vivienne Heckels, Mealie, Graham Borough, Jacqueline Hill, Brendon Mogg, Amanda Krantz, Harriet Posner and Damien Kamholtz.

The art show’s feature artist for 2013 is Damien Kamholtz. Born in Gove in the Northern Territory, Damien was inspired by his travels around our ancient land; his art is a subtle and suggestive combination of nature’s organised and abstract shapes entwined in universal and personal symbolism. As well as having won numerous awards, Damien has been a finalist in the Sulman Art Prize. His pieces range in price from $250 to $15,000.

exhibited for the past two years, selling all of her 12 vases each year. Similarly, another highly-sought after artist, Kaye Marsh, with her iconic ‘clothes line’ series of paintings sold all of her exhibition items in the last two art shows.

Leading jewellery designer Paula Walden attended the 2012 art show and recommends it to anyone looking for a pleasurable weekend.

‘Both my partner and I have very hectic lives, and it was wonderful to have such a relaxing and indulgent weekend in Toowoomba,’ comments Ms Walden. ‘The food, the art, the coffee, the wine and the views were fantastic.’

Opening Night Toowoomba Grammar School Art Show 2012

TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR SCHOOL 07 4687 2500 tgs@twgs.qld.edu.au http://artshow.twgs.qld.edu.au

EXHIBITORS – young fresh talent It is pleasing to note the important contribution of young artists exhibiting in the 2013 Toowoomba Grammar School Show such as up-and-coming photographer, Beth Mitchell. Beth creates whimsical underwater masterpieces using professional models in designer dresses jumping into a pool containing a carefully designed set strung from floats. In her first gallery exhibition she sold over 35 pieces ranging from $300 to $1300 and she has recently been invited to exhibit in a New York gallery.

In addition to Beth, six other gifted teenagers will be exhibiting in 2013. Since the art show started specifically seeking ‘talented teenage artists’ two years ago, several of them have progressed well in the art world.

DIVERSE mediums However for many, the most inspirational exhibitor is 83-year-old Molly Taylor with her exquisite glass vases. Her complex style involves intricate hand-painting in reverse order on the inside of the vases. Molly has

Kaye Marsh, Washing Day Monday 15th May 1960, watercolour and collage, 100 x 50 cm

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TOOWOOMBA

Lancaster’s Toowoomba Antique Centre 16 years old and going strong L

ancaster’s Toowoomba Antique Centre is now celebrating its 16th anniversary. Located in Queensland’s garden city, nestled on the Great Dividing Range, Toowoomba is one of Australia’s leading centres for antiques and is home to more than a dozen antique shops.

Lancaster’s Antique Centre is a must see when visiting the Darling Downs. After 15 years of trading from their Railway Street address, Lancaster’s has never been more progressive.

The Christison family have owned and operated the antique centre since June 2002 when Jan and Barrie purchased the business from Graham and Gary Lancaster, the original owners who traded for the first five years.

Since then, Jan and Barrie’s daughter, Sharon, and her team have successfully managed and orchestrated the workings of this bustling centre.

Located opposite the historic Toowoomba Railway Station, it is easily reached from Brisbane or the Gold Coast, both less than an hour and a half away. Lancaster’s has certainly come of age and is regarded as one of the leading Australian antique centres with 14 dealers displaying their wares; a showcase for the best of what southeast Queensland has to offer.

Toowoomba, the gateway to the golden west, has always boasted a relatively large and wealthy population. This is reflected in the quality antiques and

collectables this city continually yields.

Whether you are looking for Australian furniture, cedar, pine or silky oak, or even that one-off piece in English oak or mahogany – Lancaster’s always has an excellent range to choose from. But the real ‘jewel in the crown’ of this centre is the myriad of showcases and cabinets housing thousands of small antiques and collectables. There is fine china, quality glassware, jewellery, sewing paraphernalia, blokey stuff, metal ware, coins, medals, militaria, books, ephemera, toys, dolls, teddies, pottery, the list goes on.

Whether you are an established collector, a beginner or just a browser, you are sure to enjoy the enormous range. There is a definite

leaning to Australian and locally found pieces, a trend that has emerged and replaced the shiploads of antiques imported in the 1980s and 1990s.

Lancaster’s is always buying and paying top prices for antiques and collectables. Whether you are a local or a visitor to Toowoomba, appraisals and valuations are most welcome.

Lancaster’s is open seven days a week, 10 am to 5 pm. Come and enjoy the huge range and fantastic display.

LANCASTER’S TOOWOOMBA ANTIQUE CENTRE 07 4632 1830

Lancaster’s

TO OWO O M B A

ANTIQUE

CENTRE

Australiana, Books, Collectables, Dolls, Ephemera, Furniture, Glassware, Hatpins, Inkwells, Jewellery, Kitchenalia, Linen, Metalware, Noritake, Oriental, Pears prints, Qld pottery, Royalty ware, Shelley, Toys, Unique pieces, Venetian glass, Wembley Ware, Xylonite,Yo-yos and Zithers

L

With 14 specialist dealers under one roof, we carry a full range, from A–Z, of antique and collectables, with fresh stock arriving daily.

Drop in for a browse, or chat with our friendly staff.

OPEN 7 DAYS 10 am - 5 pm

3 Railway St,Toowoomba Queensland 4350 Phone: 07 4632 1830 Mob: 0403 372 054

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TOOWOOMBA

Graham Lancaster Auctions

We are now accepting Quality Collections & Single Items for our Forthcoming Sales

3 Railway Street TOOWOOMBA QLD 4350

Ph: 0418 730 904 Colour Catalogues are Available @ $15.00 Each

Fax: 07 4613 1111 Email: info@gdlauctions.com View Catalogue & Photos One Month Prior to Each Sale:

Make Cheque/Money Order payable to G. Lancaster

www.gdlauctions.com.au

FORTHCOMING AUCTIONS “THE BLOKEY AUCTION” Sat 2nd & Sun 3rd Feb 2013 (Toowoomba Swap Weekend) • Garagenalia, Enamel Signs, Petrol Pumps, Oil Bottles & Racks, Tins, Pedal Cars, Quality Tin Toys and more

“ANTIQUE BOTTLE AUCTION” Sat 16th Feb, 2013 (Toowoomba Bottle Show Weekend) Quality Ginger Beers, Black Glass, Pot Lids, Codds, Cordials, Household, Convict Spruce Bottles and more

“AUSTRALIANA & POTTERY AUCTION” Sun 28th April 2013 Australian Colonial Pottery, Decorative Arts, Studio and Artware Pottery, Australian Glass and more

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IPSWICH

Looking forward, looking back … to the future as now is another good time to invest

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lmost two decades ago, Heather Mildwaters gave a speech on collectables at a seminar. Having been recently rediscovered, it is still quite topical, and she shares an extract with you, adding a few updating insights (in coloured text).

Delivered in 1993, the speech was entitled ‘Why Collectable?’

The Macquarie Dictionary defines a collectable as ‘an object of great antiquarian value, as a rare coin often collected as an investment, or alternatively, an object of no intrinsic value, as a matchbox or beer can collected as a hobby or as a memento.’

Now what makes an item collectable? It does not necessarily have to be in the higher price ranges though obviously many rarer pieces are. An interesting old tin may make a social statement and be priced at a mere $5.

Even young beginning collectors can find this sort of money to start a collection and a worthwhile interest in our past.

There are so many facets to collecting that one has virtually unlimited scope. One person’s treasure is another’s trash. In many ways, this is probably fortunate, as demand would greatly exceed supply if we were all trying to collect the same things. Likewise, none of this gear would be worth anything if our ancestors hadn’t thrown it down the well, dumped it, put it under the concrete, etc.

How does a new collector arrive at what to collect? There are various factors to take into account. The over-riding one must be that you, personally, like it. That you can bear to look at it; it brings pleasure to you. Alternatively, you have a use for it or it fulfils a need in your life. There is absolutely no point to collecting

G.P.O. E N A B S I R S FROM B E T U N I M ONLY 30

Antiques, Collectables and Café Dealer enquiries welcome for space and showcases Open 10.00 am to 5.00 pm Thursday to Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday)

Ph: 07 3281 2330 • Fax: 07 3281 2331 86 East Street (cnr Roderick Street) FREE ON-SITE CAR PARK Ipswich Central 4305 www.ipswichantiquecentre.com.au • info@ipswichantiquecentre.com.au

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anything just because some other person has suggested that it will rise rapidly in price and be a good investment in the future if you simply can’t bear to look at it!

Of course collectables are not necessarily always antiques. That fountain of information, the Macquarie Dictionary defines an antique as ‘belonging to former times as contrasted with modern, dating from an earlier period, an object of art or a furniture piece of a former period.’

It is generally accepted that to be a true antique, an item must be at least 100 years of age. To this I would add – the item must also be worthy of preservation.

Fashion greatly affects the ‘collectability’ of many items, particularly in the lower price ranges. When one sees a price tag of $650 on an all-over-floral (chintz) teapot from the 1950s, it is reasonable to ask if it could logically be worth this amount of money. And next year, will it be priced higher, or no longer desirable?

Remember, this article was written in 1993 and reproduction chintz appeared six or seven years later, largely destroying the value of original pieces.

At least if a person buys old handmade gold jewellery (as opposed to modern cast reproductions) there is always the intrinsic value of the item, not to mention the scrap value of the gold and precious stones.

Again, look at the price of gold in 2012 and the proliferation of places buying scrap gold and the people (including dealers) who are melting down the family silver!

The items which people collect are many and varied as are their personalities. There are obvious choices such as Shelley, Royal Doulton and Royal Worcester porcelain pieces. Then there are the hand-built Australian pottery pieces such as made by the predominately female group known as the Harvey School in Queensland from the 1920s to the 1940s.

Some of the more unusual items which I have seen people collect are flying duck wall ornaments – no 1950s lounge room would be without a set! And black lady statue lamps are also a 50s attraction.

Just look at the desirability of both of these items in 2012 – certainly not now unusual items to collect.

Old surgical instruments have an attraction to certain people, and perhaps I‘m hiding my head in the sand, but I have absolutely no desire to know to what purposes some were put!

The heady days of the late 1980s saw amazing prices paid for some Australiana, and the sad thing was that not all the purchasers realised the value of the original unrestored condition to an item. An Australian colonial cedar piece of furniture in original condition will sell to someone such as myself for more than it would command after it has been

stripped and polished. Some of the investors who came into the market around the time of the Bicentenary (1988) found, to their sorrow, that prices had been pushed by certain people to unrealistic levels. In the shake-out which followed, forced sales at auction returned but a fraction of the original purchase price in many instances.

At least we are now mainly seeing prices at realistic levels, and in fact they must rise substantially when the economy starts to improve. So my advice to you would be – if you can afford it, it is in good condition, offered by a reputable dealer who will guarantee the description, you have a use for it, and above all else you really love it – buy it now. Don’t have regrets in two years’ time when it isn’t available anymore!

Remember this was 1993 and similar circumstances apply right now. Prices are very low at the moment so now is the time to buy!

Heather Mildwaters Director IPSWICH ANTIQUE CENTRE 07 3281 2330 info@ipswichantiquecentre.com.au www.facebook.com/IpswichAntiqueCentre http://ipswichantiquecentre.com.au

IPSWICH

STEAMPUNK

at the Ipswich Art Gallery

S

mart phones are commonplace today but what if they had been invented at an earlier point in history? What could they have looked like if the man credited with inventing the telephone in 1876, Alexander Graham Bell, knew then what we know now?

PLANNED for March 2013 An imagined 19th century smart phone is one of the artworks that will feature in a new exhibition opening next February at the Ipswich Art Gallery called The Antipodean Steampunk Show. The exhibition offers a view of modernday existence through the artistic filter of the Victorian inspired Steampunk movement.

Kirsten Fitzpatrick curated the exhibition for Queensland’s peak craft and design organisation Artisan and said her aim was to select the best works possible across a range of media including fantastical electronic devices, sculpture, photography, fashion, lighting, weaponry, footwear, illustration, jewellery and film.

‘Initially I was interested in Steampunk as it is part of a major craft revival that is currently underway which has emerged from a strong desire for authenticity in the face of masscommodification and created a surge of interest in DIY crafting, sewing, pattern-making, leatherworking, metal and woodworking, blacksmithing and many other skills.

A 21st century subculture ‘The needlessly elaborate and “inconvenient” nature of some of these pieces really appeals to me too as they are connected to the new “slow-tech” movement which proposes a more mindful relationship between consumers and their technological devices.’

Ms Fitzpatrick said the Steampunk movement had been previously dismissed as ‘a passing sub-culture fad for cogs and corsets,’ but its style influences had now spread from interior design to mainstream fashion as well as the virtual domain through video games and music.

‘It is the substance of the movement, the desire for sustainable production and a slower

Russell Anderson, Tea bag jiggler 5, 1993-94, found objects, clock parts and steel, 23 x 13 x 13cm

lifestyle, which is seeing it continue to gain popularity. Its nostalgia for the past is about concern for the future and, as such, Steampunk is part of a much wider movement of artists and designers seeking to change everything about the way we create and consume,’ she said.

Ms Fitzpatrick hoped the exhibition would offer an introduction to the Steampunk movement and also raise awareness of sustainability in an entertaining way.

‘I think Steampunk will be one of the subculture movements, like Punk, that enter the mainstream and maintain a presence.’

The exhibition The Antipodean Steampunk Show will open at Ipswich Art Gallery on Saturday, 9 February and run until Sunday, 14 April 2013.

The Antipodean Steampunk Show is an Artisan travelling exhibition supported by the Contemporary Touring Initiative as well as Federal, State and Territory government programs including Visions of Australia and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy.

ABOUT Ipswich Art Gallery Located in the restored old town hall in the heart of Ipswich Central, the Gallery presents a program of changing exhibitions and heritage displays, special events, family activities, complementary performances and art workshops. It is one of the most-visited regional art galleries in Australia.

Ipswich Art Gallery is located on Nicholas Street between Limestone and Brisbane Streets in the Ipswich CBD. It is open daily (closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day and Good Friday) between 10 am and 5 pm and entry is free.

Ipswich Art Gallery 07 3810 7222 info@ipswichartgallery.qld.gov.au www.ipswichartgallery.qld.gov.au/

Caleb Heinselman, Mercuryphone, 2012, MP3/iPhone/iPod listening device from found objects, 53.5 x 40 x 68.5 cm

Richard Clarkson, Rotary mechanical smartphone (2012) 3D printed resin electroplated with palladium, copper, nickel and antiquated brass 9.5 x 5.5 x 2.5cm

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Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Emile Bernard, 1885-86, oil on canvas, 54 x 44.5 cm. Tate, London, bequeathed by Arthur Jeffress 1961 © Tate London 2011

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Woman with a tub – the tub (Femme au tub – le tub), 1896, from Elles, colour lithograph, 40.4 x 52.8 cm. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 1977

TOULOUSE-LAUTREC: PARIS AND THE MOULIN ROUGE

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Portrait of Dr Henri Bourges, 1891, oil on cardboard mounted on panel, 79 x 50 cm. Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, acquired through the generosity of the Sarah Mellon Scaife Family. Photograph © 2012 Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

only at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra this summer

H

enri de Toulouse-Lautrec was once described by a contemporary critic as ‘the quintessential chronicler of Paris, as it is understood by those who come here seeking bright lights and wild pleasures.’

During his short but brilliant career, he created vibrant and lively images of his adopted city and its inhabitants. Favourite themes included the dance halls, the theatres and the caféconcerts that crowded France’s capital during the latter half of the 19th century, and of the performers who made them famous.

The National Gallery of Australia’s major summer exhibition Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the Moulin Rouge will introduce Australian audiences to the artist whose work has come to define fin-de-siècle Paris.

Despite this amazing artist’s international popularity, the Australian public has not previously had an opportunity to see a full retrospective devoted to his art in all media.

The National Gallery’s exhibition promises a thorough and provocative examination of the artist’s work, including his forays into Impressionism, through more than 100 paintings, drawings, prints and an extensive collection of his famous posters, borrowed from 30 public and private collections worldwide. A particular focus is on his observations of Parisian life, with special emphasis on the cabaret culture around the Parisian arrondissement Montmartre – its dancers, singers and other performers, the drinkers at the bars, and other scenes of the fashionable world.

A LIFE SHORTENED BY ILL HEALTH Born into a wealthy aristocratic family from southern France in 1864, Toulouse-Lautrec’s parents were first cousins which may have contributed to the series of congenital health conditions that plagued him throughout his short life. During his childhood he suffered severe breaks to both his legs that never fully healed. As a result his legs remained those of a child’s while his torso developed into that of an adult. He grew to be only 5 foot 1 inch (154 cm) tall and became extremely selfconscious about his appearance.

His poor health and physical impediments meant he was unable to participate in the typical hunting, shooting and fishing activities of male family members which caused an early estrangement from his father that continued until his own premature death in 1901.

Instead he turned to painting and drawing, working under local teachers. His work from this period captures family members and

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views of their various estates. His youthful love of horses is evident in The jockeys [Les jockeys], 1882, on loan from the collection of Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza.

LOVE OF PORTRAITURE This exhibition also sheds new light on Toulouse-Lautrec’s often-neglected portraits, demonstrating his artistic development.

Following his move to Paris in the late 1880s, he was intrinsically drawn to the bohemian life of Montmartre where artists, writers and philosophers mingled in local bars exchanging ideas and seeking inspiration.

During his time as a student in Paris, first studying under Léon Bonnat and later Fernand Cormon, he met many important artists from what became known as the Post-Impressionist group. These included Vincent van Gogh and Emile Bernard, whose 1885-86 portrait borrowed from London’s Tate collection demonstrates Toulouse-Lautrec’s enduring love of portraiture.

Throughout his career he painted portraits of friends and family. During the late 1880s and early 1890s he created a series of full length portraits of his male friends and family members, shown as well-to-do men-abouttown or flâneurs. These men – in top hats, formal overcoats and often carrying canes – are shown lounging in the artist’s studio amongst canvases propped against the walls.

Portrait of Dr Henri Bourges, 1891, his housemate at the time, shows the subject pulling on his gloves as if impatiently waiting to head out on the town with the artist.

A SPECIAL KIND OF MODEL Toulouse-Lautrec frequently became obsessed with particular models, often redheads. The subject of the jewel-like painting Carmen Gaudin, 1884-85 from the National Gallery of Art, Washington is one such example. He painted her more than 14 times, sometimes as herself and on other occasions in the character of a laundress. This almost obsessive treatment was given to other models who took his – sometimes fleeting – fancy. While Carmen went on to model for other artists, when she later asked if he had more work for her, she was summarily dismissed – she had committed the grave sin of dyeing her hair black!

To say that he had a ‘type’ would be a gross understatement. Another redhead with whom the artist had an enduring relationship was the dancer Jane Avril. She appeared not only in paintings but also in many of his most famous posters. He designed those bold graphic works

to advertise her performances at various Paris nightspots. Unlike the many associates who increasingly kept their distance as alcohol and venereal disease began to take their toll on his art and mind, Jane remained loyal to the end.

This exhibition contains three posters featuring Jane Avril, including the artist’s final poster from 1899.

PARIS’ UNDERBELLY The exhibition juxtaposes the gay, heady world of Parisian nightlife with the city’s harsher underbelly. Toulouse-Lautrec devoted a considerable part of his oeuvre to works that explored the lives of the prostitutes who lived in the brothels catering both to the wealthy and to the poor areas of the capital. Known as closed houses (maisons closes) or houses of tolerance (maisons de tolérance) because of their legally ‘tolerated’ place within society, the artist turned to these establishments and their inhabitants for inspiration in his drive to depict Paris, warts and all.

To this subject, he dedicated both paintings and a suite of prints entitled Elles, 1896. Interestingly, only rarely did any of these works include men, the customers of such establishments. Instead he focused on the day-to-day lives and interactions of the women themselves – sleeping, sitting and waiting for clients as well as at their toilette.

Although not the first artist to use prostitutes as models, he succeeded in capturing a tenderness in his images of these women that had previously been lacking in such depictions, observing: ‘A professional model is like a stuffed owl. These girls are alive.’

This exhibition encompasses work from the formative years of Toulouse-Lautrec and his extraordinary diverse depictions of the Paris social scene, the café-concert, contemporary theatre, dance hall and the brothels. The artist’s subject matter became the epitome of modernity, and through his painting and graphic work he became an influential figure in the evolution of art throughout the 20th century.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Jane Avril, 1893, colour lithograph, 128.2 x 93.6 cm. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, gift of Orde Poynton Esq. CMG 1996

Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris & the Moulin Rouge will be on display in Canberra only, from 14 December 2012 to 2 April 2013.

Tickets are available at ticketek.com.au Simeran Maxwell Exhibition Assistant for ToulouseLautrec: Paris & the Moulin Rouge NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA 02 6240 6411 www.nga.gov.au

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, The jockeys (Les jockeys), 1882, oil on canvas, 64.5 x 45 cm. Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection on loan to the Museo ThyssenBornemisza, Madrid

CANBERRA

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Fig. 1. Weather beaten arm before treatment

Fig. 2. Restored with Restor-A-Finish

Fig. 3. Close up before treatment

Fig. 4. After Restor-A-Finish & wax

Fig. 5. A 1970s update of the original design

LIFE’S JOURNEY TRACED THROUGH A RESCUED CHAIR BESPOKE furniture in Liverpool

C

olin Hanton, the original drummer in John Lennon’s Quarrymen 1956-59 recalls the career choice that determined the course of his life.

‘When I left school I decided I wanted to be a carpenter and the careers master sent me off to a furniture company called Guy Rogers in Speke where, after a time, I became an apprentice upholsterer. I continued working for Guy Rogers until the company closed down in 1979 when I started up my own upholstery business which I still run. I still live in Liverpool near Penny Lane and it amuses me when I see the Magical Mystery Tour Bus go by and I wonder what they would think if they knew they have just passed the house of one of John Lennon’s original Quarrymen!’

Liverpool in the early sixties wasn’t just all about The Beatles. In the village of Speke in Liverpool a furniture design and manufacturing business called Guy Rogers was at the forefront of a revolution in chair design which would soon sweep across most of the developed world. Guy Rogers’ original minimalist chair frame was made of teak and was madly modern having long shaped arms which supported a wire sprung seat and backrest combination. These chairs were padded with high density latex and covered in quality Harris Tweed fabric or black Cirrus, a faux leather product which at the time was extremely innovative and expensive.

For Impressive Results Use Impressive Products

This chair could be set in a number of positions for personal comfort. Guy Rogers marketed his various furniture designs to reflect stylish American destinations such as Manhattan, Beverley Hills and Maryland.

David Foster Director HOWARD PRODUCTS (AUST) 1800 672 646 advice@howardproducts.com.au

A FORTUNATE meeting At a recent Working With Wood show in Melbourne I met a man who worked in the Guy Rogers factory from 1966 to ’67. He was passing my stand, noticed the chair I was working on, told me that he thought it was a Guy Rogers model and that as a boy he used to work in the factory where it was made. For some reason he only wanted to be known as John, but nevertheless he was generous in sharing his knowledge about Guy Rogers, the man, as there seems to be very little known. He told me that no-one seemed to know anything about him personally, but everyone thought that he must have been either an eccentric or a complete perfectionist because the foremen on the factory floor were under strict orders to check every finished item thoroughly prior to dispatch, and anything with so much as a slight scratch would be removed from the floor immediately.

Once a month these items would be incinerated; they were never repaired and were never allowed to be sold to staff at a second’s price. He said that a huge section of the premises was a wood storage area and the finest imported teak and rosewood, which had been personally selected by Guy Rogers, were kept there.

Well, that battered old Guy Rogers chair I was working on was salvaged from beside the road somewhere, and I used it to demo on at that fair.

I took all the marks and build-up off it with Restor-A-Finish and after a coat of Feed- N-wax the wood looked great, as shown in the photos.

Fig. 6. Before Feed-N-Wax

CHAIR designs in the 1960s

When the best is really necessary

HOWARD PRODUCTS AUSTRALIA

1800 672 646 Visit the website to shop online or to find a stockist near you

www.howardproducts.com.au 64

At the beginning of the 1960s there were a few contemporary designers working with this style of furniture. Danish furniture maker Neils Koefolds and French designer/manufacturer Lucien Ercol were two of the better known. John told me that when he was at Rogers one chair retailed for 23 pounds; more than the average weekly wage at the time. Rogers furniture occasionally comes into the auction market and one early chair can sell for around $800. On this page is a photo of a mid 70's version which doesn't bring anything like that amount.

Fig. 7. After Feed-N-Wax

BRINGING pieces back to life Battered Scandinavian teak furniture can be restored easily and beautifully with Howard Restor-A-Finish, followed by a coat of Howard Feed-N-Wax. I know; I’ve used it myself many times on just such furniture.

Fig. 8. Frame of 1960s original chair

NEW SOUTH WALES

A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS F

or thousands of years people around the world have participated in midwinter festivals. With the arrival of Christianity, pagan festivals became mixed with Christmas celebrations. Signs of these pagan days are the custom of decorating houses and churches with evergreen plants like mistletoe, holly and ivy which was a guard against evil spirits as well as a welcome to the return of spring.

Before Victoria’s reign started in 1837, there was no Santa Claus or Christmas crackers, no Christmas cards or holidays from work. However the wealth and technologies generated by the industrial revolution of the Victorian era would change this. The face of Christmas would start to reflect middle class ideals and values which would spread to all classes of society.

The wealth generated by the new factories and industries of the Victorian age allowed middle class families in England and Wales to take time off work and celebrate over two days, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Boxing Day, December 26th, earned its name as the day servants and working people opened the boxes in which they had collected gifts of money from the ‘rich’. The railways allowed country people who had moved into the towns and cities in search of work to return home for a family Christmas. So everyone could participate in the festivities.

The Victorians revived the celebrations and customs of Christmas with family and friends.

Old traditions, such as caroling, were reintroduced and new ones such as sending Christmas cards were invented. Church-going, gift-giving, and charity to the poor were promoted as essential parts of the holiday. The folk figures of Father Christmas and Santa Claus were translated into symbols of holiday generosity, and Germany’s traditional Christmas tree or Christbaum became an essential decorative component.

The Victorians made Christmas a family celebration, with its primary focus on children. A Victorian Christmas entailed the exchange of gifts between parents and children; attendance together at Church services; a generous family dinner; and visits with friends, relatives, and other families.

GIFT giving At the start of Victoria’s reign, children’s toys tended to be handmade and expensive, generally restricting availability to the rich.

With factories came mass production, which brought with it affordable games, dolls, books and clockwork toys. The disparity in society meant these were limited to the affluent middle class. In a ‘poor child’s’ Christmas stocking, which first became popular from around 1870, there would be perhaps be an apple, orange and a few nuts.

The classic tale of the importance of the gift

of giving was promoted by Charles Dickens.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a children’s book, first published by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843. The story tells of miser Ebenezer Scrooge’s ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.

CLAUS, Crackers & Cards Father Christmas was originally part of an old English midwinter festival, usually dressed in green, a sign of the returning spring. The stories of St Nicholas (Sinter Klaas in Holland) came via Dutch settlers to America in the 17th century. From the 1870s Sinter Klass became known in Britain as Santa Claus, and with him came his unique gifts and toys, reindeers and sleigh.

The first illustration of a Christmas cracker appeared in The Illustrated London News in 1847, but there is some argument as to who invented them. Two London sweet makers, Tom Smith, and James Hovell, both claim to have invented the cracker.

In 1840s Paris, sweets called bon-bons were wrapped in twists of brightly colored paper.

Tom Smith (or James Hovell) brought back the idea and added a little slip of paper with a message on it, called kiss mottoes. Later, other attractions were added, such as little paper hats, tokens and small toys, plus the ‘crack’. It is said that Tom (or James) was sitting in front of his Christmas fire where the yule logs were crackling, which gave him the idea of putting a cracker strip inside his bon-bons. The crackers were also made to look like tiny yule logs, as they still do today.

The custom of sending printed cards was started in England by Henry Cole who did not have time to write letters to each of his relatives. He asked artist John Calcott Horsley to design a card for him. About 1,000 of these cards were printed, and those not used by Sir Henry were sold by the printer for one shilling. With the introduction of the penny post in 1840, it became cheaper to send mail, and as a result of colour printing and the invention of printing machines, cards could be printed faster and cheaper.

The first company to print and sell Christmas cards on a large scale was Charles Goodall & Sons of London in 1862. The first charity card was produced in 1949 by UNICEF.

ELABORATE decorations What made the Victorian Christmas tree so special was its elaborate decorations.

Decorations included gingerbread men, marzipan candies, hard candies, cookies, fruit, cotton-batting Santas, paper fans, tin soldiers, whistles, wind-up toys, and trinkets of all kinds.

Paper cornucopias filled with nuts, candies, and other treats were the Victorian favorite.

Children often helped make tree decorations. They would string garlands of popcorn or cranberries, or make chains of paper flowers. Some families set up Nativity or outdoor scenes under the tree, using moss for grass and mirrors for ponds.

Later in the century, imported ornaments from Germany began to replace the homemade ones. First came glass icicles and hand-blown glass globes called kugels.

Dresdens, which were embossed silver and gold cardboard ornaments, took exotic shapes – moons, butterflies, fish, birds, ships, and even automobiles.

A Victorian family’s most prized ornament was the Nuremberg angel atop the tree. It had wings of spun glass, a crinkled gold skirt, and a wax or bisque face. Angles or cherubs represented the Victorian ideal of childlike or womanly innocence.

SYDNEY’S Victorian hotel for literature A Victorian hotel at the crossroads of Paddington and Woollahra, The Hughenden is located across the road from Centennial Parklands. Dogs are invited into the Victoriana Parklands with its run-free dog areas and celebration of Charles Dickens. One of the two statues of Charles Dickens stands in Dickens Drive in the Parklands.

The Hughenden is home to the Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and children’s literature. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol sits alongside collections of Australian children’s books and illustrations, including the recently published Queen Victoria’s Christmas. By award-winning duo Jackie French and illustrator Bruce Whateley and published by HarperCollins, this joyous picture book celebrates Queen Victoria and her love of dogs and Christmas.

Susanne Gervay www.sgervay.com THE HUGHENDEN Free Call: 1800 642 432 reservations@thehughenden.com.au www.thehughenden.com.au

QUEEN Victoria’s canines Queen Victoria loved dogs, raising more than 15 different breeds. She commissioned many portraits of her favourite hunting dogs.

This enthusiasm spread to the general population and translated into dogs becoming popular subjects in artworks and ceramics, among the most famous being the dogs produced by the Staffordshire Potteries.

Further reading www.historic-uk.com; www.tumblr.com; www.biblicalquality.com; www.thecavalierclub.co.uk

THE TREE: an old German custom The tradition of a Christmas tree in the parlour came to England by way of Queen Victoria’s great-great-grandfather King George I. Victoria had a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle and in 1848, an etching of Victoria, Albert, and their children gathered around their decorated tree was published in The Illustrated London News.

Christmas trees became the central feature of the Victorian family Christmas. German settlers brought the custom to Australia and America.

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The Hughenden c. 1870, associated with Australia’s first philosopher Barzillai Quaife, is home to literature & the arts. Discover the works of Archibald artist Wendy Sharpe; 1930s Laurent works; c. 1850 painting of the Victorian girl, artist unknown. Jazz & musical evenings, art exhibitions and books are part of Hughenden life. *Not valid Friday and Saturday nights. Valid until 30 November 2011

HUGHENDEN BOUTIQUE HOTEL 14 Queen Street, Woollahra, Sydney

www.thehughenden.com.au 02 9363 4863

Free Call 1800 642 432 65

NEW SOUTH WALES

Aquitaine Brasserie project

ART GILDING

Karl Eggert

Master Gilding class 2012

and the Midas touch promise ‘It is our passion to pass on our considerable skills to anyone who wishes to learn this age old craft of gilding.’

AN ACADEMY like no other There is no other place in the world that will teach you every aspect of gilding in a nineday master gilding class. During these nine days you will learn more than you could in a three-year apprenticeship. Under the tutelage of master gilder Karl Eggert, students have the benefit of 50 years of gilding experience.

The Art Gilding Academy is not only a unique teaching establishment, but also runs a gilding studio and regularly takes on outside commissions (architectural gilding). Karl’s reputation for impeccable craftsmanship has resulted in commissions for hundreds of significant projects in Australia, Europe and

Asia including Sydney Town Hall, the Stamford Hotel Singapore and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

HANDS-ON experience In September we had a commission for the Aquitaine Brasserie in Southbank, Brisbane.

We invited Master Class student Prashanth, from Brisbane, to assist us with copper leafing a five-metre high fireplace as well as the front of the 8.5 metre bar and another four panels in the wine bar.

‘It was a wonderful opportunity to get some hands-on experience and a lot of fun working with Karl and Brigitte. It was truly a win-win situation,’ enthused Prashanth.

Golden Opportunity Learn gilding the easy way No prior knowledge nessary

MASTER GILDING CLASS Professional course over 9 days straight GOLDEN WEEKEND Sat & Sun 10 am – 4 pm

Only 6 places per class For friendly advice and to check availability Call Brigitte on 02 9310 3007

Art Gilding Academy 99-101 Buckingham St Surry Hills NSW 2010 (5 minute walk to Central Station)

Watch the gilding video on our website

www.artgilding.com.au 66

SUPPORTING our students Brigitte and Karl are committed to giving every student support, helping them to maximise their potential and to reach their goals. Hence contact with students does not end with the completion of the course and over the years many of their students have become good friends. Brigitte recalls how the Art Gilding Academy began in a garage, without support.

It was also at that time, in 1976 that she started to learn the trade, and was expecting her first child. Her reminiscences have in turn inspired Prashanth’s young wife, who is also now pregnant, to pursue the skill.

This also demonstrates how Brigitte and Karl believe in supporting the next generation and inspiring the carrying on of the gilding tradition. ‘We’ve found that good support is the key to success for many of our students so we’re passionate about making sure they get the most out of our courses,’ says Brigitte.

MASTER GILDING CLASS BUILD YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND WORK FROM HOME The Professional Master Gilding class is fully hands on and runs over a nine day period.

Starting Saturday and finishing on the following Sunday, from 10am to 4pm daily.

During these nine days, students learn more than they could in a three-year apprenticeship.

We provide a relaxed and fun atmosphere and attendees are always like-minded people. After the end of a day’s class there is plenty of time in the evenings to enjoy what beautiful Sydney has to offer with restaurants and entertainment to suit every budget.

For your benefit, classes enrol no more than six students, guaranteeing personal attention.

Completing the Master Gilding training course allows students to add skills to their chosen profession and offers the freedom to build up a business and work from home.

On completion of the professional Master Gilding Class, students receive a certificate.

GOLDFINGER CLUB We cannot teach you ‘experience’, but being a member in our Goldfinger Club will give you the support to tackle every project with confidence. We have a policy of full commitment to assist members of the club to build their ‘very own golden dream.’

For those who’ve completed one of our gilding courses, this free ongoing advice for any project is supported through phone and email. In addition generous discounts of 10-20% are available on all materials and supplies.

Brigitte with the weekend class project

WEEKEND Classes Sydney: Sat/Sun 10 am – 4 pm GENERATING MORE PROFITS FOR YOUR BUSINESS This class has been especially designed for people unable to attend week-day classes and is held once a month.

We know how difficult it is for small business owners to find time during the week, so our intensive weekend class may suit you perfectly. The classes run from 10 am – 4 pm Saturday and Sunday and participants are taught, step-by-step, gilding techniques that are applied to furniture, picture frames and mirrors, cornices and even walls.

Many students have found that gilding adds another dimension to their business, which they have been able to capitalise on by adding a new profit centre. Moreover, it’s fun!

The weekend class is very reasonably priced at $795. This includes the project – an Egyptian plaque – and all tuition and materials. In certain circumstances this fee could be claimed as a tax deduction.

Those able to benefit by acquiring this skill include artists, painters, framers, restorers and French polishers; in fact, anyone who wants to add new skills and a new source of profit to their business.

In 1999, Karl Eggert, together with his wife Brigitte, founded a unique teaching establishment to make the wonderful craft of gilding available to anybody who wants to learn in Australia.

Learning in Germany from master gilders the art of framing, and church restoration, Karl has a broad knowledge and more than 45 years’ experience in gilding. This knowledge and experience is reflected in his teaching program at the Art Gilding Academy. Class sizes are kept to a maximum of six students to ensure the best learning experience.

Art Gilding is based in Sydney and today’s readily available cheap air fares create a ‘golden’ opportunity to combine a weekend away or holiday with learning the art of gilding. We can recommend quality accommodation close by from $35 per night.

For students wanting to stay longer, I have arranged a special low rate in a lodge nearby, two minutes walk from the academy.

For more information contact Brigitte at ART GILDING ACADEMY 02 9310 3007 artgilding@artgilding.com.au www.artgilding.com.au

VICTORIA

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VICTORIA

COLLECTOR PROOF COINS 1955 – 1963 struck at the Melbourne and Perth mints are Australia’s most affordable rare coin investment series Right: 1956 Perth proof penny.

Valued at $7,500 in 2006; current 2012 value, $16,000

I

t is a fact that the mints in Canberra and in Perth are today prolific producers of proof coins specifically designed and marketed to collectors on a commercial basis to generate profits.

Consider that in the year 2010, the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra produced more than 17,000 proof sets. And that’s just one product out of hundreds. It is a natural assumption that Australia’s pre-decimal proofs were struck on a similar basis. The reality is that this is far from the truth.

Below: 1955 Perth proof penny & half penny. Valued at $14,500 in 2006; current 2012 value, $30,000

DEBUNKING a misconception In 1955 Treasury bowed to collector and dealer pressure and sanctioned the striking of proof coins as part of an on-going commercial venture. The ‘collector’ proof coin series, launched in 1955 to the delight of the collecting public came to a conclusion in 1963, just prior to decimal currency changeover. Government intervened in just one aspect of the program – only those coins being struck for circulation were to be issued as proofs.

STRUCK proof coins The Melbourne Mint was striking both silver and copper coins for Treasury which meant that it could strike both silver and copper proof coins: florin, shilling, sixpence, three pence, penny and half penny.

For the Perth Mint, operating as a copper producing mint, this meant the striking of penny and half penny proofs only.

The coins were released annually with an

1956 Melbourne five coin proof set. Valued at $1,900 in 2006; current 2012 value, $3,700

official issue price of face value plus a premium of one shilling per coin – mintages averaged around the 1,500 mark.

Each piece was minted to exacting standards – from the selection and polishing of blanks, the preparation of dies and ultimately the actual striking. The result is a coin that is pleasing to the eye, well struck with strong designs and superb smooth background fields.

It is an important series in our currency heritage for it represents Australia’s very first annual proof coining program: the pre-cursor to the series introduced by the Royal Australian Mint in 1966.

1959 Melbourne six coin proof set. Valued at $3,000 in 2006; current 2012 value, $6,000

TRACING the growth in value The demand for premium quality examples in this series has far outstripped supplies, underpinning considerable growth.

The complete set (of 54 coins) in perfect quality was selling for $50,000 in 2006. Today it is worth $100,000.

One of the greatest advantages of this series is that the coins can be acquired progressively one year at a time.

1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963

Old money tal talks. lks.

It speakss of history and rarity rarity.. Of O value that is never diminishe ed. Investment in rare coins allows you diminished. to balanc ce your portfolio for su perannuation or other balance superannuation investme nt with stability and so lid growth. T o preserve e investment solid To your wea alth now and into the fu uture. F or information, wealth future.

For phone see coinworks.com.au coin nworks.com.au or ph hone +61 3 9642 3133 3

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1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963

Perth Mint Proof Coin Sets 1d & 1/2d 1d 1d 1d 1d 1d & 1/2d 1d & 1/2d 1d & 1/2d 1d & 1/2d Melbourne Mint Proof Coin Sets 1d & 3d, 6d & 1/1d & 3d, 6d, 1/- & 2/3d, 6d, 1/- & 2/1d & 3d, 6d, 1/- & 2/1d, 1/2d & 3d, 6d, 1/- & 2/3d, 6d, 1/- & 2/3d, 6d, 1/- & 2/3d, 6d, 1/- & 2/3d, 6d, 1/- & 2/-

Mintage 301 417 1112 1028 1030 1030 1040 1064 1100 Mintage 1200 1500 1256 1506 1506 1509 1506 2106 5042

WHAT is a proof coin?

To anyone with some industry savvy, the word ‘proof’ grabs attention. It equates to rarity and exclusivity – qualities that are attractive to both collectors and investors.

A proof coin is special and the following text will help to explain why.

As a general statement, coins are minted in two distinctly different styles and for two distinctly different purposes.

1. Coins are struck for circulation so that you and I can use them in everyday commerce – buying a loaf of bread, the newspaper or a bottle of wine. They are struck in a factory environment in their millions.

2. Coins are also struck to proof quality. A proof coin is a display piece (showpiece) of its circulating counterpart and was never intended to be used as currency. It is considered a ‘piece of art’. That is, coinage in its most elegant and artistic form and because of the lengthy time involved in its production, proofs are struck in restricted numbers –usually less than 20.

PREPARING the proof dies A lot of preparation goes into the striking of a proof coin. The dies are hardened and brushed to ensure that the design will be sharp and almost three-dimensional in its appearance.

The blanks are hand-picked and highly polished to produce a coin with a mirror shine and smooth fields.

The dies are struck twice to create a sharp, well-defined design. The rims encircling the coins are high, creating a picture frame effect encasing the design. The pristine nature of the striking is particularly evident in the denticles.

They are crisp and uniformly spaced around the circumference of the coin.

COINWORKS AUSTRALIAN RARE COINS AND NOTES 03 9642 3133 info@coinworks.com.au www.coinworks.com.au

VICTORIA

WELCOME TO THE WORKSHOP with Joel Duggan from Pegasus Antiques

P

egasus Antiques was founded by my father, Ken Duggan, in 1983. It started as a small part-time job for Ken operating out of a small garage on the side of his house while he remained a high school art and woodwork teacher. Over the years Pegasus Antiques has grown towards being the biggest, sole antique furniture business in Australia. We cover every aspect of furniture, from sourcing pieces in France, England and Scotland, undertaken on several buying trips a year, to repairs, restoration and delivery to your door.

AN INVITATION TO A RESTORATION I thought to invite readers to share one part of our business – our restoration arm – taking you through the process involved in the restoration of a French 1890s console walnut table. Being the workshop manager, and working as a French polisher in the family business for 15 years, I have spoken to countless visitors and clients about our traditional restoration methods. Customers are often invited into the workshop for a

demonstration. It is a fascinating process that involves great lengths of time and very close attention to detail. I love my job and view it as a great privilege to work on some of the finest furniture ever made, and would like to give readers a glimpse into this process.

IDENTIFYING THE CONDITION The French walnut console table was personally sourced in Lyon, France, on one of the many buying trips we take each year. The table is in very good condition with no major scratches or dents. This allows me to keep the patina as there is no need to strip or sand any part of the surface.

THE PROCESS Restoration begins with gluing together a loose join. This involves separating and cleaning it, and sanding off all the old glue.

The join is clamped with the base and left overnight to set.

Cleaning the piece occurs the next day using a turpentine-soaked clean cloth, rubbed over the piece until all the old wax and dirt is removed. This step may be repeated three to four times, continuing until the cloth is clean.

Next, using a dry cloth, I wipe off the excess turps and leave overnight.

Using fine sandpaper, the table is sanded all over with a quick scuff on the base to keep the original French polish. The top requires a slightly harder sand to remove a few scuffs and water marks (see photo). To finish the preparation, a methylated spirits soaked rag is used to wipe over the table.

Now for the fun bit; because the console table was originally French polished, once the old waxes are removed I am able to French polish over the original surface.

I create a rubber using cotton wading wrapped in a cotton sheet. The rubber is dipped into the polish and a thin layer is applied, always working with the timber grain. This is

applied once over the top of the piece, edge and base being careful to mop up any dribbles that form. Forming a point with the rubber allows me to access all the hard-to-reach places.

The base requires only five coats, while the top requires about 12. This is a light restoration as some of our dining tables require as many as 120 coats and pushing as hard as possible to fill up the grain.

I use a thin polish because as this is a French piece I do not want a glossy finish, following the time-honoured philosophy of less is more.

Once I am happy with the polishing and the table top grain looks even the piece must be left overnight to dry.

At Pegasus we use a variety of waxes, and for this table I am going to use a black wax – which goes on clear – applied with fine steel wool. This is to just slightly dull the shiny polish and bring out the glow in the timber.

Again, I work with the grain and as evenly as possible then wait 20 minutes and buff with a soft cloth. The result – a beautiful French walnut console table with original patina.

I highly recommend this process to anyone interested in French polishing or restoring. It is deeply satisfying to find a table in the south of France, ship it to Australia, polish, sand and repair it and then deliver it to a happy customer’s house.

At Pegasus Antiques I hand French polish all our furniture. We have a huge warehouse set up like an English village, along with another warehouse of unrestored furniture. We welcome you to our shop to view our range.

For more information please contact Joel Duggan PEGASUS ANTIQUES 03 5221 8290 pegasusantiques@bigpond.com www.pegasusantiques.com.au First believed to be used in France towards the end of the 17th century, French polish or shellac comes from the lac bug. Once processed, the shellac flakes are soaked in alcohol. Additional alcohol can be added to achieve the desired thinness.

AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST RANGE OF QUALITY ANTIQUE FURNITURE

FRENCH WALNUT QUEEN SIZE BED

VISIT US ON THE WEB:

WWW.PEGASUSANTIQUES.COM.AU OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

PHONE 03 5221 8290 CONVENIENT, AFFORDABLE DOOR TO DOOR DELIVERY FROM $200 TO BRISBANE 69

ORIENTAL ANTIQUE GALLERY WELCOMES collectors and purveyors of fine furniture to their new Brisbane store

O

riental Antique Gallery, a family business, was established in 1997 and is a specialist importer of Chinese furniture. The first store was in Armadale, Victoria, and from there the business grew, opening showrooms in New South Wales and Queensland.

Our exclusive antiques are sourced from all parts of China including major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, and outer provinces such as Ningbo, Shanxi, Mongolia and Tibet.

Each piece is hand selected with particular attention to its design, character and quality.

Our stores carry a wide range of Chinese furniture, from antique and restored pieces to custom designed items with new shipments coming from China every eight to ten weeks.

TRADITIONAL designs adapt well to contemporary settings Qing period (1644-1912) furniture is a popular choice for enhancing homes, offices and public buildings. The designs – including lacquered, natural finish, carved and painted exterior scenes – are easily adapted to a multitude of uses. They come in a range of forms from wardrobes to trunks, chairs, tables and desks.

If looking for entertainment units, bedside tables, coffee tables, etc, we carry modern solid timber pieces specifically designed to

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meet these functions. To complete a room’s design there are ceramics, carved wood, stone and bronzes – wonderful accessories for that decorative element.

REVITALISING the family business From 2005 to 2009 Oriental Antique Gallery ran a very successful store in Newstead.

After the shop’s closure Queensland customers patronised the NSW and Victorian

shops for their oriental antiques and furniture. This continued support has led to Phillip Guan, brother-in-law of founder Wen Qing Li to re-open a showroom in Queensland, choosing a Brisbane location – 41 Brookes Street in Bowen Hill. The celebratory opening event attracted many registered customers to the store.

We invite you to visit our Brisbane showroom and browse through our extensive

range of traditional Chinese furniture. Here you will find furniture that evokes the timelessness of fine antiques combined with contemporary convenience, creating the perfect blend of East meets West.

For more details contact Phillip Guan ORIENTAL ANTIQUE GALLERY phillip_kwan@hotmail.com 07 3257 3889

Oriental Antique Gallery Fine Chinese Antique Furniture Porcelain and Bronze Pieces, Chinese Jade through the ages, Temple Statues, Decorative Objects

41 BROOKES STREET, BOWEN HILLS QLD T 07 3257 3889 F 07 3252 1889 SHOP 1, 479 PACIFIC HIGHWAY, CROWS NEST NSW T 02 9906 8588 F 02 9906 1788

OPEN: 10am – 5pm 7 DAYS email: phillip_kwan@hotmail.com www.orientalantiquegallery.com.au