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Tried and tested: scenery ~ culture ~ history Sri Lanka and New Zealand – two very different holiday destinations
TEXTILES & DESIGN
Fashions that capture historical moments and are works of great beauty Lace before mass production: exploring techniques and handworking
COLLECTORS SHARE WINTER WARMERS Wood working tools: building VINTAGE STYLE a specialist collection of hand planes Captivated by a native Australian: the kangaroo in all its forms
Puddings from the recipe files of Mrs Beeton the original domestic goddess
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A u s t r a l a s i a ’s l e a d i n g a n t i q u e s a n d c o l l e c t a b l e s m a g a z i n e
FROM HOLLYWOOD MOVIES TO ENGLISH ECCLESIASTICAL TRADITIONS
Profiling very different interests
COIN COLLECTING FOR HERITAGE, HISTORY AND SURVIVAL THE VERY YOUNG How to make it interesting and fun without breaking the bank
Codes in quilts Camouflage in silk Textiles will never be the same again
COLLECTING AUSTRALIAN ART WARE: CERAMICS TO JEWELLERY
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ART MOVES Stars at the Venice Biennale Emerging talent from Bangladesh
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BESPOKE JEWELLERY Gold and silver work: A proliferation of 21st century ideas and designs across continents
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COLLECTING DIRECTIONS To view or to acquire – be informed Exquisite art - Grand masterworks Mid century textiles
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OUR ANNUAL AUSTRALIANA & POTTERY AUCTION Sunday 6th November 2011 Featuring Part 1 of The Ray & Eileen Park Collection (Perth WA) Also – Quality Ceramics, Electric Jugs, Lady Head Vases, Carnival Glass, Advertising Ware & Much More
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Our 100th edition Turning one hundred is a significant milestone by any definition and so it is that Collectables is celebrating its centenary edition. Looking back over its evolution, the magazine has morphed from a simple trading style format to a publication filled with well researched and informative articles from highly regarded curators, experts, dedicated collectors and journalists. To mark this significant event, the edition includes insights on selected subjects that explore events and objects which celebrate a centenary. From the Australian Maritime Museum is the story of Scott’s Antarctic expedition that set off for the South Pole in 1911. The themes of bravery and endurance continue in Peter Lane’s coverage of medals awarded and now being acquired by appreciative collectors. Significantly, the Royal Australian Navy was founded in 1911. On the other side of the world, the inaugural Spirit of Speed (better known as Spirit of Ecstasy) mascot for Rolls-Royce was unveiled in London, a very significant event for car mascot aficionados. It was also the year that King George V and his consort Queen Mary were crowned at Westminster Abbey. Such celebrations and achievements generate memorabilia providing wonderful collecting options and opportunities. Small treasures are repositories of human endeavours, created in mediums from the disposable – such as theatre programs and advertising posters – to fragile and robust items. Insights into life in 19th century Western Australia is examined through delicate embroidery in fine condition because the pieces were never used. Put into social context is the very long history of the potter, celebrated in very different works – pieces made at Delft since the 15th century and 20th century Australian art ware made in Melbourne. Silver is practical, affordable, highly decorative and often regarded by collectors as beyond reach. Demystifying its exclusivity is Christine Erratt’s article on Australian silver marks. Melody Amsel-Arieli explores silver ware created for religious purposes. For some, collecting these pieces is to connect with their faith and culture for others, the acquisition is driven by an appreciation of the workmanship. Whatever a collector’s motivation, there is something in silver to collect at all levels. Objects are vehicles for their creators – this understanding is often lost as written records about the artisans and the purpose of a piece’s creation are scanty. In this edition we provide the context for a special commemorative plate and review the eyewitness account of a survivor of Changi and the textiles created during this most difficult of times. Poignantly the works are reminders that we should never forget and as part of our centenary edition indicate how far the publication has come in contributing to the understanding and appreciation of collecting. From the team of Collectables, we hope you enjoy this very special centenary edition. Eva Jaku
CONTRIBUTORS Melody Amsel-Arieli is an American-born Israeli-based freelance writer of investigative features on collecting, genealogy, heritage and history, travel and Israeli life. Fergus Clunie is the curator of Rouse Hill House and Farm NSW, and former curator for Suva Museum, Fiji. He is a highly published author. Rob Ditessa writes articles on artists, collectors and collecting trends. Dr Dorothy Erickson combines her academic position and practical background as an artist, naturalist and historian, bringing insights to her accounts of artists and their works. Christine Erratt is a Sydney-based researcher and author with a special interest in contemporary Australian silverware and author of Marks on Australian Silver 1950-2005. John Harrison is an enthusiastic collector of moon landing, Kiss and Planet of the Apes memorabilia as well as delighting in pulp fiction. Crispin Howarth is Curator of Pacific Art at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. Marvin Hurnall is an educator, author, dealer and collector of Australiana who researches Australian potters and maintains an archive on Australian potters. Peter Lane is a respected numismatist and Secretary of the Numismatic Association of Australia. He lives in South Australia where he undertakes research on coins, medals and other numismatic objects. Robert Reason is the Curator of Curator of European and Australian Decorative Arts at the Art Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide. Anne and Bruce Sandie are keen collectors of Wileman and Shelley wares. They enjoy sharing their knowledge with members of the Australasian Shelley Collectors Club. Elin Simonsson is Exhibition Developer at the Natural History Museum, London (UK) and has worked in different roles at three of London’s major museums. Her main interest is to make exhibitions that inspire, delight and excite visitors. Hans Werker has been collecting Arabia Finland porcelain, Nuutajärvi glass and Iittala glass for more than 40 years. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and is building free to access websites for other like-minded collectors. Roy Williams is a noted antique dealer, principal of Roy’s Antiques in historic Fitzroy, Melbourne’s oldest suburb. He specialises in 18th and early 19th century English, French and other European furniture, hallmarked silver and Imperial Russian silver and icons.
contents An ounce of knowledge about silver
SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT
Roy Williams
34
CENTENARY FEATURES
FOCUS ON COLLECTING SILVER
54
10
54 Collecting Royal Australian Navy medals Peter Lane
From the 60s, moon landing toys to collect
30
Maker’s marks and identifying
John Harrison
Australian contemporary silversmiths Christine Erratt
58
Scott’s last Antarctic expedition A tale of courage and human endeavour
38
Elin Simonsson
Torah silver ornaments Melody Amsiel-Arieli
69 75
Centenary milestones
INSIGHTS INTO CERAMICS 22
Rob Ditessa
History, society and culture through commissions in silver
Australiana and the decorative arts: The rising importance of AMB Pottery
74
OUT & ABOUT
REGULAR FEATURES
Marvin Hurnall
46
through a book collection
KNOWLEDGE BASE 67
Learning about Esperanto
42
Online magazines
43
Conundrum
45
Collectables fairs
PERSPECTIVES
72
For the library
6
Bulutoko – cannibal fork from
76
Notice board
The rich history of blue Delftware
Fiji in the collection of NGA
79
Collectables subscription
Hans Werker
Crispin Howarth
80
Marketplace: buy and sell
87
Advertising rates
88
Advertisers’ Index
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50
The story behind a commemorative plate
14
Hans Werker
64
Art Deco and Shelley Pottery Anne and Bruce Sandie
Tiffany masterwork in the AGSA Robert Reason
18
WIN conundrum
Westralian Irish embroidery
enter our prize draw
Dorothy Erickson
See page 43
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AMANDA ADDAMS AUCTIONS Auctioneers and Valuers
AMANDA ADDAMS AUCTIONS
AUCTIONS HELD ON THE FIRST MONDAY NIGHT OF EACH MONTH AT 6.30 PM Receive all the latest news. Register for our new email newsletter and receive all the auction details and catalogues SALE DATES 2011 Monday 5 September 2011 6.30 pm Viewing: Saturday 3 September 11 am – 2 pm Monday 5 September 10 am – 6 pm Monday 3 October 2011 6.30 pm Viewing: Saturday 1 October 11 am – 2 pm Monday 3 October 10 am – 6 pm Monday 7 November 2011 6.30 pm Viewing: Saturday 5 November 11 am – 2 pm Monday 7 November 10 am – 6 pm Monday 5 December 2011 6.30 pm Viewing: Saturday 3 November 11 am – 2 pm Monday 5 November 10 am – 6 pm
QUALITY SINGLE ENTRIES OR LARGE COLLECTIONS (ANTIQUES, ART, COLLECTABLES, DECORATIVE ARTS AND DECEASED ESTATES) ARE ALWAYS INVITED FOR SPECIAL AUCTIONS
AMANDA ADDAMS AUCTIONS 194 Bulleen Road, Bulleen, Victoria 3105 Tel: 03 9850 1553
www.aaauctions.com.au David Freeman 0419 578 184 Amanda Freeman 0419 361 753
Understanding the culturally challenging
Bulutoko a Sanctified Fork for the Consumption of Flesh Unique to the islands of Fiji are delicately created forks generally known as I cula ni bokola. However, a literal description given to curious westerners in the 19th century was ‘fork of the cannibal victim’
Acknowledgement
With kind assistance of Fergus Clunie
Crispin Howarth
U
nsurprisingly, this description stuck and since the mid-19th century, such forks have commonly been called cannibal forks – a misleading name that obscures their true purpose and original cultural meaning. A very old example has been acquired by the National Gallery of Australia. It represents the zenith of the carver’s art in preEuropean contact Fijian society. This fork is more appropriately described as Bulutoko, which might be interpreted as ‘burial stave,’ bulu meaning burial and toko a pole or stave.
Crafting a bulutoko This was carved with soft iron tools or with sharp shark’s teeth and stone tools. It dates from at least as early as the first half of the 1800s, when iron in the forms of axe heads, barrel hoops and nails were obtained from whalers and sandalwood traders. It is particularly remarkable as perhaps it is the largest in existence. Typical of the finest Polynesian arts, the bulutoko fork balances form and function perfectly. It has a sleek yet ergonomically crafted handle, to one end is a flared pommel and at the other, a ringed section with floral-like decoration before expanding out to three gracefully elongated tines of the fork itself. The carver has shown consummate skill in making each tine elegantly twist along its length. It has a glass-like patinated surface coming from many years of handling, all lending an understated attraction that transcends a mere utilitarian nature. Detail of the high quality carving on the Bulutoko
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CollectablesTrader
Bulutoko, a sanctified fork, Fiji. National Gallery of Australia
Such a prestigious fork could only be created by a Matai, a specialised hereditary artisan who believes an object already exists in a selected root, trunk or limb of a tree before he even begins to cut a tree. The overall form suggests the carver was inspired by observing a squid propelling itself upwards, but no information was recorded to confirm this. However there are other objects such as yaqona dishes, carved to resemble turtles and birds to act as ‘spirit vessels’ for particular gods who at times moved about within those animals, so perhaps the squid had a similar function. The undulating zigzag patterns along the handle are known as tavatava, describing the pattern from
decorative coconut fibre bindings found on the shafts of weapons.
Spiritual significance and etiquette Until the 1870s, cannibalism had been strictly the consumption of enemies as believed demanded by war gods in the north, west and highlands of Viti Levu; elsewhere it had waned since the 1850s. After offering up the body of the defeated fighter to the war god of the victorious clan or tribe, it was prepared, cooked and eaten on the god’s behalf by priests, chiefs and warriors. When the supply was plentiful, all of the community in turn would eat. The unidentified priest or Bete who once owned and used this fork was dedicated to one specific
god and became the mouthpiece of the god. Each community had several priests and accordingly several Burekalou temples with the distinctive high reaching roof dominating over any other building in the village. Central to the use of bulutoko forks was the belief in the sacrifice of an enemy clan member’s soul to the victor’s war god. While the priest ate the flesh, it was the god within the priest who consumed the soul – the spiritual aspect of the offering. A clear reference to this was made by Thomas Williams in 1858: ‘The spirits of meats and drinks are consumed by the gods, who also eat the souls of all whose bodies are devoured by the people.’
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Savu Falls, p. 253 Modes of Painting the face, p.160 Clubs [I-wau] illustrated on .p.77
Priest’s bowl, illustrates the rare priest’s kava dish in duck form [daveniyaqona vakaga, or i-buburau ni bete vakaga], p. 77
Priests could feed themselves with the fork or have a ritual attendant use the fork to place morsels of food into the back of a priest’s mouth. Previously it was thought that priests themselves were so sacred that they were prohibited from directly touching food or drink, so the fork was to place morsels of meat into the mouth without touching the priest’s lips. However, it is more accurate to say the use of a bulutoko fork was to feed the god within a priest during divine possession when the priest’s body was considered sanctified. Some forks were reserved especially for the consumption of members of particular enemy lineages and such individually named forks developed pedigrees
Anthony La Riviere, Chart of the Fiji Islands, c. 1850, lithograph
from their use. Forks were kept in the spirit house; through repeated contact with a god, they became powerful objects in their own right with their own spiritual life. The production and use of bulutoko forks declined from the 1850s to 1876 when a British punitive campaign brought colonial administration to every part of Fiji. Many aspects of indigenous knowledge of Fijian culture did not survive the mass conversion to Christianity during the latter half of the 19th century, therefore the accounts of early travellers such as whalers, sandalwood traders and missionaries, however biased and basic, are often the only insights we have into the pre-Christian arts of Fiji.
Bure [temple] of Na Tavasara, Taviuni., p. 222
Priests’ bowls illustrated on p. 60 [illustrating both daveniyaqona kava dishes and sedreniwaiwai oil dishes]
Images on this page from Thomas
Reverend Thomas Williams was a Wesleyan missionary on the islands of Fiji
8
CollectablesTrader
Williams, Fiji and the Fijians Vol 1, The
between 1840 and 1852. A gifted artist, his drawings complemented his
Islands and Their Inhabitants, published
recordings of the now lost pre-Christianised Fijian culture. Williams’ daughter
by Alexander Heylin, Paternoster Row,
Jane Elizabeth (1848-1932) married Dr Robert Charles William Alexander
London, 1858, reprint 1983 by The Fiji
Lindsay (1843-1915), parents of the legendary Lindsay artists and writers.
Museum, Suva
Fyans Cottage COLLECTABLES
QUEENS CHOICE
A Decade Of Design … To celebrate the launch of Queens Choice ten years ago, Emma Bossons FRSA has created two special vases to mark the occassion. Emma’s luxuriant imagination pours out into her design work described by Moorcroft enthusiasts as “quintessentially Moorcroft.” Her renowned Queens Choice was inspired by Titania, Queen of the Fairies, in Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Emma Bossons’ Queens Choice design creates a mood of summertime, recalling the fruits of rural life. The design is set against a moonlit blue ground, and bewitching in its beauty. The ‘witching hour’ covered by moonlit blues is a theme which runs through a number of Shakespeare’s plays and poems about fairies. And so it is with Queens Choice, designed in vibrant colours and considered line work which truly dance to Shakespeare’s tune …
Hop in his walks and gambol in his eyes; Feed him with apricots and dewberries, With purple grapes, green figs and mulberries; The honey bags steal from the humble bees, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene I William Shakespeare
170 Moorabool Street, Geelong, Victoria 3220 P: 03 5229 7006 F: 03 5222 3362 E: fyanscottage@bigpond.com.au www.fyanscottage.com.au Hours: weekdays 9.30 am to 5.00 pm Saturday 9.30 am to 1.00 pm. After hours by appointment
More than 200 years later
a debate continues to rage which is heavier, an ounce of silver or an ounce of feathers? Roy Williams
O
f course the silver is heavier! Certainly with silver’s inevitable rise in value, both as a commodity and as useful objects made of silver alloy, one would much rather own the silver.
The value of knowledge Knowledge and ogres are like onions: they have layers. This is a constant problem that besets both the dealer and the collector. Thorough homework must always be done, either by the collector personally, or by the professional dealer who will justly expect to be recompensed for his valuable time. My favourite illustration of this is the tale of the collector who bought a bureau which in every detail of construction appeared to be late 17th century. However, it was made of mahogany, scarcely possible for the time. Eventually convinced it must be a later copy, he sold it off quickly to get his Detail of cabinetry made in American mahogany
money back. The new buyer realised that it was mahogany because it was not English but American colonial, constructed in this strange new native American timber, and as such, was worth far more than any British equivalent.
Silver marks, fakes and reproductions As a dealer in Russian antiques, I often have people offering me Russian silver. Some of this is genuine, and we buy it. PreRevolutionary Russian silver is often (but not always) stamped with an 84, denoting 87.5% silver content. Unfortunately, some French silverplate, Persian silver and even Danish silver were also stamped 84. Pre-1918 Russian enamelled silver is also much copied, complete with fake hallmarks. Hands-on experience is essential. Being able to read Russian hallmarks is no protection against being taken in by these expensive and sophisticated fakes, but it is a good start. In this case, the red enamel will tell the connoisseur much more than the hallmarks, but that valuable intellectual property I will not burden you with, gentle reader, just at present! The articulated magnifier on stand is brand new from India. It is impressed with a faux English maker’s name and the number 1805. We stock them for our Steampunk clients at $60, tax inclusive. Imagine my amusement when one sold at a local auction for three times that amount. Apparently, two or more people thought it was old. Fortunately, constant windowshopping is an enjoyable way for dealers and collectors to familiarise themselves with the burgeoning array of reproductions, now that antiques are a fashion essential. This is why I attend gift and home wares trade fairs. This
way I see what is being copied, as well as the styles that will be in the shops in the coming months.
Weighty answer There might be readers with vivid recollections of primary teachers asking the same question about an ounce of lead and an ounce of feathers and being
mortified to discover that an ounce was an ounce, regardless of the product. This is only partially true. Both lead and feathers are measured in avoirdupois (close to 28.35 grams). However, silver is measured in troy ounces (close to 31 grams), so an ounce of silver trumps one of lead or feathers.
Russian hallmarks. Town mark for St Petersburg is crossed anchors and a sceptre. Town mark for Moscow is St George and the dragon, introduced after 1741. After 1908 the assay mark was a Greek letter to denote the assay district and a girl’s head facing right. In 1899 the girl’s head faded left. Maker’s marks are Cyrillic initials. Imperial warrant has a Romanov eagle combined with the maker’s mark
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Quest for beauty in a vase:
a masterwork of Louis Comfort Tiffany at the Art Gallery of South Australia A legacy of craft skills that captures nature and is available for all to view
14
CollectablesTrader
Robert Reason
L
ouis Comfort Tiffany (18481933) was born into one of New York’s elite families. His father, Charles (1812-1902) founded the eminent New York jewellery and silver store Tiffany & Co. The commercial success of his father provided Louis with the opportunity to explore his creative talents, first as a painter, then as an interior designer and ultimately as a glass artist. Louis established Tiffany Glass Company in 1885, known as Tiffany Studios from 1900 to 1932. Tiffany quickly achieved international recognition for his luxury goods and is regarded as a quintessential figure in the decorative arts at the turn of the 20th century. Tiffany greatly admired ancient Roman and Syrian glass for its soft iridescence, as well as, for their rich colours, medieval glass and Byzantium mosaics. He studied these in his extensive travels in the 1860s and 1870s and they
informed his company’s experiments in reproducing and improving the quality of his own manufactured glass after 1890. Central to this was Arthur Nash, who came to Tiffany from England, having worked for glass companies in the Stourbridge area. Nash provided the technical knowledge to create and control iridescent effects, which he discovered after many trials involving metal oxides being sprayed and fumed onto the still-hot glass. In 1893, Tiffany began to experiment with the production of blown-glass vessels, which he initially named fabrile, a term stemming from fabrilis, Latin for ‘made by hand.’ By autumn 1894, the name changed to favrile and has been associated ever since with Tiffany’s radiant and rich glass. The tall favrile vase with peacock feather decoration is an early example from 1897-98. Like the best of Tiffany’s work, it takes inspiration from nature. The mainly golden-green coloured vase, with its iridescent sheen, is organic in
Louis Comfort Tiffany (American 1848-1933) designer; manufactured by Tiffany Glass Company (New York USA 1885-1900), Vase, 1897-98, favrile glass, metallic lustre, 34.3 x 11.4 cm (diam). Gift of Shirley Crinion, Elizabeth Finnegan OAM, Joan Lyons, David McKee, J Raymond Michell AM, Marion Wells and Zena Winser through the Art Gallery of South Australia Foundation Collectors Club 2010
shape and terminates in a series of lightly feathered peacock ‘eyes’ of intense turquoise. The peacock feather motif was a recurring theme in French art nouveau and the English Aesthetic Movement, while Tiffany in America, through favrile glass such as this, made a unique and internationally recognised contribution to art nouveau. Siegfried Bing (1838-1905), the Frenchman largely responsible for popularising the art nouveau movement, described Tiffany’s peacock decoration in 1899 as ‘a dazzling revelation,’ in which ‘just as in the natural feather itself, we find here a suggestion of the impalpable, the tenuity of the fronds and their pliability.’ Bing’s comments relate to an exhibition of Tiffany in 1899 at Grafton Galleries, London. Bing was a significant promoter and stockist of Tiffany in Paris and, while a little florid in his descriptions by today’s standard, he nevertheless captured the mood of excitement surrounding Tiffany glass in the late 1890s. Entry to the Art Gallery of South Australia is free of charge, open every day. www.artgallery.sa.gov.au
Arthur Nash began his experiments on creating and controlling iridescent effects while still in England and his first real success was using Proto Chloride of tin (SnC12 crystals). His formula was improved and modified at Tiffany’s to create a softer, richer iridescence.
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The embroidery of
LadyMargaret
Richardson -Bunbury Although perceived as a domestic, genteel pastime the skills brought to embroidered pieces provide revealing insights into the uncompromising standards of Westralian Irish settlers
The lace in the newest Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding gown was made in the style of Carrickmacross lace – more intricate than Honiton lace which featured in Queen Victoria’s wedding gown.
Seat back, tent stitch on bombazine, Lady Richardson-Bunbury. Collection Royal Western Australian Historical Society
Dorothy Erickson
P
ioneer Irish settlers in Western Australia came from genteel backgrounds to a remote harsh colony with insufficient labour. Even in such frontier situations, the Lefroys, De Burghs, Moores, Bunburys and others continued their customary pastimes of the leisure class. Lady Richardson-Bunbury (1795-1873) was the widow of Sir James MR Richardson-Bunbury (1782-1851) of Castle Hill, County Tyrone in the north of Ireland, with whom she had ten children. She arrived in Western Australia in 1855, accompanied by four of her children, Diana, Mary, Emily and Alfred, to join another son, William who had arrived in 1842. She brought a prefabricated house, silver and other portable necessities for gracious living, along with her butler and housekeeper. Later she purchased Charterhouse at Picton, Archdeacon Wollaston’s former property, where she planted
gardens and orchards and continued to entertain and visit ‘society’ in this remote settlement.
Identifying Carrickmacross embroidery Carrickmacross embroidery is a type of delicate cutwork that resembles needle-made lace such as Bruxelles appliqué. Underneath the linen ground is a layer of net and the motif, usually floral, is worked in a running stitch through both layers. The edges are overstitched and the unwanted linen cut away, then reworked with point-lace stitches and decorative fillings. It is named after Carrickmacross in the north of Ireland where it developed in the 1820s, and close to where Lady Richardson-Bunbury lived. Lady Margaret RichardsonBunbury worked the seat cover and back for a chair in bright silks in the 1860s, but they were never used. She worked in tent stitch that had returned to fashion for upholstering chairs and settees in the late 17th century, also called petit point. On the seat cover, she
An exquisite lace handkerchief intended for a bride to carry is in fine linen embroidered in ecru with the intricate technique, Irish-flowering of Carrickmacross. Lady Richardson-Bunbury, a fine embroiderer started the handkerchief in the 1850s, but as none of her daughters married, she never had cause to complete it. Mrs M Lock of Albany in Western Australia finished it in the 1920s. Private collection
depicted flowers from northern gardens – violets, delphiniums, cornflowers, primulas, peonies and tulips. The seat back is a wreath of field flowers – poppies, cornflowers and marigolds. The black background bombazine is unusual for such functional pieces, as this fine diagonally woven cloth, a silky blend of wool and silk, was customarily for mourning clothes. Further reading Bruce and Anne Buchanan (eds), The Journal of Gerald De Courcy Lefroy, Hesperian Press, Perth WA 2010 www.daao.org.au/bio/margaretrichardson-bunbury
Embroidery, more than a pastime Fine embroidery had been an occupation highlighting aristocratic women’s talents, but by the 19th century, all educated young women were competent embroiderers. Wealthy settlers’ pastimes in remote Western Australia typically included embroidery and sketching for both women and men. The brothers Lefroy came from Northern Ireland to Fremantle in 1843 and soon founded a pastoral run at Walebing that Gerald de Courcy Lefroy (1819-1878) managed for some years. There he made frames for embroidery, carved walking sticks, plaited straw for bonnets lined with silk and trimmed with ribbon,
made riding silks, tanned and sewed possum possets and rugs, made laborious horse-hair chains and cobbled silk shoes – and embroidered cushions and panels, whatever was necessary in that distant home.
Referring to the possible style of carved work by Gerald de Courcy Lefroy is a walking stick made during this period in the area. The maker is unknown and the stick, dating to c. 1850s, is carved from one piece of Wandoo. It is held in the collection of (Toodyay) Newcastle Gaol Museum
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Situated on the old Queens Wharf adjacent to the historic lighthouse and the 1879 Customs House, at the edge of Port Adelaide's historic precinct, FISHERMAN'S WHARF MARKETS is housed in 5,000 sq m of 1940s Cargo Shed. Bargains abound in over 50 stalls of collectables including antique lace, linen, china & glass, tools, books, records, old sheet music, clothing, toys, furniture, jewellery, frames and prints.
Old Grocery Store Museum 29 CENTENARY ROAD, NEWCASTLE 2300 Phone: 02 4926 4547 • Open 7 Days - 10 am to 5 pm centenaryantiques@hunterlink.net.au www.centenarycentre.com.au
Oscar
Brown’s From Antiques to Retro and Beyond Fine china, giftware, jewellery, art, glass, furniture and much, much more
Market Open every Sunday & Public Holiday Monday from 9 am to 5 pm.
ENQUIRIES: 08 8341 2040 20
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Shop 33, Vermont South Shopping Centre 495 Burwood Highway Vermont South Vic 3133 P: 03 9886 6000 E: oscarbrowns@bigpond.com Open Monday - Saturday, 9 til 5. Other times by appointment
The rising importance of
20th century Australian studio pottery From humble beginnings at Murrumbeena to acknowledged masters in the fine and decorative arts, the output of Merric Boyd, Arthur Boyd, John Perceval, Neil Douglas and friends, continues to grow in stature
Top: AMB Pottery Lyrebird platter, decorated by Neil Douglas, 1954, Murrumbeena, Melbourne, earthenware, diam: 36 cm Right: Merric Boyd, Figurine of Arthur Boyd, 1947, Murrumbeena, Melbourne, earthenware, 18 x 12 cm. This rare piece is incised ‘Australia, playing on the sand. Merric Boyd, 1947’
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Marvin Hurnall
T
he home of Merric and Doris Boyd, their five children and assorted artists and friends, had become the teaching ground for a new generation of ceramicists.
Setting up AMB Pottery John Perceval (1923-2000), then living with the Boyds, their son Arthur Boyd (1920-2000) and Signed AMB Pottery Teapot, c. 1950, Murrumbeena, Melbourne, earthenware, 17 x 17 cm
Peter Herbst (1919-2007), a good friend and philosophy student at the University of Melbourne, decided to become partners in a pottery. Although Perceval and Herbst knew little about the tradition, this three-way partnership proved to be ideal as it gave Perceval and Boyd time to pursue their painting. The trio then purchased the pottery works of Hatton Beck and his wife Lucy Boyd, Arthur’s eldest sister. The couple had converted a dilapidated butcher’s shop
opposite the Murrumbeena station into a workshop. With Beck’s knowledge, they made a kiln from the salvaged parts of Merric’s kiln, which had burnt down. Called the Arthur Merric Boyd (AMB) Pottery, the plan was to produce utilitarian – kitchen and dining – wares, complying with wartime decrees. They also planned on extending the range of functional domestic wares to experimenting with the medium, producing sculptural ceramics.
Early range Their initial stock on hand was the purchase from the Becks of a significant quantity of greenware (unfired) teapots. The lids were disposed of whilst the bowls were refashioned by removing the spouts, and at times the handles, to become either vases or two handled sugar bowls. All were deeply incised and /or over painted with free forms of decoration, more or less resembling native flora. Earthenware glazes offered a bright, transparent, vibrant and solid colour that allowed the lyrical and whimsical narrative of the Arthur Merric Boyd (AMB) studio potters to come through. As Boyd, Perceval and Herbst continued to use the studio as a place to create and not just manufacture, other artists began working there on a casual basis.
Fish platter made by Arthur Merric Boyd, c. 1950, Murrumbeena, Melbourne, earthenware, diam: 25 cm
Arthur Boyd stayed at the pottery until 1958 Peter Herbst left the pottery in 1950 Neil Douglas bought out Herbst’s share of the business in 1950, staying with the pottery until its closure in 1963 John Perceval stayed at the pottery until its closure in 1963. AMB Pottery Wine carafe, decorated by Neil Douglas, 1948, Murrumbeena, Melbourne, earthenware, 35 x 20 cm (diam), decorated with numerous examples of flora and fauna
Jug made by Arthur Merric Boyd, c. 1940s, Murrumbeena, Melbourne, earthenware, 19 x 13 cm (diam)
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Jug made by Merric Boyd, 1915, Murrumbeena, Melbourne, earthenware, 12 x 18 cm (diam)
Inspired to create Friends, neighbours and fellow artists such as Dorothy Meyer, Carl Cooper, Neil Douglas, Charles Blackman, Albert Tucker, David and Hermia Boyd, Tom Sanders, Margot Knox, Ethel Whiteside (née Coutts) and John (Richard) Howley contributed to the production at the pottery.
Neil Douglas (1911-2003) A new partner: a fresh direction When Peter Herbst left for Oxford in 1950, his share in the works was taken over by Neil Douglas whose depictions of native flora and fauna were to heavily influence the other artists in the studio. Douglas’s lyrical works of forests, ferny groves, lyrebirds and
kangaroos contrasted heavily against the Brueghelesque work of Boyd and Perceval at the time. This new influence flowed through into the works of all at the studio, presenting a more Australian theme. The combination of a clear, bold palette in a medium that was still to be fully explored meant that the AMB Pottery was not only at the vanguard then, but is as fresh and as vibrant today. The Arthur Merric Boyd (AMB) Pottery – and particularly the painted and ceramic works of Neil Douglas – has until recently not received the recognition deserved, leaving a gap in the understanding of Australian decorative styles and practices.
Acknowledging contribution to the arts
Jug made by Merric Boyd, 1930, Murrumbeena, Melbourne, earthenware, 25 x 25 cm (diam), decorated with applied apples, note use of painted under glaze decoration of soaring gum trees
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The importance of the pottery’s contribution to the crafts was recognised by the National Gallery of Victoria. In addressing the role of the Boyds and their circle to the development of the studio pottery movement in Australia, the Gallery held The Painter as Potter, Decorated ceramics of the Murrumbeena circle in 1982-83. Since 1983, little has been displayed of the studio’s work. Horsham Regional Art Gallery in 1997 held an important
AMB Pottery Wine carafe, decorated by Neil Douglas, 1946, Murrumbeena, Melbourne, 38 x 18 cm (diam), over painted with numerous male and female lyrebirds, field flora
retrospective of Neil Douglas’s works. Selections of this were later shown at Hamilton and Sale. The following year Hurnall’s held a selling exhibition titled ‘The Murrumbeena Story and Beyond.’ It was not until 2003 that the Heide Museum of Modern Art held an exhibition looking at the Arthur Merric Boyd (AMB) Pottery.
Legacy of Merric Boyd (1888-1959) A major contributor to Australian studio ceramics, Merric Boyd (working 1912-1959) left a significant creative legacy. Merric’s knotted gumtrees, gnarled branches, kookaburras, koalas, homesteads and landscapes contribute to the shaping of an Australian identity via art. His ceramic work, with its
Koala jug made by Merric Boyd, 1940, Murrumbeena, Melbourne, earthenware, 15 x18 cm (diam), hand painted, applied koala handle
highly sculptural qualities, continues to offer a new and definitive way of seeing. The 1930s and 1950s in Melbourne were decades in which Australian artists were trying to define their country, identity, nationalism and arts in line with their newly aware and self conscious selves. Merric Boyd’s contribution to these windows of exploration was his strength of belief in his own way of seeing. Boyd exposed ceramic practitioners to a new landscape. It was this very way of seeing the environment in light of the new art nouveau movement, a new
nationalism and imminent world wars that set Merric Boyd apart – he was founding a stylistic coup within the utilitarian realm of ceramics. Regarded as Australia’s first studio potter, Merric influenced his contemporaries (for example Margaret Kerr and F Edwin Cox) his students (such as Philippa James) and later generations (including Arthur Boyd and John Perceval), who adopted his style and way of manipulating and sculpting the clay. He worked prolifically producing many incredible, sculptural ceramic pieces and light, free drawings. Merric Boyd’s creative needs were such that even after he was no longer able to pot, his great artistic passion, he continued to draw fervently. As Arthur said to Victoria Hammond at Bundanon, February 1989, ‘My father, Merric Boyd, had an extremely unusual passionate, creative spirit and this energy, rhythm and life flow through his pottery and drawings.’
AMB Pottery Platter decorated by John Perceval, 1949, Murrumbeena, Melbourne, earthenware, diam: 28 cm
Where to see Boyd pottery Currently touring is White gums
and ramoxes featuring the ceramics and drawings by Merric and Arthur Boyd from the Bundanon Trust Collection. The Geelong Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia and the National Gallery of Australia have in their collections pieces produced at Murrumbeena.
Special show Hurnall’s Decorative Arts is holding a selling exhibition of an important and private collection of ceramics and works on paper by Murrumbeena potters, Merric Boyd, and many others from 21 November – 27 November. If interested in previewing the exhibition and sale contact Marvin Hurnall on 03 9510 3754, email: marvinhurnall@yahoo.com.au or for full details: www.hurnallsantiques.com.au.
Figurine of a koala made by Merric Boyd, 1915, Murrumbeena, Melbourne, earthenware, 18 x 11 cm
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Working together with
Carlton Ware is back in the forefront of modern Ceramic Artware with the introduction of an eclectic range of beautifully crafted Vases & Figurines. Available only as Limited Editions.
Kill Bill Toucan & Reservoir Frogs Large Novelty Teapots 2 in the limited series of 50 pieces UK Retail GBP125 each
English Garden Butterfly Series Painted Lady & Red Admiral UK Retail GBP175 each
Yellow Submarine UK Retail GBP50
Toucan Drummer & Toucan Banjo Player UK Retail GBP110 each
Marie Graves Designs in Assorted Sizes UK Retail from GBP125
Bird of Paradise UK Retail GBP195
Garden Fairy & Garden Buttercup Figurines UK Retail GBP175 each
Trade enquiries from Australasia welcome. Contact us for further details of release dates and deliveries at www.artwarecollectables.co.uk Email: skirrow2@yahoo.co.uk or irenemounsey@yahoo.co.uk Tel: 44 (0)1422 205241
S & G Walters
deco downunder 24 Parade St, Albany WA 6330 Tel: 08 9842 1974 Fax: 08 9842 9545 Mobile 0417 928 210 Email: walters@decodownunder.com
BERRY
ANTIQUES & COLLECTABLES FAIR BERRY SCHOOL OF ARTS ALEXANDRA STREET, BERRY
SATURDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2011 10 AM - 5 PM
SUNDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2011 10 AM - 4 PM
Admission $8.00 Accompanying children FREE INQUIRIES 0428 446 534
Specialising in Clarice Cliff and select examples of Moorcroft, Goldscheider, Lalique, Australian pottery and a variety of Clarice Cliff reference books always available
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Sydney, interstate and country dealers offering a wide selection of furniture, jewellery, silver, porcelain, lamps, linen, books and many other interesting collectables.
ALL ITEMS FOR SALE ✯ LUCKY DOOR PRIZE ✯
Den of Antiquities 2 5 A B E L L S T R E E T YA R R A G L E N , V I C 3 7 7 5
Ph/Fax: 03 9730 2111 or 0414 934 363 – 0413 454 966 Specialising in quality furniture sympathetically restored from all eras We buy & sell furniture, china, collectables & jewellery OPEN 10.30 AM – 5 PM EVERY DAY EXCEPT TUESDAY
Sunbeam Mixmaster, c. 1950 with bowl and juicer attachment. $250
Taxidermy stuffed head of a red deer. $1750 Set 4 Denby oven to table pots. $150
Occasional table set on bobbin turned legs. $175
Taxidermy stuffed head of a red deer. $2450
Aladdin Bakelite kerosene lamp, c. 1939. $225
Bedroom chair upholstered in brocade fabric. $275
Brass and copper fire tools companion set, c. 1920s. $95
Large vase made by Fenton, 30 x 22 cm, with original label. $395
English oak extension table and matching four chairs. $1250
Setting a standard for
collectors of Australian silver
Collecting silver is not confined to antique pieces – the works of contemporary silversmiths are collectable and it helps to know their marks
Top: Corrugated coffee pot made in silver by Hendrik Forster, 2002 Above: Comport in silver made by Hendrik Forster, 1980
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Christine Erratt
H
allmarks are authorised marks or symbols on precious metals to guarantee the quality of the metal. The system refined over many centuries in England is today used to help establish the value and authenticity of a piece. The marks include: maker’s mark, date, assay mark (town of manufacture) and sterling mark, which indicating quality as 92.5 per cent pure. In Australia, silversmiths are not bound by any regulations concerning any marks they apply to their silverware. Nor do they have to register any marks that they choose to use. Recent research on makers’ marks on Australian silverware made between 1950 and 2005 revealed a diverse range of makers’ marks. Nor do silversmiths in Australia consistently use the same mark as their personal signature throughout their careers. Very few indicate clearly the year of manufacture, while different eras in a
silversmith’s practice may be associated with different marks for quite a number of silversmiths. This creates a challenge for the ‘mark obsessed’ collector, as the same silversmith may have different markings in different eras.
Hendrik Forster A prime example of a contemporary silversmith with different markings is Hendrik Forster (b. 1947). Trained in Germany he gained a Diploma of Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts in 1973 and received the title of Journeymanship of the Guild of Gold and Silversmiths in his home town of Munich. The next year, in 1974, Foster arrived in Australia, settling in Victoria and establishing his first workshop at Belgrave in the Dandenongs.
Hendrik Forster’s maker’s mark, 1974-1985 Hendrik Forster’s secondary mark of a crown, 1974-1985
David Clayton’s maker’s mark, 1983-2010 David Clayton’s maker’s mark, 1973-1978 Hendrik Forster’s maker’s mark, 1992-2002 Hendrik Forster’s secondary mark of a crown, 1997-2002
Forster uses HF as his maker’s mark; however, he changes the style of this mark each time that he changes location of his workshop – six different maker’s marks used since 1974, together with the symbols of crowns as secondary marks. In Forster’s case, one can pinpoint quite accurately the eras of each mark used within a limited range of years up to 2005.
David Clayton Brisbane-based silversmith David Clayton has used a different maker’s mark several times during his working life in Australia. Clayton arrived in Tasmania in 1970 having completed an apprenticeship in restoration silversmithing in the UK. He set up his workshop in Hobart in 1973 and used an incuse maker’s mark, DC HOBART, until 1978. He next moved to Brisbane, setting up his workshop in 1981 and he continues to live and work there. Commencing then, he has used a mark of DC conjoined in three different styles – four marks used on his work in Australia, with a secondary mark since the early 1980s.
Jug in silver made in 1977 by David Clayton David Clayton’s secondary mark, MADE within a map of Australia, since early 1980s Drinking vessel and jug made in silver by David Clayton,
Eric Car’s maker’s mark 1969-1982 Eric Car’s secondary mark of a symbol of a swan Eric Car’s maker’s mark 1983-2008 Ladle in silver made by Eric Car, 1971
Eric Car The late Western Australian silversmith, Eric Car (1936-2008) used just two different marks. Born in Egypt, Car came to Australia in 1949 with his parents. Initially working in the field of museum conservation he switched professions to making jewellery and silverware in 1964.
From 1969 to 1982 he used EJ, the initials of his two given names, Eric Joseph, as his first maker’s mark. In 1983, his more elaborate mark incorporated his three initials, EJC. As with many Western Australians, Car used the state’s black swan emblem as a secondary mark on all his work.
Goblets made in silver by Eric Car, 1995
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Guild year mark for 2004 Guild symbol
Guild marks The first recorded trade organisation of goldsmiths traces back to the Roman republic, continuing in some form ever since. Initially devised to protect this highly esteemed craft, it evolved over the centuries to become a powerful body protecting the public from fraud – ensuring that a purchaser could buy with confidence gold and silver wares. The Guild of Gold and Silversmiths of Australia formed in 1988. Currently the majority of its members are jewellers and not involved in the making of large silver objects. However, those members who are silversmiths are entitled to use the Guild marks of a symbol of the head of a kangaroo and a year mark on silverware. This dating system uses a year letter in line with the letter used in the British hallmarking system.
Rudi Matho-Dudare’s maker’s mark and mark 10/02 for October 2002
Date marks In England, the date mark – a letter of the alphabet – was used in London from 1463 and continues to be a part of the control over makers. A small number of contemporary silversmiths use actual date marks; others have their own system of year letter marks that are assessed easily. However,
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Dish ‘Lluvia de Plata’ (Silver Rain) in silver made by Brad Bird
silversmiths such as Sydney-based Oliver Smith and Queenslander Rudi Matho-Dudare have no ambiguity in their date marks. In spite of the complexities involved in trying to date contemporary Australian silverware, reference books on Australian silversmiths from colonial days to contemporary times help the collector to set works within a reasonable timeframe.
Shapes, animals and objects as marks Another aspect of marks on Australia contemporary silverware is the use of symbols – shapes, animals and objects. Australiana symbols are frequent secondary marks, notably the unique fauna starting with the kangaroo, platypus, emu and echidnas, as well as maps of Australia, gumnuts and the Southern Cross
constellation. Although somewhat parochial, it is an interesting component of the unregulated marking of Australian contemporary silverware.
Serving utensils made in silver by Oliver Smith
Note Christine Erratt’s Marks on Australian
Silver 1950-2005 is the only reference book available covering the marks used Kangaroo, platypus and gumnut marks
Finally, some silversmiths’ names inspire a unique secondary mark – Brad Bird’s bird, John Cherry’s cherries and Susan Woodhouse’s house.
in the Australian silversmithing scene in the last half of the 20th century.
An incuse mark is achieved by hammering or stamping a figure or image onto the metal.
Available at www.parkerpressbooks.com.au.
Further reading Kurt Albrecht, 19th Century Australian
Gold & Silver Smiths, Hutchinson Australia, 1969 Kenneth Cavill, Graham Cox & Jack Grace, Australian Jewellers, Gold &
Silversmiths - Makers & Marks C.G.C. Gold, Roseville NSW 1992 Christine Erratt, Marks on Australian
Silver 1950-2005 Parker Press Northbridge NSW, 2010 JB Hawkins, Nineteenth Century
Australian Silver, Antique Collectors’
Sterling silver and parcel gilt goblets made by Ray Stebbins
Club, Suffolk England, 1990
Dish made in silver by Susan Woodhouse
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HEIDELBERG ROAD VINTAGE BAZAAR One of Melbourne’s largest and most interesting antiques, vintage and retro centres/bazaars
ALWAYS BUYING
740 Heidelberg Road, Alphington Victoria 3078 – Open 7 days
Tel: 03 9497 4000 • 0418 552 553 www.heidelbergroad.com.au • www.vintagebazaar.com.au
Container just landed… Choicely picked bits and bobs
Call us
grange antiques
Butterfield brass sundial, c. 1700
Ph: 03 6426 2606 95 Gilbert St Latrobe Tasmania 7307 kevin@grangeantiques.com.au www.grangeantiques.com.au Opening times flexible or by appointment otherwise Thursday & Friday
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Impressive Georgian mahogany bookcase, c. 1790s, multi-glazed glass fronted doors, h: 275 x w: 324 x 57 cm (deep), nice original finish, with London cabinetmaker’s plaque. Ex-solicitor’s office
PROFESSIONAL VALUATION SERVICE AVAILABLE
Specialising in quality Royal Doulton, Beswick and Moorcroft An accredited Moorcroft retailer email sales@roundaboutantiques.com.au internet www.roundaboutantiques.com.au
106 Campbell Street (cnr Campbell and Hume Streets) TOOWOOMBA Q 4350
Phone 07 4632 8805 Mobile 0417 714 105 Open Wednesday to Sunday 9 am to 5 pm (CLOSED public holidays) MAILORDER: 9am to 5pm 7 days (weekday dispatch) AUSTRALIA WIDE MAIL ORDER OUR SPECIALTY • EVERY ITEM GUARANTEED AS DESCRIBED • LAY-BY AND TERM PAYMENT AVAILABLE
Beswick Huntswoman, $1350
Beswick Cockerel, $395
Beswick Turtle Doves, $495
Beswick Camel Foal, $235
Beswick Budgerigar, $395
Beswick Aberdeen Angus Bull, $390
Beswick Puma on Rock, $595
Beswick Horse and Jockey, $895
Beswick Horse and Jockey, $1395
Beswick Trout, $500
Beswick Dalmation (fireside model), $595
Beswick Steeplechaser, $1750
Royal Doulton Flambé Sung veined waisted vase, signed FM (Fred Moore), $850
Royal Doulton Flambé Sung veined and mottled bulbous vase, signed Sung, Noke (Charles Noke) and FM (Fred Moore) to base, $1850
Royal Doulton Flambé Sung pumpkin shape vase, signed Sung, Noke (Charles Noke) and HN (Harry Nixon to base, $2250
Royal Doulton Flambé Sung veined and mottled vase, signed Noke (Charles Noke) and FM (Fred Moore), $1450
ONE SMALL STEP:
Vintage space race memorabilia An out of world collecting experience that is affordable, informative and a journey through time
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John Harrison
H
ard to believe it has been over 40 years since NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong slowly climbed down the ladder of the lunar lander, stepped on the moon’s surface where he could look up and see Earth far above
him and said these well-known words, ‘That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.’ Watched live on television by more than half a billion people around the world, Armstrong’s one small step did signal an enormous leap in scientific, engineering and technological breakthroughs, and the doorway to the exploration of worlds beyond our own was finally opened after centuries of looking up at the stars and dreaming. The moon landing on 20 July 1969 also provided a huge morale boost for the western world and America in particular, at the end of a decade marred by assassinations of John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King, rapid changes in youth culture and social values and the increasingly unpopular and escalating war in Vietnam. It was also the culmination of the great space race between the USA and the USSR. The Soviets had the prestige of launching the first man into space on 12 April 1961. However, America was the first country to land a human being on Earth’s nearest
neighbour. Upon their return, the astronauts of Apollo 11 – Neil Armstrong, Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin and Michael Collins were fêted as pioneering heroes who had conquered a vast frontier. Suddenly being an astronaut was as exciting as becoming a fire fighter or police officer for many small children.
Space exploration memorabilia Today, memorabilia and artefacts from those early space explorations are in demand from collectors, historians and space enthusiasts. There was certainly a lot produced in the ten years between 1962, when President Kennedy first publicly announced his desire to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade until 1972, when the last manned landing occurred. In addition to original newspapers and magazines from the period, there were commemorative coins, pennants and badges produced to celebrate each achievement. There were 8 mm film reels and record LPs documenting the missions as well as 3D Viewmaster sets (both standard and talking) and souvenir photo packs. Specialedition flags waved proudly at ticker-tape parades to welcome home each returning party of triumphant astronauts. For the toy store shelves, Hasbro created an astronaut offshoot of their popular line of 12-inch GI Joe action figures, including a talking astronaut and a space capsule playset. Mattel jumped on the space craze with their line of Major Matt Mason figures and accessories. Scale model kits of the Apollo 11 Saturn rocket, Luna Module capsule and their occupants were a hit with hobbyists. Younger collectors rushed to milk bars after school to collect
their complete their set of Topps’ Man on the Moon bubble gum cards and refuel for playtime with a Space Food Stick.
Spaced-out collecting Most space-themed toys, documents and ephemera was produced in mass quantities so it is still fairly easy to build a nice collection of moon landing memorabilia without breaking the bank. Some rare items like the GI Joe and Matt Mason figures command big dollars, boosted by demand from toy collectors and space enthusiasts. Likewise, tin space toys produced in Japan during the sixties have risen in value, especially if found in nice condition and in the original box. Perhaps the most extravagant moon related collectable is not a vintage item but rather a re-issue of Norman Mailer‘s classic, Moonfire (1969). Published by Taschen in 2009, the re-issue is housed in an aluminum case with Apollo 11 landing struts that gave it the look of a coffee table, and has a front cover moulded like the moon‘s surface, and even has a
piece of genuine lunar rock housed in its case. What is the asking price for this ultimate vanity item? A truly out of this world $90,500! Personally, I like to keep my own lunar collection a little more down to earth...
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Anonymous and known –
Silver Torah ornaments artisans and craftsmen inspired to make ecclesiastical objects Devotional practices gave artisans the opportunity to create pieces that although had to serve specific functions, decoratively they were shaped by regional influences and the availability of materials
Melody Amsel-Arieli
T
he phrase ‘This is my God and I will glorify Him’ in Ecclesiastes 15:2, continues to provide the framework for artisans to create beautiful and intricately decorative coverings for the most holy in the Jewish faith – the Torah. According to tradition, the Torah, a compendium of Jewish historical, legal and ethical texts believed to be the Word of God, was revealed to Moses on Mt Sinai. Ever since, specially trained scribes (sofer) have painstakingly copied and re-copied these parchment scrolls, letter by Hebrew letter, producing faithful duplicates of the original. Completing a Torah, the Five Books of Moses which is of 304,805 letters, is at least 20 Above: Torah breastplate made in Frankfurt, Germany, c. 1700 worked in silver part gilt. Courtesy of Moriah Galleries Antique Judaica, NYC Left: Torah finial (rimmonim) made by Pieter Van Hoven (active 1680-1735), Amsterdam (Netherlands), 1705, silver: cast and chased. The Jewish Museum, New York: Gift of Dr Harry G. Friedman
metres in length, and usually takes a year or more. Exodus 40:21 states ‘He brought the ark into the Tabernacle and placed the screening dividing curtain so that it formed a protective covering before the Ark.’ In houses of worship – synagogues – the holiest part is the Ark (Aron Kodesh) which houses the Torah. In keeping with the 3,000 year old tradition, this inner sanctuary, designed to recall the ancient temple in Jerusalem, is fronted by a screening curtain (Parochet). Since Torahs are central to Jewish observance, they are treated with great respect. Congregants rise, for example, whenever a Torah is lifted. Many Ashkenazi congregations, prior to unwinding a Torah for ritual reading, also ‘dress’ the scrolls in decorative cloth mantles, then adorn them with silver ornaments. The word ‘Ashkenaz’ comes from the Hebrew word for Germany and was first used in the Middle Ages for Jews living along the Rhine River in northern France and western Germany. Later migration
Torah crown made by Martin Carl Hanias (1697-after 1765; master 1719), Nuremberg (Germany), 1719-33, silver: repoussé, cast, pierced, and parcel-gilt. The Jewish Museum, New York: Jewish Cultural Reconstruction
was eastward with communities settling in Poland, Austria, Eastern Europe and Russia. Sephardic Jews are often subdivided into Sephardim (from Spain and Portugal) and Mizrachim (from Northern Africa and the Middle East). The word ‘Sephardic’ traces to the Hebrew word for Spain. The source of the word ‘Mizrachi’ is from the Hebrew word for Eastern. When the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, many of them were absorbed into existing Mizrachi communities in Northern Africa and the Middle East.
Mantle The Ashkenazi tradition is for the cloth mantle (meil) to be generally of velvet or plush. Constructed from two rectangular forms, the fabric is seamed down the sides with an opening at the top to allow for the wooden staves to pass through. Pre 19th century ornamentation of motifs and designs closely resembles the decorative treatments on the Ark curtain. The embroidery on mantles since the 1800s is generally confined to the front side. Synagogues traditionally purchase many ready-made or commissioned Torahs as possible. Some also ‘adopt’ one of the few Torahs that survived the Holocaust. Along with Torahs, the Nazis also destroyed scores of their ritual finials, breast plates, crowns and pointers, melting them down for their silver content. Any that survived, since they reflect such deep historical and emotional value, are highly collectable. Engraved inscriptions, poignant as well as pinpointing a particular time and place, may increase their value further.
Finials Sets of hollow silver finials (rimmonim) beautify the upper
wooden handles on which Torah scrolls are wound. Their traditional, rounded shapes recall pomegranates, their depictions believed to have graced the robes of the High Priest of King Solomon’s Temple. According to a document discovered in the Cairo Genizah – a depository for worn-out religious texts – silver bell-ringed finials existed as early as 1159. By the 15th century, some of those created in Germany, Spain and Italy imitated architectural church motifs like towers and spires. By the 18th century, most finials used in Germany, Spain, and Morocco reflected this style.
Breastplates Breastplates (chosehen) or shields, ornamental spans of silver secured by delicate chains, are commonly draped over the faces of Torahs in Ashkenazi congregations. While some 17th century Dutch and German breastplates were square or rectangular, later ones were often oval, circular, triangular, or half-crown shaped. Silver work feature repousse or intricately engraved motifs like the Solomonic pillars, folds of rich
drapery, the Ten Commandments, ramping Lions of Judah, Torah crowns, or menorahs, sevenbranched candelabrums. Some breastplates are also wreathed in floral or filigree borders, or include bells or small dedicatory plaques suspended from their bases.
Crown A Torah’s crowning glory is its silver crown (keter), as regal as any that grace the crown heads of Europe. Crowns fashioned from decorative items like greenery and jewellery were first mentioned in an 11th century rabbinical responsum, but within a hundred years, documents describe silver Torah crowns. The designs of today’s crowns, which are used in most Jewish congregations, reflect local styles and traditions.
Definition of a rabbinical responsa With the advent of printing, the decisions made by rabbis, who served as judges and regulators of business activities as well as spiritual leaders, are recorded in works known as rabbinical responsa.
Collecting Judaica Although collected for sentimental reasons, Torah pointers are good investments. Due to the recent proliferation of copies, post World War II, it is advisable to purchase antique pieces from reputable licensed dealers who give guarantees of authenticity and provenance. To ensure the best outcome when contemplating such an investment it is advisable to also consult with museums and auction houses that specialize in this area. However, not all collecting is about acquiring antique pieces. Reproductions are acceptable if they are correctly labelled and identified as such. There is a market for recent finely handcrafted pieces. Like all areas of collecting, price is determined by a number of factors including weight, quality and craftsmanship - maker.
Values Silver Torah crown, a classic example from Berlin, Germany, c. 1870. Courtesy of Moriah Galleries Antique Judaica, NYC
Pointers Since Torah scrolls, out of respect, are never touched by bare fingers, readers customarily use slender silver hand-shaped ritual pointers (yad) to guide recitation from the holy text. Many of these ‘hands’ feature delicately pointed fingers at their tips.
Viewing Judaica Although most of the rare 16th and 17th century pieces are in Made in Egypt, 19th century, silver Torah pointer. Bottom: Of German origin, an 18th century silver Torah pointer. Courtesy of Moriah Galleries Antique Judaica, NYC
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private collections there are extensive collections on show in museums. In Jerusalem, Israel are the Israel Museum and the Jewish Heritage Art Museum. In London is the recently renovated Jewish Museum. The V& A has a collection of early pieces including a 13th century spice box. In the United States is the Jewish Museum in New York, which boasts the most extensive collection in the world. In Europe, the Jewish Museum in Prague houses thousands of confiscated Bohemian and Moravian silver Torah adornments preserved by the Nazis to show the world the remnants of Jewish culture, which they were planning on totally destroying.
Torah pointers dating to the 19th century, depending on elaboration, weight, length and quality, may run between US$1,000 and $3,000. Rarer, older ones may command up to ten times as much. Polish 18th century breastplates, worked in simple floral ornament, averaging 15.24 x 20.32 cm, are the least expensive at US$3,000 to $5,000. A circa 1870s Austrian breastplate can fetch between US$3,500 to $5,000. Larger and more elaborate pieces with dated dedications can jump to well over US$10,000. Similar ones from Germany can cost over US$25,000. Engraved, pierced antique silver Torah crowns are worth anywhere between US$500 and $5,000,000, depending on age and workmanship.
Paul Cholewinski
Floral Embossed China Featuring Carlton Ware - Royal Winton - Shorter and Son at
Camberwell Antique Centre 25-29 Cookson St, Camberwell VIC 3124 Ph: 03 9882 2028 also trading from
Ringwood Antique Market 182 Mt Dandenong Road, Ringwood, VIC 3134 Phone: 03 9879 1686 Mobile: 0412 333 368 paul.cholewinsk@optusnet.com.au
ANTIQUES & COLLECTABLES
FAIR
HUNTERS HILL ROTARY CLUB Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November 2011 (10 am until 4 pm) Villa Maria Hall, Cnr Gladesville Rd & Mary St, Hunters Hill Wide range of fine estate, period and costume jewellery, English and Australian furniture, sterling silver, precious gold, fine porcelain, glass and crystal, linen, clocks, prints, and many other interesting collectables.
Entry fee: $7 per adult each day
(seniors and children (under 12) concessions apply) sept 1 blokey, sport, pubanalia, tools, military sept 8 collection of Victorian & 20th C clothing & accessories Syme family (The Age) oct 6 Australiana & decorative art nov 3 rock, pop & retro & vintage clothing dec 1 toys, books & ephemera
VIP pre-viewing cocktail party Friday 18 November 2010 from 6.30 - 8.30 pm Pre-bookings essential, $25 per person Villa Maria School will be selling lunch, morning and afternoon tea/coffee
Further details can be obtained from John Verhelst at the Rotary Club of Hunters Hill – phone 0437 212121 or email: john@jhconsult.com.au Supporting the assistance of the financial requirements of specific students at Hunters Hill High School, Ryde Secondary College and Riverside Girls High School
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conundrum no.38
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Congratulations to the winner of Conundrum No. 37 Congratulations to the winner of Conundrum No. 37, Ms E. Herbert of Richmond VIC who wins a one-year subscription to the online version of CARTER’S Price Guide to Antiques, valued at $110 and available on the internet at www.carters.com.au. The answers to Conundrum No. 37 are below. There is more to the many famous fiction characters that are now so enmeshed in western culture. Some of their creators looked to folklore heroes, myths and legends for inspiration, others turned to nature for models. These superheroes, loved cartoon characters and figures as well as being household names, made their creators wealthy. Most have moved from the original media for which they were created, such as comic strips, into multiple media and formats including pulp novels, films and television. These have lead to spin offs and the creation of an enormous merchandising industry. On the left are images of six fictional characters who meet the above criteria. They are (in order) Bart Simpson, The Phantom, Gerry Gee, Barbie, Mickey Mouse and Snoopy. Your conundrum in this issue is to identify the creator of each fictional character and write the creator’s name under the character which they created. The creators of the six characters pictured, not in the correct order, are: Walt Disney Ron Blaskett Lee Falk Ruth Hander Charles M. Schultz Matt Groening Once you are satisfied with your answers, complete the coupon below and mail it to the address shown. The first correct entry opened after the closing date for entries, will receive a free one-year subscription to Carter’s online price guide to antiques and collectables valued at $110. Located on the internet at www.carters.com.au, it includes over 85,000 items, from the six previous editions of Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques and five previous editions of Carter’s Everything Vintage, the post 1950s price guide, as well as 15,000 newly added 2011 items that have not been previously published. Carter’s online price guide is fully indexed, making it easier to locate items. If only needing to source information infrequently, the online site offers affordable access for occasional or once-only users. The moderately priced annual subscription makes this an affordable, valuable collectors’ resource.
Answers to Conundrum No. 37, which asked you to associate pictured items with the name of the specialised area of collecting.
1. Italy 2. Ireland 3. Britain 4. Australia 5. France 6. Sweden
CARTER’S PUBLICATIONS
PO BOX 8464, ARMADALE VIC 3143, AUSTRALIA FAX: 03 9819 4407 EMAIL: info@carters.com.au JOHN FURPHY PTY LTD ABN 37 005 508 789
To enter, write the answer underneath the appropriate picture, complete the coupon below and mail or fax this page or a photocopy to reach CARTER’S by 5 pm Tuesday 4 October 2011. Win a free one-year subscription to Carter’s new online price guide to antiques and collectables at www.ThePriceGuide.com.au valued at $110 Name: ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ Address: .........................................................................................................................Suburb or Town: ............................................................... State: .................Postcode: .................Phone..........................................................Email.........................................................................................
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Value your antiques and collectables online with Carter’s Price Guides to Antiques and Collectables. Carter’s Price Guides have been published for 28 years, and include prices on antiquities, antiques, collectables, retro, vintage and 20th century design. We’ve moved Carter’s Price Guides from book form to the internet, and our online price guide includes over 85,000 items, ranging from an Australian cedar sideboard valued at $600,000, to a ‘Man from Uncle’ 1966 comic valued at $5.00
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Collectables Fairs
** Fairs listed prominently advertise complete details in Collectables Trader or Antiques & Art (NSW, QLD or VIC) Collectors should call and confirm the date, venue, address, hours and entry fees to ensure up to date information before travelling to the listed fairs, as changes may occur after printing. Fair organisers who advertise in Collectables Trader and Antiques & Art NSW, Victoria and Queensland have preference for this free listing, as space is limited. Please ring 02 9389 2919 to discuss ways to advertise your fair in these magazines or email copy or request for advertising rates to production@worldaa.com.
AUSTRALIA Australian Capital Territory 17 Sep-16 Oct Floriade Gnomes, Gnome Knoll at Commonwealth Park Canberra ACT New South Wales September 2-4 Northern Sydney Antiques & Collectables Fair, valuations. Gala opening Friday 2. Berowra Community Centre off Berowra Waters Road 0424 023 220 www.nsacfair.com.au 4 Sydney Collectables & Antiques Fair, Greyhounds Function Centre Wentworth Park Glebe 0419 333 220 7-11 10th Annual Australian Antique & Art Dealers Association 2011 Show, The Pavilion AJC Royal Randwick Racecourse Alison Road Randwick Sydney 03 9576 2275 www.aaada.org.au 17-18 Berry Antiques & Collectables Fair, Berry School of Arts 0428 446 534 October 2 Sydney Collectables & Antiques Fair, Greyhounds Function Centre Wentworth Park Glebe 0419 333 220 7-9 Broken Hill Swap Meet, Silver City Pastoral & Agricultural Association Inc Broken Hill Showground 14-16 Vintage Clothing Jewellery & Textiles Show. Opening Friday 14 at 5:30 pm. Canterbury Racecourse King St Canterbury 0409 150 692www.lovevintage.com.au 26-30 The Great Sydney Antiques Fair. Gala preview 26 from 6:30-9:30 pm, Royal Hall of Industries Moore Park Sydney 1300 135 516 info@antique-artfairs.com.au Queensland August 28 Aladdins Antique & Collectables Fair, Brisbane Table Tennis Hall Downey Park, 86 Green Terrace Windsor (inner Brisbane) QLD 0424 731 006 & 0427 557 020 www.aladdinsfairs.com.au September 16-19 Brisbane Antiquarian Book Fair. Opening preview Friday 16 at 6 pm. The Studio, State Library of Queensland South Brisbane www.librisfair.com October 22 Aladdins Antique & Collectables Fair, Brisbane Table Tennis Hall Downey Park, 86 Green Terrace Windsor 0424 731 006 & 0427 557 020 www.aladdinsfairs.com.au South Australia 20-21 August Strathalbyn Collectors Hobbies & Antiques Fair five halls in Strathalbyn 08 8388 6033 Tasmania 23 September The Barn Night Market (4-8 pm) Rosny Barn, Rosny Hill Road Rosny Hobart Victoria September 30 Aug-2 Sep Whitehorse Antiques Fair, Box Hill Town Hall Whitehorse Road Box Hill 2-4 Kyneton Antique Fair during Daffodil & Arts Festival, Kyneton Town Hall. Gala opening Friday 2, 5-8 pm, 0411 208 448 friendsofkynetonmuseum@gmail.com 18 Collectors Heaven Fair, Malvern Town Hall, Malvern 03 9568 8441 www.eventsvic.com.au 24-25 Loch Village Antique Fair, Loch Public Hall 03 5659 4215 sales@carringtons.com.au 25 Maryborough Market Affair at Station Antique Emporium Basketball Stadium Maryborough 03 5461 4683 stantiqu@iinet.net.au October 1 Dog On The Tucker Box Pioneer Fair at The Dog, ‘five miles from Gundagai’ 15-16 Australasian Shelley Collectors Club Fair. Preview 14 October, Koonung Heights Uniting Church Hall East Balwyn 03 9898 4823 www.shelleyclub.com 21-23 33rd Annual Mount Eliza Art Exhibition, Mount Eliza North Primary School. Gala Friday 21 $30 in advance from school 03 9787 6611 www.mtelizaartshow.com 22-23 Kilmore Antiques and Collectable Fair, 1st Kilmore Scout Group, Memorial Hall 14 Sydney Street Kilmore 0409 120 692 www.kilmorenantiquefair.com.au 30 Browse ‘N’ Buy Collectormania Market-Fair, Hawthorn Town Hall 360 Burwood Rd Hawthorn 03 9568 8441 www.eventsvic.com.au Western Australia August 20-21 Claremont Antique & Collector’s Fair, Showgrounds Exhibition Centre Claremont 28 Cannington Antique and Collectors’ Fair, Exhibition Centre cnr Albany Hwy & Station St Cannington September 10-11 Boyanup Antique & Collectables Fair, Hugh Kilpatrick Memorial Hall Boyanup 16-18 Hillarys Antique & Vintage Fair, Southside Dr Hillarys Boat Harbour 17-18 Victoria Park Collectors Fair, Curtin Stadium Bentley October 23 Antiques and Collectables Fair, Kalamunda Agricultural Hall Kalamunda NEW ZEALAND SEPTEMBER 2011 4 Antique & Collectors Fair & Market, Avondale Racecourse 90 Ash St Avondale 10-11 Palmerston North Antique Fair supporting Arohanui Hospice, Freemasons Hall 168 Fitzherbert Ave Palmerston North 16-18 Paeroa Antique Weekend supporting Positive Paeroa, War Memorial Hall 144 Normanby Rd Paeroa Coromandel 17 Hamilton Antiques, Curios and Collectables Fair, Hamilton Tamahere Community Hall 21 Devine Rd Tamahere Hamilton 24-25 Cambridge Antiques Fair, supporting Waikato Breast Cancer Research Trust, Town Hall cnr Queen and Victoria Sts Cambridge OCTOBER 2011 8-9 Invercargill Antique Fair supporting Southland Hospice, St Johns Parish Hall Invercargill Southland 23 Waipu Antiques & Collectables Fair, Waipu Coronation Hall 47 The Centre Waipu
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The rich history of
blue Delftware Fascinatingly, many think the origins of this now iconic earthenware is Dutch, when in reality it traces to China
Top: Plate made by H A Pickardt (1804-1849), often mistaken for Chinese Kang-hsi Below: Five piece dresser set, made by De Porceleyne Fles for the Royal Dutch Family, marked Jakobus Harlees 1771-1786. Donated to the Delfts Museum by King Willem III of Holland
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Hans Werker
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ho loves the Dutch blue pottery windmills, bowls, plates and canal houses, often purchased as souvenirs or for collections? Today, most low-priced souvenir Dutch blue pottery is made in China or Taiwan, giving a hint of its history. This tin-glazed earthenware became synonymous with the town of Delft as much was made in this Netherlands town. Called Delfts blauw, it was originally
hand painted in black cobalt paint that turned to blue during the firing process. The first famous blue-on-white pottery came from China when, in the 15th century, Portuguese sailors imported Chinese pottery for the Spanish and Portuguese nobility and wealthy merchants. Not because it was a good product to import, but using pottery as ballast for the Portuguese rag sail ships called caraque or kraken in Dutch. At the end of the 16th century, Dutch buccaneers, at best called
Just 15 per cent of the Delft pottery collected by King Willem III found in his original showcase
Painters in the 19th century
pirates, stole these caraques from the Portuguese – complete with the cargo and ballast. They sold the blue-on-white Chinese pottery ballast as kraak pottery – a lasting joke on the pirates, as kraak also means breakable in Dutch, confusing kraak pottery with breakable pottery. The trade was so profitable at the beginning of the 17th century, that the pottery alone had a higher value than the actual cargo and ship in the Netherlands. The founding of the Dutch East Indies
Company in 1602 secured the import of the fashionable blue-onwhite pottery as cargo in its own right as well as still packed low in the ships to serve as ballast.
European potteries At that time, the known clay in northern Europe was very coarse and therefore impossible to use for making thin items. Tin-glazed earthenwares were made in the Low Country towns, at Antwerp (1508), Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Haarlem and in 1584, in Delft. Tin-glazed wares were also
Plate with Chinese inspired decoration of the Kang-hsi period (1662-1722), made by Johannes Knotter (16671701) for the De Bacquere family
produced in Germany (Frankfurt and Hamburg) and England (Bristol, Lambeth and Southwark). Early in the 18th century these potteries began to adopt the fashionable blue-on-white colours imitating the oriental products, with eventually 12 companies founded in Rotterdam and 32 in Delft, all copying the blue-onwhite pottery, known as Dutch Delft. They diversified into tiles, table services and vases that could be very large tulipières. In 1653, the De Porceleyne Fles company (The Porcelain Jar) was founded – and survives as Royal Delft – using the same processes over 360 years later. Some pottery specialists now say that its blueon-white pottery is better detailed and of higher quality than the original imported Chinese pottery. In 1919, the predicate ‘Royal’ was granted to De Porceleyne Fles.
Early Dutch potters looked to the imported Chinese pieces for their decorative inspiration, appropriating the narrative style used to depict scenes from history and literature.
Hand-painted tulipière vase valued at $4,000
There are new and blue-on-white Dutch Delft pottery items made at Royal Delft and at Heinen Delftware, established in the early 1970s in Putten. Antiquity alone does not create value in Dutch Delfts as a 2008 hand-painted
vase is valued at $4,000 while one from 1880 costs only $300 because it is not of high quality.
What is Dutch? One thing is for certain – Delfts blauw is seen as a real Dutch trademark. The same as Holland’s tulips (originally from Turkey), its windmills (a Spanish invention), its cheese (every country has its own cheese) and its wooden shoes (the oldest wooden shoe was found in Germany). Strange then, that the original blue-on-white pottery came from China. Then, better quality came from the Netherlands. Yet in 2011, the inexpensive and massproduced blue-on-white pottery souvenirs from Holland are made in China and exported to the
A master painter of Dutch Delft blue in 2011
Netherlands, completing the circle
Vase making in 2010, still the same as 400 years ago
of invention and emulation.
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Kokeshi: The Japanese collectable doll ooden dolls have been made by Japanese wood carvers since the late 15th century, a folk art collectively known as Kokeshi. In northern Japan’s severe winters, snowstorms kept local wood workers indoors so they turned their talents to creating wooden dolls for their children, hand painted in the particular fashion of the times. Gradually the shape and style for painting a Kokeshi doll became almost standardised during the mid-Edo period (1603-1867). After WWII, some younger craftsmen decided to break with strict traditions, not surprising in that time of major change for Japan, adding items to their dolls such as umbrellas, kimonos and hats. Kokeshi became known as either Dento for the traditional style and the creative dolls as Sosaku. There are many sub-classifications for the avid collector to pursue, such as by style, prefecture or town of a doll’s source. The creative Kokeshi Sosaku tradition, made by local craftsmen became very popular tourist mementos of family vacations after the war. This development of creative styles in Kokeshi peaked in the 1950s and 1960s. Families began displaying Kokeshi collections in their reconstructed modern homes. By the 1970s, the Kokeshi fad began to be replaced with plastic mementos and so fewer of those wooden treasure dolls were made, or kept. Now, they are very difficult to find. Kokeshi dolls are a quite valuable collectable. An avid collector of Kokeshi, Lauren Landsberry of Journey Japan has used Howard Products to gently restore the delicate handwork on faded wooden dolls. ‘To redefine the faded features of the older dolls I used Golden Oak Restor-A-Finish first and then, as the overall look of the piece had a mellow golden hue, I finished off with a coat of Howard Feed-N-Wax. For the little hand painted doll, which was basically water paint on raw wood, I used colourless Butcher Block Conditioning wax, which intensified the paint colour without blurring it and didn’t alter the overall paleness of the wood itself. Howard Burnishing Cream added shine to a couple of rather dull little dolls. Howard Products provide a number of unique ways to enhance and protect valuable smalls such as wooden and tin plate toys and Bakelite items.’ Send me an email anytime if you’d like some suggestions and to share your experiences with Howard Products with other collectors.
W
David Foster advice@howardproducts.com.au 1800 672 646 Further reading Michael Evans and Robert Wolf, Kokeshi: Wooden Treasures of Japan, Vermillion Publishing, 2005
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Unique
Commemorative Plate There is a story behind every piece crafted – often lost in time – but not so in this instance Hans Werker
I
n WWII, my wife’s father was a German patriot or a saboteur of the Nazis. He was exposed at the beginning of 1944 and as punishment he and his wife were taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau, a concentration camp – to make him work as a burner (feirmmen). The grisly job of a burner was to take bodies of people out of the gas chambers (Jews, gays, gypsies, etc), transport them to the ovens, and then burn them. Punishing the political prisoners was just ‘for fun,’ to show what Germans could do to them. Burners were a group of 200 political prisoners of many nationalities, including Poland and Germany and every time a new one was sent to the group, the weakest of the old group (with
Hand-painted commemorative plate, designed by W.D. Oosterloo, Porceleyne Fles (Royal Delft) Netherlands, celebrating Heidemarie’s birth on 18 June 1944 at Camp 26 in Auschwitz and official registration of her birth on 11 July 2011
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wife and any children), was killed. He received enough food per day to survive and was allowed to have his pregnant wife with him. So my wife, Heidemarie was born in Lager (German for camp) 26 and the German SS officers allowed the baby to live. Seemingly safe, his shift was 12 hours per day burning bodies, some only unconscious, one by one, thousands per day, seven days per week. The ovens ran 24 hours a day. On 17 January 1945, most of the inmates of Auschwitz were sent on what is now known as a threeday death march as the allies were closing in. The Germans began shooting those eyewitnesses left behind. Miraculously, Heidemarie’s parents survived until 20 January 1945 when Russian troops liberated Camp 26, not aware that Auschwitz-Birkenau was a death camp and allowing the inmates still there to walk away. Her father found a warm German officer’s jacket and while wearing this with the baby inside to keep warm, was mistaken by Russian soldiers as a German officer. In that time it was normal to lock German soldiers in prisoners’ camps where he had to hide his baby. The hatred towards German soldiers was so great the Russians punished first and asked questions later. In 1955 Russia released their German prisoners. My wife’s father had managed to shield his daughter in that camp, living with 400 German male prisoners until eleven years of age. I am not willing to tell what type of life she had between 1945 and 1955. Separated when father and baby were captured by the Russians, my wife’s parents were reunited in 1956. All those years her mother thought that daughter
and husband were dead. In 1958 my wife was officially recognised by a court order based on a record of her parents’ marriage in December 1944, although this is unlikely as at that time they were prisoners. They did not ask the court for an official birth certificate. Sadly, their horrific experiences haunted them for the rest of their lives. Her mother died in 1989 and her father in 1992, with much left untold. In 1987, I met Heidemarie and when we wanted to get married, I learned her story about not having a birth certificate. This tale is every time a torture for her as she must relive her first eleven years. I promised my wife I would get her a birth certificate, to prove that she existed. Now here is a second problem. In that court order of 1958, mention is made of Heidemarie born on 18 June 1944 in Bad Warnbrunn/ Warmbrunn – then Germany, next Poland, later Czechoslovakia and again Poland. Which country would issue a birth certificate? Bad Warnbrunn had been one of the most popular spas in Eastern Germany in the 19th century but disappeared from maps after 1954. Thirty years ago when the Berlin Wall fell and East and West Germany reunited, Bad Warnbrunn was in a triangle between Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia, almost a no-man’s-land. In 2005 we received permission from our Dutch Queen Beatrix to marry, waiting almost 17 years to be allowed to marry. It took until the end of 2010 for a Dutch court to settle the case – perhaps with a little bit of help of our Queen. Because my wife changed her nationality in 1965
The furnaces of Crematorium I could burn approximately 350 bodies daily. The crematorium was built by the firm Topf und Söhne from Erfurt, the same which in 1942 and 1943 installed the furnaces in the four crematoria at Birkenau. Crematorium 1 was working from 1940 to 1943. Photography by Bill Hunt
from German to Dutch she was able to have a birth certificate issued stating that she was a Dutch national born on 18 June 1944 in Bad Warnbrunn. However the official date of her birth registration is 11 July 2011! Therefore my wife was born twice – for real on 18 June 1944 and officially on 11 July 2011. W.D. Oosterloo, a good friend is the main designer for the Porceleyne Fles (Royal Delft). He designed and painted this ‘birth plate’ and gave it to my wife as a present. There is just one plate with this design in the world. While unique items designed and signed by him have values of several thousand dollars, its sentimental worth to Heidemarie and I cannot be measured in money. This is still, after 67 years, a very emotional matter.
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Collectors’ Cottage Antiques Buying and selling a huge range of furniture, antiques
1960s phone
and collectables since 1985
Sheffield plated candle snuffer set
Shelley blue bird demitasse Signed Royal Worcester hand painted plate
Bernard Hesling enamelled table
Pair of Satsuma vases
Majolica strawberry & grape plates
Cedar shop display cabinet
Shop 7, Centenary ANTIQUE Centre 29 Centenary Rd Newcastle NSW • Open 7 days: 10 am – 5 pm Just 100 metres from Civic Station
02 4389 1922 • 0405 127 602 View selection at www.antiquesplus.com.au – search for: Collectors’ Cottage
ANTIK @ BILLY’S LIMITED OFFER Noritake (Australia) 50th Anniversary Limited Editions Bone china Koala figurine made in Japan measuring 13 cm high. Limited edition of 100 Noritake for Australia & New Zealand Print run limited to 3000 copies $199 for both Purchases in Australia post free For overseas purchases, postal charges apply
Contact: Garry on 0402 042 746 or email: billygarry@bigpond.com.au Inquiries & Stall Bookings: All Events Victoria 03 9568 8441 Email: keyt@optusnet.com.au Web: www.eventsvic.com.au
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Payment by: Cheque, Money Order, Direct Debit, Paypal
VINTAGE POSTERS ONLY Wanting to buy original lithographic posters from the turn-of-the-20th-century to 1970. Condition not important! Paying Australia’s best prices. Contact: Sam Johnson 03 9500 2505 Email: sam@vintagepostersonly.com
www.vintagepostersonly.com
1136 High Street Armadale Victoria 3143
The ‘Royal’ Australian Navy
celebrates 100 years Now is a good time to start collecting RAN medals
Top: From colonial to WWI: China medal 1900; Royal Naval Long Service and Good Conduct medal, issued during the reign of Edward VII; WWI RAN medal group, all awarded to Edward Mutton. Combined value $8,155 Bottom: Sydney Emden RAN medal, W Kerr silversmith, Mexican silver dollar base (damaged). Value $1,515
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CollectablesTrader
Peter Lane
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n 31 March 1901, the Commonwealth (Australian) Naval Forces came into being. It was a mere coastal force and consisted of a few ex-colonial ships. By 1910, new ships built in the UK began arriving in Australia. One hundred years ago, on 10 July 1911, King George V allowed the title Royal Australian Navy. By the end of 1913, our navy had a battle cruiser, cruisers, destroyers, submarines and a depot ship. Within a year, Australia was at war with the RAN sending a squadron. The RAN served in all sea theatres of both world wars and many subsequent engagements and theatres of action including Korea, Malay Peninsula, Vietnam and the Middle East. RAN has provided humanitarian aid including tsunami relief in Japan, Samoa and Banda Aceh in Sumatra. Displays at the Australian National Maritime Museum brought thousands of citizens to mark the centenary as part of a
yearlong program of community celebratory events. Further, the centenary of World War I (19141918) is expected to capture the attention of everyone in 2014.
Collecting RAN medals Obviously, now is a good time for readers to start collecting navy medals. A number of RAN medal groups awarded over the years that have recently come on the market provide current information on what medals are worth today. There has always been a strong following for collecting Australian war medals, as they are all named and the recipients can be researched at the Australian War Memorial – now conveniently online. Knowing the recipient’s name and service adds to the interest in owning a medal as each has a unique story. Every RAN medal is desirable and sought after, sold as an individual or in a group. While buying a complete group is dearer, it should be the preferred option as recombining a group might take decades. As many families split
In commemorating the RAN centenary, this article is dedicated to those serving or who have served in our navy and their history of protecting our shores, as recorded on their medals for posterity.
groups – often one or two to each family member – such medals come on the market separately, usually after they are passed down one generation. Remember at auction that the hammer price has added to it the buyer’s premium and GST, quoted as ‘realised prices.’
MEDAL GROUPS The early years Edward Mutton rose to become Hon Aide-de-Camp to the Governor-General and spanned the colonial Victorian-era navy through to Royal Australian Navy action in World War I. His group of three medals had an estimated hammer price of $3,500 and realised $8,155 including buyer’s premium and GST. His is an exceptionally interesting group as it consisted of a China War medal dated 1900, a Royal Naval Long Service and Good Conduct medal, issued during the reign of Edward VII when our navy was still the Commonwealth Naval Forces, and his British War medal 1914-1918 issued to allies was his only RAN medal. As naval medals that span the colonial to WWI period are very rare, they are more expensive. However, collectors often ignore estimates which, at times, are on the conservative side. A typical WWI RAN trio sells for around $500 and a pair for $350.
World War I An unusual WWI group of four includes a Navy Long Service and
Vietnam trio: Royal Australian Vietnam medal, Vietnamese Campaign medal and a USA Air medal awarded to leading airman photographer, John Dawe. Combined value $7,060
Good Conduct medal whose recipient was originally in the Royal Navy at the beginning of the war and later transferred to the Royal Australian Navy, as did a number of Royal Naval personnel. F R Grimshaw’s normal trio was issued with RN details and then his Long Service and Good Conduct medal were recorded as being on HMAS Cerberus, RAN. The estimate of $600 was less than its realised price of $815.
Sydney–Emden medal In the first significant RAN attack on the German navy shortly after the outbreak of WWI, HMAS Sydney successfully captured SMS Emden when it ran aground in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The Australians seized the Mexican silver dollars on board and these coins were later made into medals by W Kerr, a Sydney silversmith,
Post-WWII RAN pair, 1962 General Service medal with clasps Borneo, Malay Peninsula and South Vietnam, and a Royal Naval Long Service and Good Conduct medal awarded to BJ Powell. Combined value $1,040
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WWII group of five RAN medals including DSM, awarded to Able Seaman Lenard George Hansen. Combined value $9,786
WWI group of three Royal Navy medals and one RAN medal awarded to F R Grimshaw. Combined value $815
and every officer and crew member received one. Sydney-Emden medals usually sell for around $2,500 in average condition. This one had minor damage yet its conservative estimate of $1,000 was exceeded at $1,515, which was realistic. These are the most sought-after RAN medals of the WWI era.
World War II Able Seaman Lenard George Hansen was awarded a Distinguished Service medal 1938-1949 ‘for skill, resolution and coolness whilst serving in HMAS Australia during operations
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in the Solomon Islands in 1943,’ a 1939-45 Star, a Pacific Star with a Burma bar, a British War medal 1939-45 and a Australia Service medal 1939-45. This rare and highly prized group of five with the DSM had an estimate of $8,000 and realized $9,786. A WWII RAN group of four medals to a crewmember sells for around $200 to $300.
medal – all have the recipient’s name, B J Powell with his service number followed by the letters ‘RAN.’ Interestingly, the auction catalogue recorded that the recipient’s name did not appear on the RAN roll for the South Vietnam clasp; hence, a low estimate made of $300, yet it sold for $1,040. It appears that the successful and under bidders had done their own investigation, concluding that Powell was entitled to the South Vietnam medal, adding to the value of this RAN pair. A rare RAN Vietnam trio – Royal Australian Vietnam medal, Vietnamese Campaign medal and a USA Air medal – was awarded to leading airman photographer, John Dawe. His air medal was ‘for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight in the Republic of Vietnam during the period 16 November 1967 to 2 March 1968.’ The estimate of $2,500 was almost tripled to the final price of $7,060, probably a record for this combination. This price reflects collectors’ enthusiasm to secure a rare RAN Vietnam group with a USA air medal. An average two-medal Vietnam group sells for around $500. Images courtesy Noble Numismatics Sydney & Melbourne Further information Royal Australian Navy www.navy.gov.au Australian War Memorial www.awm.gov.au
If starting to collect RAN medals, talk to reputable dealers and auction houses; read books; look at catalogues and past prices;
Post World War II
and visit specialist dealers.
A valuable RAN pair – 1962 General Service medal with clasps Borneo, Malay Peninsula and South Vietnam, and a Royal Naval Long Service and Good Conduct
Be warned that many copies are for sale online that would easily fool a beginner – but not an experienced dealer or collector.
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Scott’s last Antarctic expedition a tale of science and human endeavour The valuable scientific discoveries are often overshadowed in the retelling of this story of great courage and tragic loss of life Elin Simonsson
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n 1912, Robert Falcon Scott and his four companions – Henry Bowers, Edgar Evans, Lawrence Oates and Edward Wilson – died on their long, arduous return journey from the South Pole. Since
then, perceptions of Scott as a person have varied greatly, from celebrated national hero to flawed leader. But there was much more to Scott’s last expedition than the quest to reach the South Pole first. On 4 January 1911 Scott and his expedition team arrived at what was to become the main base-
camp for those who would stay on mainland Antarctica (the ‘Shore Party’). Scott named this area of Ross Island ‘Cape Evans’ after his second-in-command, Edward Evans. This is where they set up the wooden hut that was to be their main living quarters during the dark, cold winter.
Above: Scott and the Polar Party at the South Pole. Left to right: Captain Lawrence Oates, Lieutenant Henry Bowers (seated), Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Dr Edward Wilson (seated), Petty Officer Edgar Evans. Licensed with permission of the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge Below: Scott writing in his area of the expedition hut, Scott’s cubicle Photograph taken by Herbert Ponting. Pennell Collection, Canterbury Museum NZ
The first year: science and preparation The expedition’s first year in Antarctica was busy. Not only was the full scientific program underway, but preparations for the long journey to the South Pole had also begun. Scott predicted that it would take almost five months to get to the Pole and back, and the journey required detailed planning. Preparations involved testing of food rations, sledging equipment perfected, clothing was altered. In early 1911, a number of expedition members went on a preliminary trek to place stores along parts of the route.
Scott’s birthday dinner, June 1911. Photograph taken by Herbert Ponting. Canterbury Museum NZ
Suitable clothing for the conditions Their clothes were typical of those used by Antarctic explorers at the time. The clothes were constructed of materials designed to protect against cold and wind and were made up of layers of woollen and cotton clothing, with windproof jackets and trousers on top. The men wore a variety of mittens, often in many layers to give extra warmth, and woollen and windproof balaclavas. Wired hoods and goggles protected faces from frostbite and snow blindness. It may seem surprising that the men on the Terra Nova expedition did not wear fur, but it was an impractical material for anything other than footwear and mittens. Hauling heavy sledges was hard physical work and fur would simply overheat the men.
The South Pole expedition Scott set off towards the South Pole on 1 November 1911. His southern effort initially included 16 men transporting supplies, with two driving the dog teams, a team of 10 travelling with the horses, and four with the motor sledges. As they progressed, men
The Tenements, 9 October 1911. Photograph taken by Herbert Ponting. Pennell Collection, Canterbury Museum NZ
gradually turned back, leaving just one smaller party of five (Scott, Henry Bowers, Edgar Evans, Lawrence Oates and Edward Wilson) to complete the last stretch hauling their own sledges.
Beaten by the Norwegians Scott’s group arrived at the Pole on 17 January 1912, with the terrible realisation that the Norwegian team led by Amundsen had beaten them. After their incredible effort and endurance in the most extreme conditions, they were not the first humans at the Pole, and now they faced the long and exhausting return to base camp.
A tragic ending As they travelled north, they were slowed by unexpected cold,
blizzards and sand-like ice that made hauling the sledges even more gruelling. Forced to reduce their daily rations, they began to starve. Exhausted and suffering from frostbite, they knew they might not make it. Evans died one month after reaching the Pole, and four weeks later Oates walked into a blizzard, never to return. The three remaining men – Scott, Wilson and Bowers – carried on, but unusually cold temperatures slowed them even further, and violent blizzards finally trapped them in their tent. They were running out of food and fuel just 20 kilometres from a major supply depot, but they never made it. Aware of their fate, they wrote heartbreaking and powerful
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Edward Atkinson in the laboratory. Photograph taken by Herbert Ponting. Canterbury Museum NZ
goodbyes to parents, wives and friends. Scott kept writing his diary until the very end. In one of his last entries, he wrote: ‘Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman.’ Back at the Cape Evans hut, the men were anxiously waiting for the Polar party to return. They were expected in March 1912, but as time passed the men at base camp had to face the terrible realisation that their companions might have died. Life carried on despite their worst fears: more scientific work and another Antarctic winter at the Cape Evans hut. When light and warmer temperatures finally returned, a search party set off on 19 October 1912 to look for Scott and his men.
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Sad discovery On 12 November, they spotted a tent in the distance. Inside, they found the bodies of Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Wilson and Henry Bowers, frozen in their sleeping bags. Alongside them were their letters and diaries that told the story of what had happened. Edgar Evans and Lawrence Oates were never found, their bodies forever lost in the vast Antarctic wilderness. Terra Nova left Antarctica for the last time in January 1913, bearing the tragic news that Scott and his four companions had perished. It is at this point where the story of the Terra Nova expedition often ends when retold today. But, in reality, it was far from over. With large quantities of scientific information and thousands of specimens to be examined and analysed, there was much more to be done.
LEGACY: varied and rich The Photography of Herbert Ponting (1870-1935) Scott’s last expedition left a rich legacy that continues to inspire and inform today. The expedition photographer, Herbert Ponting, skilfully captured every aspect of their time in Antarctica: men at work, life at the hut, the beautiful Antarctic landscape and some of the earliest Antarctic wildlife photography. It is thanks to him that we have such a rich visual record of the expedition, and many of his photographs have now become iconic images of the expedition.
Scientific research The scientific work carried out on Scott’s last expedition made an important contribution to evergrowing knowledge of Antarctica. When Terra Nova returned from
Members of the Terra Nova expedition with Scott in the centre. Photograph taken by Herbert Ponting. Canterbury Museum NZ
Antarctica, she carried hundreds of crates, jars and bottles containing thousands of zoological specimens. The specialists who later studied them discovered hundreds of previously unknown species. Other fields presented important discoveries, too.
Summary of Discoveries In total, the scientific results from the expedition were published in 80 individual reports produced by 59 different specialists, covering zoology, geology, botany, meteorology, magnetism, glaciology and physiography. The zoological and geological specimens are now part of the Natural History Museum’s and the Canterbury Museum’s scientific collections and are available to scientists for research, today and in the future.
Movement of glaciers The studies of glaciers helped to advance knowledge about how they form, move and shape the landscape.
Mapping When the results from geological investigations were combined with newly-mapped land features and surveyed land, it allowed for a more detailed picture of the Ross Sea region – the area where the expedition was based – to emerge.
Scott’s diaries As for Scott, he lives on through his remarkable diaries. He was a skilled writer who vividly described daily life in the Antarctic, and produced gripping tales of human endeavour. His words will continue to inspire those who read them.
Heritage One hundred years on, the wooden expedition hut still stands at Cape Evans, now cared for by the
New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust, with large quantities of provisions and equipment left behind by the Terra Nova expedition still inside. It is an astonishing testament to Robert Falcon Scott and his last expedition.
Viewing artefacts and scientific research Scott’s Last Expedition is a collaboration between the Natural History Museum, London (UK), the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch (NZ), and the Antarctic Heritage Trust (NZ). Scientific specimens collected on Scott’s Antarctic voyage together with artefacts used by Scott and his team are reunited after almost 100 years apart.
The exhibition Scott’s Lost Expedition is on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum until 16 October 2011. For more information call 02 9298 3777 or visit www.anmm.gov.au.
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Set of 18 carved dining chairs $15,000 French music cabinet, c. 1880, marquetry inlay $4,950 D Winterhalter, Miniature portrait, $650 Ferdinand Preiss (Germany 1882-1943), Pomona, gilt, bronze, ivory on marble base. Preiss & Kasler foundry mark Ferdinand Preiss (Germany 1882-1943), Figure on onyx base, c. 1930, signed 16 French mid 19th century brass inkwell $1,595 Rosenthal lidded jar $750 Hand-painted framed miniature, signed $495 Victorian chatelaine magnifier $550 Sovereign case made by Dennison Watchcase Co (USA), c. 1895 $150 Vintage marble topped gaming table in excellent condition $2,195 French Henri II style oak desk, c. 1880, with 9 drawers $6,800 Lladro figurine $800 Perfume bottle, sterling silver and crystal $195 Solid oak lectern with kneeler $1,295 Bronzed spelter inkstand $2,995 French mid 19th century brass inkwell $1,595
Silver, Ceramics, Advertising, Clocks, Kitchenalia, Bakelite, Perfume Bottles, Oriental, Costume Jewellery, Cruet Sets
212â&#x20AC;&#x201C;220 Parramatta Rd, Camperdown NSW 2050 Phone 61 2 9550 5554 Fax 61 2 9550 4990 Email: camperdownmews@bigpond.com Open 7 days 10 amâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;6 pm Off-street parking
WE BUY, SELL, HIRE AND TRADE
Revisiting a favourite English manufactory 2 Vogue cup and saucer
the art deco designs of Shelley Potteries For many, the Shelley name is synonymous with the art deco designs on delicate wares of the 1920s and 1930s
Anne and Bruce Sandie
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uring the late 1920s and the 1930s, Shelley Potteries designed some art deco wares that are highly regarded by collectors, particularly their fine bone china tea and coffee wares.
Shelley history Begun in 1822 as Elkin Knight & Co making earthenware near Stoke-on Trent Staffordshire, later proprietors added china production until this pottery evolved through a succession of owners to be Wileman & Co in 1872. In 1925 it was renamed Shelley Potteries,
1 Queen Anne trio, earthenware vases
although the Shelley trademark was introduced in 1910, so Shelley is used to refer to the Wileman and Shelley periods. Particularly known for its fine bone china tea, coffee and tablewares, Shelley made a wide variety china and earthenware products from the highly decorative such as lustre glaze wares first introduced in 1920, to over 400 utilitarian domestic wares in 1930 including jelly moulds and bedpans. In 1966, Allied English Potteries acquired the pottery and production under the Shelley trademark ceased. As background to the art deco period, the first few years in Britain after World War I were a time of optimism and Shelley expanded its works, its workforce and its production. Conditions soon deteriorated in the mid1920s with the 1926 General Strike, the 1929 Wall Street Crash and the worldwide depression. Market opportunities still existed and Shelley Potteries responded by introducing new ideas, design styles, including art deco and embarked on a very successful marketing campaign. Therefore, the period from 1925 to 1940 was one of considerable success 4 Eve cup and saucer
3 Mode cup and saucer
with a large export trade, including to Australia. Throughout this period of innovation, Shelley also continued to make wares for traditional tastes.
Art deco The term Art Deco (1918-1939) was coined in the 1960s as a style label based on the new designs featured in the 1925 L’ Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. So-named art deco included stylised motifs, geometric lines and patterns, and strong colours. Many earlier civilisations and art styles influenced it, ranging from
Cubism to the art and artefacts of ancient Egypt, Mexico, Africa and Japan. Art deco design was adopted widely for architecture, furniture, clothing and decorative and household wares. When art deco designs flourished during the later 1920s and the 1930s, Shelley introduced it into its china and earthenware ranges. Eric Slater joined Shelley’s design department in 1919 as a 17 year old to work with his father Walter Slater, who had been Art Director since 1905. Eric trained at the Burslem and Hanley Schools of Art and was responsible for many of Shelley’s art deco designs, including some new modern shapes for tea, coffee and table wares. One of his strengths was that he designed patterns and shapes that complemented one another. He followed his father as art director in 1937, retiring in 1972 after 53 years with Shelley, following Allied English Potteries’ merger with the Doulton Group. Slater’s designs include the very popular octagonal Queen Anne shape, released in 1926 with a pattern range with some in the form of stylised trees, scenes (Figure 1) and geometrics.
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5 Regent cup and saucer
6 Shelley art deco earthenware
In 1930 Vogue and Mode cup shapes were released, featuring a series of geometric art deco patterns (Figures 2 and 3). Although the shapes were praised, the solid cup handles proved difficult to hold, so in 1932 Mode evolved into Eve, with an open handle (Figure 4). Regent, an elegant cup shape with a circular handle and curved sides was also released in 1932 (Figure 5). Shelley also applied art deco patterns to earthenware vases, bowls, jugs and pots (Figures 1 and 6). In the 1930s, Eric Slater developed another popular art deco earthenware range known as Harmony Ware. It used a decorating technique in which very fluid glazes in strong colours were allowed to blend and flow, with the process sometimes aided by rotation on a potting wheel (Figure 7). Shelleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art deco output declined in the late 1930s as the style effectively ceased at the onset of World War II. Post-war shortages brought in quite different design influences for Shelley. Further reading Andrew Casey, 20th Century Ceramic Designers in Britain, Antique Collectorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Club, Woodbridge England, 2001 Susan Hill, The Shelley Style, Jazz Publications, 1990 Rick Hubbard, Shelley Vogue and Mode Designs, self-published, 2011 Chris Watkins, William Harvey and Robert Senft, Shelley Potteries The History and Production of a Staffordshire Family of Potters, Barrie & Jenkins, London, 2007
For more information about the Australasian Shelley Collectors Club and Wileman and Shelley, visit the club online at 7 Harmony Ware (Tulip cup and saucer is earthenware)
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www.shelleyclub.com
Knowledge base
There is so much more to collecting silver
One of a pair of Louis XV silver tureens made by Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier Paris, 1734-1746 for the Duke of Kingston Private Collection. Photo © Christie’s Images
From a royal treasure to exquisite jewellery, coins and a baby’s first spoon – the pieces are vehicles for understanding something about their makers and the people they were made for Talismans and antidotes A precious metal, pieces made in silver that survived being melted down often provide amusing insights into the superstitions beliefs held in earlier days. For example, did you know that beautiful gold and silver tableware designed for 15th century princes to show off their ‘Tongues of Adders’ (dragons) were fossilised
shark’s teeth and thought to protect from poisons in food and drink? The ornate bezoar (a stone) set with gold and emeralds and topped with a gold crown was often given as gifts between princes as an effective remedy against melancholy and epilepsy! A bezoar is a concretion (a hard solid mass formed by parts uniting into a whole) found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals – mainly ruminants – hoofed animal that chews cud – such as cattle, camels and giraffes.
Dining – royal style – more than for the table Part of 70 piece pure gold breakfast and washing service made by Anton Matthias Joseph Domanek in 1750. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
The French silversmith JusteAurèle Messonnier (1695-1750) designed flamboyant rococo tureens for the Duke of Kingston.
A silver study day explores some related silver topics including royalty and silver. An interesting subject is why are there coats of arms and crests on silver? It all started on the battlefield – as a form of identification that distinguished friend from foe so as to ensure you attacked the right person! Not easy to see who was inside all that armour. So how does it relate to silver and how to interpret coats of arms and crests? Then there are the questions posed by all collectors: What is it worth? What makes a piece of silver valuable or desirable? Is it guesswork or personal
Appreciated for their exquisite workmanship, they also provide a platform for historians to ask related questions such as: What was the motivation for the order? What was the relationship between patron and artist? In the case of these tureens – they are regarded as works of creative genius by one of the most innovative men of the time. On show in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna is the 70 piece pure gold breakfast and washing service made by Anton Matthias Joseph Domanek (1713-1779) in 1750, for Maria Theresa (17171790), Archduchess of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, mother of the ill-fated Marie Antoinette. Maria Theresa was the only female ruler in 650 years of the Habsburg dynasty.
taste? Luck or judgment? How subjective is it? Is granny’s tea pot good, bad or indifferent? Deciding which is a lot more precise and scientific than you might think. There is a procedure which will help – a set of criteria that involves asking a series of questions and depending on the answers, it can be decided where a piece might fit into the scheme of things. To find out more about the Kirkoswold silver study day organised by Jolyn Warwick James in association with Abbott’s Antiques Turramurra NSW contact Brian Abbott on 02 9449 8889 or email antiques@tech2u.com.au.
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Collecting Esperanto books Created to be a universal language able to bridge political and cultural divides, today Esperanto is recognised as a culture on its own
ROB DITESSA
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icole Else is an author on Esperanto and is compiling a catalogue of her collection of extraordinary Esperanto books, numbering in the hundreds. Some are exceptional because they are historic, while the collector personally knows some of the authors such as Claude Piron who wrote his first books, detective novels in Esperanto. Else heard Australian Trevor Steele, whose titles include La fotoalbumo discuss his book, in Esperanto, of course.
An Esperanto Family Else is the third generation of Esperanto speakers. Her grandfather learned it in 1920s Germany, buying Esperanto magazines and books, and continued to read Esperanto for 60 years. Her grandmother and their three daughters, including Elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother spoke Esperanto and her parents met at an Esperanto occasion. At first her parents spoke
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only Esperanto at home because that was their only mutual language. The first Esperanto book that Else collected was a book called Kaj nun ni eklaboru (And now let’s start work). It is a children’s picture book published in 1961, when she was a year old. The book describes a different profession on each page. Else liked the pictures very much, for example, one of a little girl cooking paper fish cut from a book. That this title eventually became the first volume of her collection perhaps arose from the fact that Esperanto was spoken at home. Some interesting titles in her collection came from an elderly couple who downsized when they moved into a retirement village. She even found quite a few books in a rubbish bin, as someone who did not appreciate Esperanto books had thrown them out, and she rescued them. One of Else’s favourite books is a 12,000 word German-Esperanto dictionary which she describes as cute because it is just 5 by 3 cm, about 1 cm thick and remarkably has 630 pages. Jen Londono, published in 1971 in the Ladybird series of books, is another title that is special for Else. She remembers a copy was given to all the 2,000 participants at the first world Esperanto conference in
London in 1971, with her copy autographed by its translator, Professor John Wells. The most historically significant book in her collection is a 1938 edition of the first novel written originally in Esperanto, titled Cu li? Magazines in her collection include issues from 1921 and 1922 of Esperanto, the journal of the Universal Esperanto Association. She has several issues of The
British Esperantist from 1910. Another historic title is Bildotabuloj por la instruado de Esperanto (1919), a well-illustrated book of Esperanto vocabulary, as well as the
WHAT is Esperanto? L L Zamenhof created the Esperanto language, detailed in his book published in 1887, with the aim to create a language that everyone could learn in a reasonable amount of time, and that would serve as a commonly shared means of communication. Esperanto does not have grammatical gender other than in the two personal pronouns li / him and i / her. Although some people think that Esperanto has failed, Else says this is not the case. Esperanto is still used by people around the world and you can learn Esperanto for free online. The International League of Esperanto-Speaking Teachers in Copenhagen attracted over 1,600 participants from over 60 countries in July 2011.
Top: Historical and popular Esperanto titles from top left: Heroldo de Esperanto; The British Esperantist; Léon Courtinat’s Historio de Esperanto (2a parto) 19141933; The Adventures of Tintin – La Nigra Insulo (The Black Island), Association Espéranto de Lille-Villeneuve, Casterman 1987; Femina, quarterly magazine about women’s affairs Above: Kaj nun ni eklaboru (And now let’s start work), Esperantaj Francaj Eldonoj, Marmande, 1961, her first Esperanto book
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An example of Esperanto prose Kiam kato promenas, la musoj festenas. (‘When a cat goes out, the mice will feast.’)
Top row, left to right: El Popola inio (From People’s China), first published in May 1950 until went online in 2000
Bildtabulo, illustrated Esperanto vocabulary Kolomano Kalocsay, u Li, Budapest Hungary 1938. Kalocsay Kálmán (Hungarian 1891-1976) is one of the foremost figures in the history of Esperanto literature Above: Jen Londono (London), Ladybird, Wills & Hepworth 1971 Below: Tiny German-Esperanto 12,000 word dictionary, 629 pages, 5 x 3 x 1 cm, Liliput-Wörterbuch DeutschEsperanto Im Anhang: Kurzgefa te Grammatik, H Schmidt & Günther, Leipzig 1928
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Chinese magazine in Esperanto, El popola Cinio. Books range from Esperanto translations of Agatha Christie and Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, to original Esperanto books by Raymond Schwartz. There are books for children, poetry books, Tintin and Asterix comics, and textbooks for speakers of Hungarian and dictionaries. ‘I have Hamleto (that) Zamenhof himself translated Shakespeare into Esperanto. It was first published in 1906,’ Else adds. Else has been a solo collector from the start, not relying on anyone’s help to source new additions. Internationally, she exchanges information mainly with a collector in Croatia who has a collection of 4,000 Esperanto books. Locally, the NSW Esperanto Federation has a collection of old Esperanto books including a postcard written by Zamenhof in January of 1910, addressed to the Sydney Esperanto club. The Australian Esperanto Association has a collection of books, as do a few other individuals.
Cherishing a collection Else enjoys being the custodian of her significant collection. Space is always a problem, with the collection stored in cupboards with doors to keep out the dust and limit any damage from the environment. Unfortunately, the books are lined up on deep shelves in several rows which make access cumbersome to items at the back. With her love of Esperanto books and an interest in communication and languages, she included a section about Esperanto in a children’s book she wrote about languages, albeit in English – Foreign languages: what
they don’t often tell you. In terms of monetary value, Else says it is difficult to put a price on any book in her collection. Most books would have been printed in quite small quantities and she has never come across a catalogue with values for Esperanto books. Anyhow, she is not interested in their monetary worth.
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for YOUR library Grace Cochrane, White gums and ramoxes: Ceramics by Merric and Arthur
Boyd from the Bundanon Trust Collection, Bundanon Trust West Cambewarra NSW 2009 Hardcover, 127 pp., over 200 b/w & colour illustrations, heritage photos AUD$35 plus $10 postage and handling within Australia from Bundanon Trust +61 2 442 22100
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his contribution to Australian decorative arts history literature focuses on the
ceramics and methods of potter Merric Boyd (1888-1959), often referred to as the ‘father of Australian studio pottery’ and his second son, potter, painter and engraver Arthur Boyd (1920-1999), as it delves into their relationship and how each developed his art. It is the catalogue of an exhibition, White
gums and ramoxes from the Bundanon Trust Collection. The title refers to two characteristic motifs in their works: Merric’s interpretations of trees and Arthur’s ‘ramox’ from his interest in metamorphosed figures. Taking the form of a biographical essay on three generations of the creative Boyd family, briefly introducing Arthur Merric Boyd (1862-1940), the book is illustrated by historic photos and Merric and Arthur’s drawings, sketches, paintings and ceramics through successive periods. It succinctly outlines the context of art developments, ceramics in particular, in the first half of the 20th century and many well-known artists’ working relationships with each other and the Boyd family of artists, internationally and in Australia. Merric’s life and works comprises the first third and Arthur is the remaining two-thirds. The deeper subject that is not clearly articulated is the
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interrelationships between Merric and Arthur, as father and son, as artists and potters, the support of their artist wives, and Arthur‘s siblings who assisted from time to time: Lucy, Guy, David and Mary. The ceramic developments followed by father and son(s) and ways they took advantage of evolving ceramics methods and changing markets for ceramics are instructive for artists even today. While indicating their differences, their similar attitudes and approaches to art are noted: both expressed spiritual elements and the social impact of wars; each developed themes from personal experiences; and both were keen experimenters. Merric’s pottery and drawings are often about his family, while Arthur’s ceramics, prints and paintings frequently refer to his father – unfortunately the author does not analyse this description of their persistent yet separate themes in their respective works. This cannot be excused because it is a catalogue, given many exhibition catalogues address broader subjects and audiences, unrestrained by the selected items on exhibition, going beyond the chronological, providing scholarly analysis and a critical review of others’ research. A great deal of detail is included in the essay, bordering on distraction such as when referencing Arthur’s painted ceramic tiles between 1949 and 1952 and comparing him with
contemporaries Miro, Picasso et al, the author adds that Gaughin decorated stoneware pots in 18861887. Verging on a literature review rather than a studious essay, sources for the litany of quotations and citations are in an appendix, followed by a list of reference books for anyone wanting to read prior, more scholarly accounts. The family tree that ends the book is very useful for keeping track of the in-laws. Without page numbers for the essays on the contents page or a subject index in the rear, it is extremely difficult to delve back into the book for periods or persons of interest. To appreciate the works and their makers, the images should be larger, more significant in the layout and given sufficient space, not set three abreast on the lowest quarter of a page. It is irritating that there is no link between the images of works in the body of the essay and the thumbnail images in the catalogue appendix; the latter follows a curious order, naturally first of Merric then by Arthur – neither in consistent chronological order nor in the order that they appear in preceding pages – failing basic referencing to support the essay. Incidentally, Doris Boyd deserves her own section rather just as a subcategory of Merric’s works. It is hoped that the Bundanon Trust will do this collection justice in the next edition of the catalogue.
Sheila Allan, Diary of a Girl in Changi (1941-1945), Griffin Press Adelaide 2010 Softcover, 270 pp., 10 illustrations, 18 b/w historic photos, 2 maps, 8 colour illustrations. $20+$5 postage. Purchase from the author, sallanbruhn@yahoo.com.au
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teenage Australian girl’s diary can bring many surprises. When Allan, her stepmother
and her Australian father were among civilian prisoners of the Japanese in WWII she kept a diary, describing internment in the basic Changi Prison from early 1942 until the end of war. She begins with their rough trip down the Malay Peninsula, arriving to bombings in Singapore, near-death experiences (shrapnel landing on her pillow) and the stench and sadness of death and the violence of war. Despite the threat of a death sentence, Allan wrote her diary on scraps of paper throughout four years’ imprisonment in Changi and later the Sime Road camp; an authentic description of the terrible conditions faced, especially by the women and children. It has the refreshing immediacy of a teen observer as she describes the daily activities of the women and teens caring for young children, segregated from their husbands, sons aged over 12 years, brothers and fathers in a camp beyond a courtyard that was the only entrance in or out of the gaol. Thousands more arrived and thousands died of starvation, disease, lack of adequate medical supplies, mental pressures and suicides. Allan’s writing is descriptive with keen observation skills, yet without sentiment or anger; she retains the cryptic style from her original entries that protected identities and events should her diaries ever be discovered by the Japanese guards. Her personal editing does not lessen the sense of constant pressure or neardeath conditions under which she lived and wrote. She successfully conveys the resilience and creativity of women and men and their
organisational and inventive skills to survive adversity and barbaric treatment, with occasional innocent irony, such as initially being told to take just enough for ten days to Changi Prison. Irritations from close confinement, poor nutrition and boredom are humorously recorded. It is surprising to read about the extensive social program arranged by prisoners for small children and many adult activities including pantomimes, fancy dress balls, orchestra and singing performances with a few programs reproduced in the book, and the very British elevenses. Her descriptions provide relief between numerous bouts of malaria and dysentery, food shortages, guards’ cruelty and lasciviousness, and deaths. Vast education programs developed – a school ran for children and adult classes – and the author describes her assistance at the former and attendance at the latter. The harsh treatment and death sentences are recorded through a teen’s unsophisticated but scared eyes. The passages describing her personal hardships and sadness are rare, such as desperate hunger driving her to eat worms and a baby mouse. One feels the sense of community in which Allan lived and to which she contributed during imprisonment. Tolerance, caution, humour, creativity and the constant hope for freedom mark her diary entries. Her father’s death, two months before the end of war, is her purest expression of grief and loneliness. Eventually repatriated to Australia, the author joins her father’s sister in Melbourne and pursues her decision to enter nursing as made in Changi; she says goodbye to her diary on 24 November 1945. The diary is appended by later
events, putting original entries into the post-war context. The first is Allan’s return to Changi in 1992, 50 years after fall of Singapore, her fearful tour of the old prison and her search for her father’s grave – she would finally bring his ashes to rest in Australia. Another emotional return to Singapore was in 1995 for the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Singapore. Allan provides an update on the Changi quilts,* individually created and signed by women internees including her own square. In 2002 Allan visited England to meet old friends and to find missing links, both people and objects; in 2006 she repatriated the Girl Guides Quilt to England, the first of the four quilts made in Changi. Each of these recent trips reunited Allan with fellow internees, ‘like a family reunion of my Changi family, as that was all I had after the war.’ Perhaps the most compelling reason to read this book is to learn about and give credit to the women and children civilians who were imprisoned and to heighten awareness of them among the ANZAC legends. Sheila Allan Bruhn speaks regularly on her experiences and related topics, notably the Changi Quilts. *The Changi Quilts, Collectables Trader, edition 98 (May-June 2011) pp. 28-31
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Stephen Gracie, photography by Uri Auerbach, Jambiya Daggers from the Ancient Souqs of Yemen Hardcover, 210 pp., over 400 colour illustrations. Purchase details from author: yemenjambiya@gmail.com
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emen is associated with its strict religious culture, rugged geographic terrain and the proud traditions such as men wearing the jambiya dagger. This book provides an understanding of the relationship of the jambiya, its various styles and the tribal influences on its development. Ancient jimbayas are worn and sold in the souqs that are like living museums. The variety of form, colour and technical achievement in the exotic jimbaya will captivate everyone looking for a new collection to commence. Superb photography wellreproduced here takes the reader on a journey through the ancient cities and souqs in this truly ancient culture still relatively isolated in the deserts and mountains of southern Arabia. A well-researched book, the
&
out about
form of text and images take the reader through a day in Yemen, from dawn to the evening, beautifully illustrated with Uri Auerbach’s photographs. The regional differences are clear to this expert author that might not be noticed by a newcomer to the jambiya. Don’t skip the introduction that lays out the historical and cultural context of the jambiya and its manhood symbolism. The international history and commerce that is concentrated in Yemen is astounding, from the trade in incense dating from before the Roman Empire; ancient contacts with Ethiopia, Kenya, Zanzibar, Egypt and Persia; the adoption of Islam; to occupation by Turks; and new trading with India – thousands of years of trade and cultural exchange from east to west.
Long weekend fair in Melbourne
Coinciding with the June long weekend, marking the Queen’s birthday, was James A Johnson’s Melbourne Antique Fair held at Malvern Town Hall. This historically significant landmark, built 1885-86, provided the perfect setting for the strong contingent of antique and art dealers who brought to the fair an extensive range of fine and highly collectable pieces. Serious collectors and interested visitors to this five day event were delighted with the offerings, choosing from antique jewellery to decorative ceramics to functional, timeless beautifully constructed furniture. Collectors of art deco were not disappointed nor were collectors of oriental and antique prints and paintings. There was something for all interests and at all levels.
Greg Cook of L J Cook & Co & Brian Rodgers of Coleman Antique Clocks
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The scabbards were more important for signifying social status, through wealth of decoration and embellishment, but the blade was the most important in wartime. The use of horn for the hilt is very rare today, so it indicates a quality and rare item. It was a change of warfare technology, the introduction of firearms to Yemen in the early 1500s that reduced the jambiya from a fighting instrument to a manly social decoration. The passion of this author and photographer for the history and culture of Yemen as well as the jambiya are sustained throughout its chapters. Unfortunately the text was not proofed sufficiently before printing, so grammatical and punctuation errors should be corrected in the next edition.
Maureen Mackley, John Cobby & Simon Mackley of Mackley Fine Art
Fair organisers Jimmy & Helen Johnson
Ben Duggan of Pegasus Antiques & Marvin Hurnall
Vincent Day of Day Fine Art
Sheridan Brown, Marvin Hurnall & Peter Valentine of Valentines Antique Gallery
Robert Dennis, organiser of Bendigo & Warnambool Antique Fairs
some
centenary milestones Comics – centenary plus The invention of the newspaper comic strip was in 1895 with Hogan’s Alley featuring the Yellow Kid and lasted until 1932. Not many of these are around today. The golden age started with Action Comics No.1 and the introduction of Superman and similar characters with super powers published from about 1933 through to 1945.
Technology comes of age IBM is celebrating its centennial year marking the milestone with lectures, themed managing information – looking over the past 100 years to identify underlying patterns that are continuing to shape the present and the future.
Tennessee Williams turned 100 in March Hailed as the greatest playwright America has produced to date, though some might say Eugene O’Neill, Arthur Miller and August Wilson are equally worthy contenders for the title. Who has not heard of The Glass Menagerie (debuted Chicago 1944), A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Sweet Bird of Youth and The Night of the Iguana.
Thomas Edison’s predictions On 23 June 1911 the Miami Metropolis published Edison’s predictions about the year 2011. Among the claims, he predicted the rise of steel, the death of the steam engine, and that books would be printed on leaves of nickel, ‘so light to hold that the reader can enjoy a small library in a single volume. A book two inches thick will contain 40,000 pages, the equivalent of a hundred volumes; six inches in aggregate thickness, it would suffice for all the contents of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. And each volume would weigh less than a pound.’ Amazing!
It took a tragedy for there to be worker’s rights New Yorkers marked the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire (27 March 1911) in which 146 people perished; mostly young Jewish and Italian women many of whom were aged 14 and 15 years. Such was the impact of the tragedy that 350,000 people marched through Lower Manhattan. Subsequently, local, state or federal law required that fire safety devices be installed, or that safety protocols be followed and child labour abandoned.
International Women’s Day first celebrated in 1911 The concept was proposed in 1910 at an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. In Australia, the first suffrage group, the Queensland Women’s Suffrage League was formed 1889. In 1891 Dr Lilian Cooper arrived in Brisbane from England, the only woman practicing medicine in Queensland until 1899. Queensland women voted in their first state election in 1907.
July Test cricket at Lords It’s the 2,000th Test, with the first in 1877 between England and Australia at the MCG, Australia winning by 45 runs. It took 100 years to play the first 803 Tests, but only 34 years to play the next 1197.
Royal Australian Navy gets ‘royal’ In 1911 the Navy was granted the prefix ‘royal’ to its title. That year at Port Phillip, the Port Melbourne naval Drill Hall was built on the site adjacent to the former Post Office, making it probably the first new building completed for the new Royal Australian Navy.
Motor racing memorabilia The Indy 500, badged as the most important race in history, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. For collectors of raceway tickets the organisers have produced special ticket featuring winner Dario Franchitti and logos marking the centenary.
A great Australasian business enterprise On 18 August 1903 Leslie Joseph Tingyou was born in Canterbury, Sydney. He grew up to become known as ‘LJ’, changing his surname from Tingyou to Hooker, disguising his Chinese heritage as a response to the social climate in Australia. LJ is knighted in 1973 and becomes Sir Leslie Hooker in recognition of his services to commerce and the community.
Douglas Mawson travels to Antarctica On 2 December 1911, the Aurora departed from Hobart for Macquarie Island where a radio base was established. The Australasian Antarctic Expedition to chart the 2000-mile coastline directly south of Australia under Sir Douglas Mawson (1882-1958), then continued south making landfall at Cape Denison in Commonwealth Bay, the windiest place on the planet. Mawson’s account of the expedition, The Home of the Blizzard (London, 1915), is a classic of polar literature.
A Rolls Royce icon turns 100 The Spirit of Ecstasy hood mascot was first fitted to Rolls-Royce models in 1911 and is recognised the world over as a symbol for the pinnacle of automotive aspiration.
Centenary of national census This year is the 16th census of population and housing which is conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics every 5 years. The National Census Act was passed in 1905 and the first Australia wide census taken in 1911. For coin collectors – the one dollar aluminium bronze coin struck by the Royal Australian Mint, marking the 2011 census
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noticeBOARD
Philip Quirk, Paddington Town Hall. Photograph 2009
Protecting our past In 2009 Philip Quirk photographed every building on both sides of Sydney’s Oxford Street from Taylor Square, Darlinghurst to Queen Street, Woollahra. This documentation, the subject of an exhibition titled Book Two, is 8 metres in length fully extended and includes a photograph of every building on both sides of the street along this two kilometre stretch. The exhibition is as much about change as it is about protecting our past. How important is our architectural history and heritage? Showing at Barometer Gallery Paddington 24 August-5 September. More details at www.oxfordstreetprofile.com
Recovered pottery, parts of a jug, c. 1824
Convict potter exhibition The Rediscovering Jonathan Leak exhibition, showing at the National Museum of Australian Pottery in Holbrook until February 2012, draws on finds unearthed in a
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2007 Sydney archaeological dig. Discovered in a clay pit tip used to deposit broken pottery are the earliest surviving marked domestic pottery made in Australia. The pieces are from the workshop of Jonathan Leak (1799-1838), transported for life after being found guilty for burglary. In 1822, Leak was granted a ticket of leave, going on to establish a successful business.
Geelong Gallery
Developing an eye and having fun Geelong Gallery is running children’s tours under the banner Eye spy during the spring school holidays. Children are asked to ‘Follow the art sleuth through the Geelong Gallery to hunt for clues and uncover the hidden secrets of the wonderful world of art.’ The tours will be held on Wednesdays 28 September and 5 October at 10.30 am. Bookings are essential as they are very popular events. For more information call 03 5229 3645 or visit www.geelonggallery.org.au.
Stories of triumph in embroidery From South Africa and showing at the Australian Catholic University’s Brisbane campus (30 August17 September) is the Canticle of the Universe. This is an exhibition of 31 embroidered panels measuring 32 metres stitched by 17 women with HIV/AIDS from the Kopanang Community. These internationally acclaimed artists are now highly collectable, using the medium of embroidery to support themselves and their families. More at www.acu.edu.au
Fresh direction Now with a new owner, the yellow warehouse on the corner of Mitchell Road and Fountain Street, in Alexandria Sydney,
has been given an updated title - Mitchell Road Antique & Design Centre - and a strong retro theme. For more details call 02 9698 0907.
Shelley conference The Australasian Shelley Collectors Club is holding a conference at the Tudor Motel in Box Hill, Melbourne on 16 October in tandem with their annual fair. To book call 03 9898 4823/ sandie@iprimus.com.au
Silver – maintaining it is easier than you thought Cleaning silver is to some an arduous task and an effective deterrent to collecting the wonderful myriad of designs created over the centuries. A short instructive DVD produced by silver historian Jolyon Warwick James together with W J Sanders, Australia’s oldest silver manufacturers shows how to clean and care for this precious metal. In some instances, all that is required is a clean with washing up liquid and a soft sponge. For more information JWJ: 04120 42155 WJS: 02 9557 0134
Klimt milestone – 149 years old Exactly 100 years ago, in 1911, Gustav Klimt (1862 - 1918) won his first art prize in Rome for his work, Death and Life. His works
have lost none of their appeal, continuing to captivate subsequent generations of collectors. This is borne out by the sale in 2006 of Adele Bloch-Bauer which achieved US$135 million.
A buoyant market The most important collection of porcelain snuff boxes assembled in the 20th century sold for £1,700,000 at Bonhams, London recently. The top lot was a Meissen gold-mounted Royal snuff box made for Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. Conservatively estimated at £100,000-150,000, it sold for £860,000, setting a world record price for a porcelain snuff box at auction.
Meissen snuff box
People places and events At Geelong’s Wool Museum Hidden Treasures will profile seven of Geelong’s volunteer-run museums and collections that contain a variety of objects, images and stories documenting the history of the region. The show opens 2 September and runs until 30 October. Entry fees apply.
The evolution of an art form Alexander McQueen (1969 - 2010) was an artist whose medium of expression was fashion. Such is the impact of his designs that the exhibition celebrating his life and work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, attracted more than 661,509 visitors during its run from 4 May to 7 August. This placed it among the Museum’s top 10 most visited exhibitions, and ranks as the eighth most popular exhibition ever held at the Met in its 141-year history.
800 years old and going strong Coins weekly (www.coinsweekly.com) reports the Republic of Latvia issued in July a collector’s silver coin commemorating the 800th anniversary of the Riga Cathedral, home of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church since 1884 when the then largest organ in the world, of 7,000 pipes and 124 stops, was built. For the organ consecration service, Franz Liszt wrote a special piece – prelude to the choral Now Thank We All Our God. The oldest interior objects have been preserved since the 16th century. The stained glass windows and paintings guard the rich evidence of artistic life of the 18th and 19th centuries.
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TRAVELS ABROAD Royal Bayreuth annual convention The Royal Bayreuth Collectors Club will hold its annual convention in Dayton Ohio, 15-17 September. Vintage porcelain pieces, generally the focus of the club, were produced through the early 1900s. Found in hundreds of sizes, shapes and patterns, the figural pieces are particularly colourful and whimsical. The factory in Tettau Germany is still making fine dinnerware. Visit www.royalbayreuth.org. A historically significant property New York City’s Woodlawn Cemetery has been designated a National Historic Landmark - the highest recognition accorded to the USA’s most historically significant properties. Woodlawn, founded in 1863 celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2012. It is one of the USA’s finest examples of a 19th-century garden cemetery. It is home to the largest and most distinguished collection of historic mausoleums in the nation, and is a still active cemetery. Woodlawn features stained glass, mosaics and sculptures by Louis Comfort Tiffany, John La Farge, Robert Aitken, Alexander Archipenko, Sally James Farnham and Attilio Piccirilli.
September in London The LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair being held at Berkeley Square, 21-25 September, will include antique canes, needlework and samplers, art deco jewellery and scrimshaw. Other transportable collecting options are glass, clocks, drawings and miniatures. Of course, if you can’t find something to buy – there is the fine dining experience in the restaurant on the terrace.
Art and culture at Korea’s Incheon Airport Having to spend some time in the airport? Then after shopping have a cultural experience. The Korean Culture Museum, located centre of Fl. 4, Concourse, is showing five millennia of Korean history. Among the exhibits are scenes from the royal court life during the Chosun dynasty and the Mugujeonggwangdaedaranigyeong (Mugujeonggwang Great Dharani Sutra) which is the world’s first wooden block copy epitomising Buddhist culture. More London celebrations Celebrating 25 years is the annual Historic Buildings Parks & Gardens Event organised by the Historic Houses Association (HHA). Held at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre,
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Westminster London on Tuesday 15 November from 9 am – 5 pm, www.hall-mccartney.co.uk.
Whose house did Vincent Price and Stephen King visit? Off the beaten track is the Baltimore Poe House and Museum at 203 Amity Street, West Baltimore. Here the impoverished Edgar Allen Poe penned amongst others his first true horror story – Berenice. It is designated a landmark, so it’s in no danger of being torn down, even if it closes as a museum as there are not enough funds to keep it open. Apparently visitors report that the house feels spooky. It is about a mile from Poe’s grave in the Westminster Burying Ground, where for decades a mysterious visitor left a half-filled bottle of cognac and three roses every year on his birthday, 19 January. There are other Poe related sites in Richmond Virginia, Philadelphia, and the Bronx NY.
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trader 20th century English ceramics Royal Doulton Limited Edition Australian exclusive Bunnykins Billycart DB491 $149 Roundabout Antiques, Toowoomba QLD 07 4632 8805
Royal Doulton Limited Edition Australian exclusive Bunnykins Aussie Ute Tableau DB492 $349 Roundabout Antiques, Toowoomba QLD 07 4632 8805
Fine Moorcroft vase decorated with anemone pattern, signed ‘William’ on base $1600 Joy Findlow 03 5821 3174
Royal Doulton Limited Edition Australian exclusive Bunnykins Howzat DB490 $109 Roundabout Antiques, Toowoomba QLD 07 4632 8805
Moorcroft comport decorated with floral pattern to body,13 x 16 cm, in perfect condition $995 Joy Findlow 03 5821 3174
Anne Hathaway’s house made by Lilliput Lane England $90 Tulip Antiques & Art Silvan VIC 03 9737 9010
Bone china mantle vase in the Royal Worcester style, made in England c. 1900, h: 23 cm, no maker’s mark $1800 Toowoon Bay Antiques Toowoon Bay NSW 02 4334 1775
WANTED: Clarice Cliff, Moorcroft and Carlton Ware Ceramics, vases, plates, coffee and tea sets by genuine private collector CASH PAID. TONY or KERRIE 02 9905 0174 or 0418 279 749
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Hand-painted pottery bowl made by Newport Pottery Burslem England, c. 1920, electroplated silver trim, h: 11 cm $165 Aggie’s Attic Newcastle NSW 02 4926 4547
Hand-painted pottery cake stand made by Newport Pottery Burslem England, c. 1920 on electroplated silver base 12 x 20 cm (diam) $125 Aggie’s Attic Newcastle NSW 02 4926 4547 Hand-painted jug made by Tuscan Decoro Pottery England, c. 1920, h: 20 cm Aggie’s Attic Newcastle NSW 02 4926 4547
Hand-painted jug made by Wood & Sons England, c. 1960, h: 23 cm $95 Aggie’s Attic Newcastle NSW 02 4926 4547
Johnson Bros (UK) lidded vegetable tureen, c. 1930 $55 Flawed and Fabulous Maitland NSW 02 4934 5799
Empire Ware England milk jug, c. 1940, h: 15 cm $68 Collectors’ Cottage Newcastle NSW 02 4389 1922
Art Deco coffee pot made in UK, c. 1940, h: 19 cm $110 Michael Morris Nar Nar Goon VIC 0408 357 669
Biscuit barrel made by Westminster Pottery England, c. 1940, h: 17 cm $125 ChanSes R Mackay QLD 07 4952 4022
Ewer made by E. Radford England, c. 1930, h: 29 cm $120 Simple Décor Newcastle NSW 02 4926 4547
Hornsea England teapot, 1960s, decorated with Heirloom design $85 Retro Active Northcote VIC 03 9489 4566
To see more dealer items for sale, visit www.AntiquesPlus.com.au, managed by John Furphy Pty Ltd who also publish Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques, now online at www.carters.com.au
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Lidded tureen made by Alfred Meakin England, c. 1935 $165 Collectors’ Cottage Newcastle NSW 02 4389 1922
Coffee cup and saucer made by Meakin England c. 1935, in Rouge Royale colourway $38 Collectors’ Cottage Newcastle NSW 02 4389 1922
Figurine made by Kingston Potteries England, c. 1930, h: 26 cm $110 Born Frugal Enterprises Richmond VIC 03 9428 5889
Hand painted jug made by Samford Ware England, h: 18 cm $40 The Centenary Centre Newcastle NSW 02 4926 4547 Dish made in Burslem England, c. 1910, 11 x 19 x 12 cm wide $75 Northumberland Antiques & Restorations Terrigal NSW 02 4384 6464
Demitasse cup and saucer made by Old Royal Bone China England $38 Northumberland Antiques & Restorations Terrigal NSW 02 4384 6464
display cabinets
Australian display cabinet, c. 1910, in original condition, maple handmade glazed glass panels, original lining, original handles, 174 x 118.5 x 38 cm $2450 Belle Epoque Antiques Haberfield NSW 02 9572 6672
English Sheraton Revival style display cabinet, c. 1910, inlaid mahogany, glazed doors, drawers edged with fruitwood banding $2150 Nostalgia Antiques Pty Ltd Thornbury VIC 03 9480 3745
French single door cabinet made by Aubon Marche Lyon, France, c. 1895, restored, 247 x 100 x 100 x 45 cm $3300 Seanic Antiques Newport VIC 03 9391 6134
To see more dealer items for sale, visit www.AntiquesPlus.com.au, managed by John Furphy Pty Ltd who also publish Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques, now online at www.carters.com.au
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French vitrine, c. 1890, kingwood and ormolu with hand-painted Vernis Martin panels, 200 x 117 x 35 cm $18,375 Sue Ellen Gallery Main Beach QLD 07 5532 2282
English bookcase display cabinet, c. 1930, mahogany fixed shelves, fabric backed case, 127 x 118 x 33 cm $899 Heritage Shed Antiques Hurstbridge VIC 03 9718 2822
small tables 1956 Melbourne Olympics fold-up occasional table, original condition, 45 x 49 x 49 cm $250 Antique Effects Ballarat VIC 03 5331 3119
England, George IV Regency wine table, c. 1830, rosewood, quatrefoil base, solid Brazilian rosewood turned column, h: 72 cm $2250 Roy’s Antiques Pty Ltd Fitzroy North VIC 03 9489 8467 Swedish art deco coffee table, c. 1935, flame mahogany top on triform base, 61.5 x 100 cm $1450 Nostalgia Antiques Pty Ltd Thornbury VIC 03 9480 3745
Viennese Biedermeier walnut table, c. 1830, inlaid marquetry top with crossbanding in walnut, 68 x 64 x 47 cm $2695 Beechworth Wine Centre Beechworth VIC 03 5728 1855
English oak cricket table, c. 1750, 700 x 600 cm $3450 Martin Allen Antiques South Melbourne VIC 03 9699 1866
French art deco coffee table, c. 1920, walnut top, gilt decoration, 50 x 95 x 95 x 50 cm $695 Brunswick Street Antiques Fitzroy VIC 03 9416 3093
To see more dealer items for sale, visit www.AntiquesPlus.com.au, managed by John Furphy Pty Ltd who also publish Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques, now online at www.carters.com.au
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Victorian fold-over card table, c. 1865, burr walnut, original casters, 73 x 51 x 102 cm $4400 Tom & Jan Hearn Antiques Tyabb VIC 03 5977 4414
Australian occasional table, c. 1930, on pedestal $750 Tarran Court Pty Ltd trading as Online Antiques Harcourt VIC 0407 321 865
English fold-over card table, c. 1870, burr walnut veneered top, baize interior, h: 74 cm $4500 Turn O’ The Century Antiques Sherwood QLD 07 3379 7311
Art deco hoop coffee table, c. 1930, Australian ash and walnut $495 Brunswick Street Antiques Fitzroy VIC 03 9416 3093
English Chippendale style demi lune card table, c. 1930, mahogany, cabriole legs, paw-and-claw feet, restored, 76.5 x 95 x 48 cm $1450 Nostalgia Antiques Pty Ltd Thornbury VIC 03 9480 3745
Australian hall table, c. 1900, cedar, 77 x, 107 x 54 cm $450 Collectors’ Cottage Newcastle NSW 02 4389 1922
European art deco nest of four tables, c. 1940, rosewood top and mahogany, original glass, 60 x 60 cm $495 Brunswick Street Antiques Fitzroy VIC 03 9416 3093
Australian arts and crafts table, c. 1910, mountain ash 77 x 59 x 59 cm $495 Brunswick Street Antiques Fitzroy VIC 03 9416 3093
Regency fold-over swivel top card table, c. 1815, rosewood, on quadriform base with carved leaf decoration 74 x 92 x 45 cm $2150 New Norfolk Antiques New Norfolk TAS 03 6261 1636
To see more dealer items for sale, visit www.AntiquesPlus.com.au, managed by John Furphy Pty Ltd who also publish Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques, now online at www.carters.com.au
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Pair English Victorian Elizabethan-revival torcheres or wine tables, c. 1870, of walnut with integral candlesticks, the same size as old candle stands that held brass candlesticks, h: 95 cm $1650 Roy’s Antiques Pty Ltd Fitzroy North VIC 03 9489 8467
Australian Queen Anne style coffee table, c. 1935, restored, 50 x 60 cm $395 Seanic Antiques Newport VIC 03 9391 6134
Vintage Georgian Chippendale style wine table, c. 1960, mahogany, 72 x 60 cm $500 Roy’s Antiques Pty Ltd Fitzroy North VIC 03 9489 8467 Anglo-Indian folding rosewood table, Regency George III style but probably c. 1840, hand-carved reeded legs locked into place with wooden hinges identical to those used to support the leaves on Pembroke tables, 76 x 137 x 58 cm $700 Roy’s Antiques Pty Ltd Fitzroy North VIC 03 9489 8467 French side table, c. 1840, mahogany, 72 x 81 x 31 cm deep $3500 Turn O’ The Century Antiques Sherwood QLD 07 3379 7311
clocks
Scottish longcase clock, c. 1830, mahogany with original key and weights, bell strike on the hour, 205 x 47 x 18 cm $5900 Tyabb Antique Centre Tyabb VIC 03 5977 4245
English late Georgian long case clock, c. 1780, 30 hour movement, and bell strike on the hour, 206 x 45 x 45 x 25 cm $2650 Seanic Antiques Newport VIC 03 9391 6134
Gustav Becker Germany art deco grandfather clock, c. 1928, Westminster and Whittington chimes, 200 x 59 x 30 cm $3500 Seanic Antiques Newport VIC 03 9391 6134
To see more dealer items for sale, visit www.AntiquesPlus.com.au, managed by John Furphy Pty Ltd who also publish Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques, now online at www.carters.com.au
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S Drefus Paris mantel clock, c. 1890, slate, marble striking drumhead, visible escapement, 8-day striking, key wound movement, 30 x 36 cm $2600 Bairnsdale Clocks Bairnsdale VIC 03 5152 6962 French Art Deco marble clock, c. 1930, bell strike on hour and half past the hour, 23 x 41 x 13 cm $1595 Seanic Antiques Newport VIC 03 9391 6134
French Boulle case mantle clock, c. 1870, open escapement, 35 x 22 x 13 cm $995 Mentone Beach Antiques Centre Mentone VIC 03 9583 3422
French mantle clock, gilt bronze case porcelain panels, 8 day movement, 39 x 32 cm $3750 Phil Smyrk Antiques Wilston QLD 07 3257 7447
Wurttemburg, Germany clock, c. 1930, oak case, 10.5 x 7 x 4 cm $95 Mentone Beach Antiques Centre Mentone VIC 03 9583 3422
Ansonia mantel clock, c. 1900, with bronzed feet, ebonised cast iron, Roman dial with piecrust bezel, 8 day striking key wound, 26 x 44 cm $1100 Bairnsdale Clocks Bairnsdale VIC 03 5152 6962
ADVERTISING RATES
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1/4 page colour $270 1/2 page colour $456.50 Full page colour $830
English carriage clock, c. 1910, working order, 8 day movement, painted Roman numeral dial, original key, brass, bevel edged crystal sides and top, 16 x 9 x 7 cm $1150 Beechworth Wine Centre Beechworth VIC 03 5728 1855
Ansonia mantle clock, c. 1910, ebonised cast iron case, gold incising gilded pie crust bezel, visible escapement 8-day key wound striking movement, 27 x 41 cm $1245 Bairnsdale Clocks Bairnsdale VIC 03 5152 6962
French mantle clock, c. 1855, Japy Freres movement West Indian rosewood portico case, boxwood striping and Dutched floral inlay, the mounts and pendulum circe perdue cast and chiselled then fire gilded, 50 x 26 x 13 cm $2260 Antique Times Ascot Vale VIC 03 9326 0003
Wuba, Holland Zaanse wall clock, c. 1960, chiming on the hour and half hour, 60 x 20 x 15 cm $195 Antique Times Ascot Vale VIC 03 9326 0003
trader
photography
1
3 2
1 Sunbaker, 1937 2 Moonflower, 1982 3 Interior Elizabeth Bay House, 1978 4 At Toowoon Bay, 1985 5 Blue Gum Forest, c. 1940
5
4
One of a set of five framed photographs making up a portfolio illustrating Max Dupainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s versatile approach to a broad range of subjects. They were selected by him for this set of limited edition prints published for the Royal Blind Society and were among his personal favourites. These were produced in the late 1980s. Set of five framed $2,500. Individual $600 each. Brasac Enterprises, 02 9389 2919
Girard Perregaux 9 ct white gold, stainless steel case back, 17 jewel $2750 Brasac Enterprises 02 9389 2919
Omega Seamaster automatic-date, black face, c. 1965 $2295 Brasac Enterprises 02 9389 2919
Cartier Gold on sterling silver Quartz, c. 1990 $1500 Brasac Enterprises 02 9389 2919
Omega Constellation 18 ct, app 115 gm, automatic-day-date, c. 1968 $6500 Brasac Enterprises 02 9389 2919 Gold, diamond and jade stick pin, $3750 Brasac Enterprises 02 9389 2919
Omega Seamaster, 14 ct, c. 1960s $1895 Brasac Enterprises 02 9389 2919
Rolex ladies 18 ct Cellini 19 jewel, c. 1970 $4000 Brasac Enterprises 02 9389 2919
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Antique and Modern Clocks and Watches Repairs and Sales
Family business established 20 years Specialising in antiques & decorative arts CONDUCTING MONTHLY AUCTIONS Next auctions: 25 September 2011 16 October 2011 20 November 2011 For future monthly auctions see our website
Friendly professional service Free quotes Guarantee on major repairs Clocks bought and sold Leigh Fist 493 North Road Ormond VIC 3163
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OBC
Valentine’s Antique Gallery IMPORTERS OF FINE QUALITY ANTIQUES ESTABLISHED 1947
Superb Italian bronze hunting scene 36cm wide c.1880s
Royal Worcester blush ivory jardinière 22cm high c.1902
Victorian mahogany 3 leaf dining table with turned legs h: 74, w: 353, d: 142 c.1870s plus superb set of 12 (5 & 7) late Victorian walnut dining chairs including 2 carvers c.1880s
Please refer to our website: www.valentinesantiques.com.au for a full listing of new stock
Valentine’s Antique Gallery 369 Hargreaves Street, Bendigo, Victoria 3550 Phone: +61 3 5443 7279 Mobile: 0418 511 626 Email: peter@valentinesantiques.com.au www.valentinesantiques.com.au
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
Consignments wanted for our important November auction Be a part of our success in 2011
Victoria Cross group to Pte. E. Kenna A.I.F. (Sale 97 lot 3985) sold for $1.16 million
Sale 98
22-24 November 2011
Hotel InterContinental
Sydney
Consignments closing soon Contact our Sydney office (02) 9223 4578 or our Melbourne office (03) 9600 0244 for a free, confidential valuation
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