MAY - JUNE 2013
EDITION 109
trader 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 DUNBAR RELICS Identifying tokens from one of the worst colonial disasters in Australia
FOLK ART Marvels of design created for a functional purpose are now highly collectable
STARS OF SILVERSMITHING Special feature on artists working with local materials to create distinctly Australian jewellery
TIPS FOR COLLECTORS ON HANDLING POTENTIAL HAZARDS Revealing the hidden risks
Graham Lancaster Auctions
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Saturday 5th October 2013 (Kelly Park, Werribee VIC) ‘The Towe Collection’ of Antique Bottles
WE AUCTION We are Australia’s leading auction house for: ◆ Australiana, pottery and carnival glass ◆ Advertising signs, tins and pub mirrors ◆ Antique bottles and stoneware Sold $6,650
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Collecting today has never been more exciting as enthusiasts are able to draw on an ever-increasing field of collecting directions. Historical events, for example, have impacted on the movement of artisans. Dr Dorothy Erickson looks at the 19th century gold rush in Western Australia that attracted the Levinsons, a renowned English silversmithing family, as well as the famous JWR Linton and one of his studio partners, the award-winning but forgotten artist Kitty Armstrong. Spurred on by miners happy to spend their earnings from rich mines on gold craftsmanship, these gold discoveries as well as the earlier ones in New South Wales and Victoria led to the local production of gold jewellery, at first with symbolic gold-mining imagery and later with distinctly Australian motifs. Anne Schofield highlights how Australian jewellers of the time produced beautiful and highly sought-after work and thus found a ready market for their creativity – then and now. Still in the 19th century, and closer to home for many, the wreck of the Dunbar at the entrance to Sydney Harbour in 1857 was one of Australia's worst colonial disasters and ignited a collectables stampede which began the day after the victims' funeral and continues until today with heritage items, such as Hanks and Lloyd tokens, periodically coming onto the market. In the 20th century, one of the most impactful events – as well as one of the most documented in American history – was the assassination of US president JF Kennedy. Sparking the production of a myriad of memorabilia, the resulting two classes of collectable – pre and post assassination – range from films and books to a GI Joe action figure, bubble gum cards and a Superman comic. What is definitely very real is the issue of potentially poisonous substances when collecting old bottles or other containers including fire extinguishers, first aid boxes, doctors' bags and chemistry sets as well as the substances themselves such as mineral specimens. This continues Geoff Crawford's well-informed series of articles addressing possible risks of which collectors should be aware. His pharmacy background coupled with a personal interest in collecting results in intriguing as well as informative reading. Also intriguing is folk art, a rustic movement which traversed the backdrop of Australia as well as the United States. Drawing on traditional European skills, this peoples' art is explored by Conrad Blakeman who finds its simplicity and creative flourishes are attracting renewed interest. Finally, for those with an interest in oriental arts, a review of decorative works in the Qing dynasty continues the series by Melody Amsel-Arieli. The Manchu reign influenced and inspired artistic pursuits in a number of ways. Often encouraging creativity, in the area of ceramics an emperor's reactivation of the imperial factory resulted in over 3,000 workshops producing wares and an era of superlative porcelain production. Such interesting sidelights are peppered throughout this issue which covers so much more. Once again the magazine is a repository for articles that explore the arts, heritage and history, each giving us insights into other times and places. Reading about such craftsmanship and exploring the creative process reminds us that collecting is honouring the past and holding these creations for the future. Eva Jaku
CONTRIBUTORS Melody Amsel-Arieli is an Israeli-American freelance writer on art, collectables, genealogy, history and more. Her most recent book is Jewish Lives: Britain 1750-1950 (Pen & Sword). Conrad Blakeman is an antique dealer based at Wyberba in Queensland. He is passionate about collecting for himself and other collectors. Dr Geoff Crawford has a background in science and a PhD in microbiology. He is also a collector and deals in antiques and collectables. Rob Ditessa writes articles on artists, collectors and collecting trends. Dr Dorothy Erickson is an art historian, curator, editor, author and practicing jeweller. Her publication Gold and Silversmithing in Western Australia: A History is an essential resource. John Harrison is an enthusiastic movie memorabilia collector as well as delighting in pulp fiction. 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. Paul Rosenberg of Moorabool Antique Galleries, Geelong VIC is a specialist in ceramics from antiquity to the modern age. Anne Schofield is proprietor of Anne Schofield Antiques in Queen Street Woollahra NSW. She is an approved valuer for the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program and co-author with Kevin Fahy of Australian Jewellery: 19th and early 20th Century. Roy Williams is a noted antique dealer, principal of Roy’s Antiques in historic Fitzroy. He specialises in 18th and 19th century English, French and other European furniture, hallmarked silver and Imperial Russian silver and icons.
CONTENTS FEATURE ARTICLES 10
62
Maritime themed collecting:
Meissen’s Johann Friedrich Böttger
SPECIAL FEATURE
Discovering the secret to making hard
Tips for collectors on handling
paste porcelain
potential hazards: continuing the
Paul Rosenberg
series by Dr Geoff Crawford
Dunbar souvenirs
16
The significance
Decoding labels: from early children’s chemistry sets to
of Hanks and
medical collectables, old
Lloyd tokens
containers & substances
Peter Lane
20
Hidden risks in old rings, fire
24
extinguishers &
JFK memorabilia This president
mineral specimens
FOCUS
remains one of the most collectable
PROFILING AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS
figures in
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36
COLLECTING PROFILE A collector reveals how his
Stars of silversmithing: The Levinsons
collection of affordable
American
The WA gold rush attracted this English
matchboxes and matchbooks
political history
artisan family to settle in Australia
are also a window to history
John Harrison
Dorothy Erickson
Rob Ditessa
KNOWLEDGE BASE 30
Secular arts during the Qing dynasty
76
Imperial taste set the tone of
The unicorn: its meaning and origin
creative pursuits Melody Amsel-Arieli
68
Federation jewellery Gold discoveries in NSW & Victoria led to local production of gold jewellery
Anne Schofield
REGULAR FEATURES 42
Following the trail of finely crafted furniture Roy Williams
50
Kitty Armstrong: an Australian metalsmith & artist Until recently, a forgotten Western Australian
Dorothy Erickson
47 49 80 82 84 87 88 95 96
Conundrum Fairs and more Out & about Online Magazines Notice Board Collectables Subscription Trader Advertising Rates Advertisers’ Index
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56
Folk art: inspired creations Societies created from European transmigration into New Worlds gave rise to what is now known as peoples’ art
Conrad Blakeman
WIN conundrum enter our prize draw See page 47
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AMANDA ADDAMS AUCTIONS Auctioneers and Valuers
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Monday 3 June 2013 6.30 pm Viewing: Saturday 1 June 11 am – 4 pm Monday 3 June 12 noon – 6 pm Monday 1 July 2013 6.30 pm Viewing: Saturday 29 June 11 am – 4 pm Monday 1 July 12 noon – 6 pm Monday 5 August 2013 6.30 pm Viewing: Saturday 3 August 11 am – 4 pm Monday 5 August 12 noon – 6 pm
QUALITY SINGLE ENTRIES OR LARGE COLLECTIONS (ANTIQUES, ART, COLLECTABLES, DECORATIVE ARTS AND DECEASED ESTATES) ARE ALWAYS INVITED FOR SPECIAL AUCTIONS
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www.aaauctions.com.au David Freeman 0419 578 184 Amanda Freeman 0419 361 753
STARS OF SILVERSMITHING the levinsons of western australia The gold rushes attracted an English silversmithing family who created precious pieces for the domestic market from 1896–1961
Dorothy Erickson
WA silversmithing: a potted history estern Australia is mostly
W
known for its artistcraftsman silversmiths. The best known being the Linton
family, their assistants and Gordon Holdsworth. J.W.R. Linton, who taught as well, worked on silver in Western Australia from c. 1902 to c. 1946 and had various partners – Arthur Cross, Kitty Armstrong, William Andrews, Kitch Currie and his son Jamie Linton who made much of the work. Jamie (James Alexander Barrow Linton) who worked from 1920 – c. 1980 also had various assistants, including Terry Walsh, George Lucas and his son John. Jamie became the best-known silversmith in Australia after World War II. Meanwhile, deep in the country, artist-
A brooch in 18 ct gold with rubies and pearl from the collection of the Western Australian Museum, photographed upon the page of the catalogue in which it featured
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CollectablesTrader
craftsman Gordon Holdsworth worked in the same manner from c.1908 –1960s.
Five sterling silver sorbet dishes made by Levinson & Sons, h: 10.8 cm, with sterling silver spoons made by Jamie Linton, c. 1933
However, there were some other makers of silver hollowware in Western Australia, which had no silver mines to stimulate production and very little manufacturing industry of any kind was undertaken until the gold rushes of the 1890s. Sadly, many of these nascent industries collapsed after Federation when the protective import duties were phased out. The three commercial firms who survived and manufactured and retailed hollowware were Caris Bros, Stewart Dawson, and Levinson and Sons. All had English origins and arrived during the gold rushes. For most of their history, Caris Bros and
A brooch from the collection of the Western Australian Museum photgraphed on the approriate page of the catalogue in which it featured
Steward Dawson relied on original
the 1890s and the Victorian bank
work such as Perth Cups, to make
crashes occurred, Mark moved to
their commissioned hollowware. Caris
Western Australia bringing with him
paten made for Lady Bedford to
Bros and Stewart Dawson retained
his two sons Eugene and Felix. In
donate to the Beaconsfield church in
their links with parent companies in
1896 they set up in Howick Street
1916 in memory of her husband who
England and much was imported.
(now Hay Street East) as Levinson &
had been Governor of Western
Levinsons’ Australian story
Sons. Two years later they had moved
Australia. The design of this had the
to 167-9 Barrack Street and by 1907
broad bowl derived from the Icelandic
they were at larger premises at 81-89
Chalice in the Victoria and Albert
Barrack Street. With a larger staff they
Museum, a shape they later adapted
needed a good foreman and in 1911
for sorbet dishes and sporting cups.
they sponsored Reece Jones to come
Commissions
The story of the Levinsons is slightly different. Michael Levinson established a jewellery and watchmaking business in Sheffield in 1840. The discovery of gold in
to Western Australia.
Levinsons advertised in the daily
Victoria and New South Wales
Demand for church work
papers and various church
however saw his eldest son Hyam sail
As a result of the population increase
newspapers and also produced a
in 1854 on the Marco Polo for
during the gold rushes, many new
comprehensive 86-page catalogue of
Victoria. Seven years later, his second
churches were being built and the
jewellery and hollowware. The
son Mark joined Hyam at Sturt Street,
business improvements enabled
company was commissioned to create
Ballarat where they set up business
Levinsons to supply much of the
many official items including a gift to
and were reasonably successful.
ecclesiastical metalwork required.
the departing Governor’s wife Lady
One example was the chalice and
Ellison-McCarthy in 1920, and a
However when the Depression of
CollectablesTrader 7
A page from a Levinson catalogue, c. 1914. Western Australian Museum
would also have made the dies for the sorbet dishes formerly in the collection of the late Hazel Nash to be auctioned at McKenzies later this year. One of these was a trophy awarded by the Cottesloe Golf Club in 1933. The winner was obviously so pleased with them he commissioned another four and had Jamie Linton make five sorbet spoons to fit.
The sunset years Eugene’s son Robert studied gemmology in London in 1934 and he and his brother Malcolm became partners in the firm in 1936. Robert Levinson claimed to have commenced commercial lost-wax casting in Perth. This was an expensive outlay suitable only for mass production. During World War II both these Levinson sons were manpowered to make optical munitions for the war effort. Robert became an instrument artificer in the AIF in 1943. Felix retired pectoral cross to a visiting Apostolic
Levinson & Sons moved to Sheffield
Delegate, Archbishop Catteano in the
House, the new three-storey, purpose-
same year. Levinsons also made a
built building at 713-721 Hay Street,
number of sporting trophies including
designed by George Temple Poole with
one for Royal Perth Golf Club in 1919.
a ‘Moderne’ facade of pale grey
Felix became Rear-Commodore of
Portland cement studded with lapis
Royal Perth Yacht Club which,
lazuli and window frames of bronze.The
although it did not have the cachet of
staff numbered 110, manning a
Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, no
watchmaker's repair shop, a jewellery
doubt assisted with business contacts.
and hollowware manufacturing section
Jewellery: an accessible collectable
as well as a retail area.
For collectors, Levinson jewellery is more easily obtained. The firm made brooches in 9 ct, 15 ct and 18 ct gold
The staff included a very skilled die sinker and engraver by the name of John Anderson who made the dies for the Interdominion Trotting Trophy. He
with precious stones in the latter and
after the war and the firm became a proprietory company, Levinsons Pty Ltd, with Robert and Malcolm as joint managers. However the firm began to decline and in 1961 the stock in trade was sold to the rival firm of Caris Bros, by this time bought by Lindsay Rosenthal who also acquired the Victorian branch of the firm. Robert became a consultant gemmologist and Malcolm started a hearing aid buiness. Caris Brothers also declined and closed. Stewart Dawson closed in 1965. It was the end of an era. Images courtesy of Western Australian Museum and McKenzie’s Auctioneers.
simulated or lesser stones in the former. Its extensive catalogues of fashionable jewellery from c. 1912 frequently sported red, white and blue stones as a show of patriotism as war loomed. In the 1920s Mark retired and his sons Eugene and Felix became joint managers. Eugene was in charge of the manufacturing and Felix managed the front of house. The sons were ambitious and became successful.
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CollectablesTrader
MAKER’S MARKS UK: Lion passant leopard’s head, HM in England (att.) Victoria: Lion passant leopard’s head L&S in Victoria (att.) WA: ‘L&S’, ‘Levinson Perth’ quality mark (15 c, 15 ct, 18 ct), ‘Levinson & Sons’ and the quality mark, ‘Levinson’ and the quality mark
Further reading Dorothy Erickson, Gold and Silversmithing in Western Australia: A History, UWA Publishing, Perth WA, 2010 Anne Schofield and Kevin Fahy, Australian Jewellery of the 19th and Early 20th Century, David Ell Press, Balmain NSW, 1990 Judith O’Callaghan, Treasures from Australian Churches, Melbourne, National Gallery of Victoria, 1985
Fyans Cottage COLLECTABLES
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
maritime themed collecting Hanks and Lloyd 1857 penny. Courtesy Noble Numismatics
SOUVENIRS FROM THE DUNBAR A collectables stampede started the day after the victims’ funeral following one of the colony’s worst maritime disasters
Peter Lane
T
he wreck of the Dunbar was one of the worst colonial disasters in Australia. On a dark and stormy night in 1857, the Dunbar
crashed into the cliff at South Head at the entrance to Sydney Harbour. Only one of its 122 passengers and crew survived. Many of the men, women and children on board were colonists returning from a visit to England. What made it sadder was the fact that it had sailed all the way from England, almost completing the voyage of 81 days only to be wrecked hours from its destination.
About the Dunbar The Dunbar was launched on the 30 November 1853 and was the largest wooden ship ever constructed at Top left: Book-like souvenir piece with ‘Wreck of the Dunbar 20 Augt 1857’ on a plaque mounted on it, 91 x 77 x 36 mm Left: Hanks and Lloyd 1857 halfpenny. Courtesy Noble Numismatics
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CollectablesTrader
Dunbar anchor at The Gap
Sunderland in north east England.
shelter in the harbour rather than lay
that the next edition of Bradshaw’s
The owner, Duncan Dunbar, intended
at sea until the weather improved.
Monthly Continental Railway, Steam
it to carry a mix of general cargo and
The captain miscalculated the
Navigation & Conveyance Guide would
passengers between London and
passage and when he discovered this
contain illustrations of the wreck.
Sydney. Gold had recently been
it was too late and the ship smashed
discovered in Australia and the owner
into the cliff at The Gap at South
From morbid souvenir hunting to heritage
saw potential for substantial profit in
Head. The only survivor was James
this route at the time. However,
Johnson, a 23-year-old Irish seaman.
instead of sailing on the Australian
By daybreak, the remains of the
People beachcombing the area found white candles, boots, panama hats, bonnets and timber. Those
run, the ship was immediately
Dunbar and cargo were littered along
deployed as a troopship to carry
the coast and harbour beaches. The
Queen Victoria’s forces to the Crimea.
following day The Sydney Morning
When it was no longer needed as a
Herald published the ship’s manifest
troop carrier, it made a voyage to
and passenger list in a special
recovered and was placed for
Australia in 1856.
afternoon edition as, by this time,
visitors to see at The Gap, the
mail bags had been found which
dramatic cliff-top on the South
to Australia, she sailed from Plymouth
were marked ‘Dunbar’, thus
Head peninsula overlooking the
on 31 May 1857 with 63 passengers
establishing the identity of the vessel.
ocean near the wreck site. With the
and a crew of 59. Captain Green was
The bodies that were found were
advent of scuba diving, many more
On her second and fateful voyage
that dived onto the wreck found many more objects. Fifty years later an iron anchor from the ship was
in charge of the vessel and he had
taken to the ‘dead-house’ at Circular
objects were recovered. This
made eight previous voyages to
Quay. Many were beyond identification
concerned heritage authorities and
Sydney. At dusk on 20 August, the
but some were able to be identified by
it is now illegal to remove anything
Dunbar sailed past Botany Bay and
jewellery or initials on clothing. They
from the site.
was in the vicinity of the Sydney
were all buried in the Camperdown
Heads in the dark. As it was a stormy
Cemetery in a mass grave.
night, Captain Green decided to
The following day it was announced
Unfortunately, with the passage of time, provenances of items recovered that are in private hands
CollectablesTrader 11
A view of the coast line at The Gap overlooking the ocean near the wreck site
can prove difficult to substantiate.
halfpenny tokens went down with the
depict an unofficial coat of arms of
There are a few exceptions; cutlery
ship so any of those tokens bearing that
Australia on one side.
stamped with ‘Dunbar’, objects that
date can be attributed to the Dunbar.
Records relating to Hanks and Lloyd Dunbar tokens
have contemporary plaques or something engraved into them.
mart in 1853 in George Street,
Recently for sale at the Sydney
Sydney. The partners were
Antique Centre was a small solid
experienced dealers; Hanks had been
wooden book with an engraved
engaged in this line of business for
silverplate with rather ambiguous
more than 20 years in Newport
wording: ‘Wreck of Dunbar 20thAugt
Market Square, Leicestershire while
1857’. One assumes that the wood
William Lloyd had run a similar shop
was salvaged from the wreck. The
for some years in Hobart.
asking price was $350.
Items in public collections The National Maritime Museum and the Powerhouse Museum do not record similar items in their online collection catalogue of Dunbar relics. In the collection of Vaucluse House, located not far from where the wreck
Like a number of traders they saw the advantage of having tokens to
While the 1857 batch of tokens formed part of the Dunbar’s cargo they were not mentioned in contemporary newspapers. At the time of the incident the pilot of the Sydney pilot vessel the Sea Witch was given some of these tokens from a diver. This information only appeared in a newspaper in 1910. The son of
advertise their business and make a
William Lloyd stated at the time that
profit in the process. Their copper
this article was written: ‘I have often
penny and half penny tokens were
heard my father speak of his having a
dated 1855 and 1857 and are now
shipment in the Dunbar but I was not
relatively common. Rather than use
aware that any had been recovered
colonial manufacturers of tokens they
until his letter appeared.’
opted to have all their tokens minted
Today the 1857 Hanks and Lloyd
in London by W.J. Taylor. The earlier
pennies and halfpennies sell for $50 to
ones have an inscription recording the
$100 in average condition with some
opening of the first Sydney railway in
Hanks and Lloyd tokens
sea corrosion. Their role in Australia’s
1855 and, as such, appeal to railway
monetary, shipping and migration
The entire shipment of Hanks and
enthusiasts. The 1857 tokens are
history is significant and worthy of
Lloyd’s 1857 merchant’s penny and
much more visually appealing as they
being in any Australiana collection.
occurred, there is a chair engraved in capitals ‘made from the wreck of the ship Dunbar August 20 1857’.
12
Hanks and Lloyd opened their tea
CollectablesTrader
FAULCONBRIDGE ANTIQUES p l a n
Moorcroft vase decorated in Tasmanian Blue Gum pattern designed by Sally Tuffin, c. 1993 h: 43.2 cm. Limited edition no. 29/50
Art Nouveau WMF ornate Moser glass and pewter claret jug, c. 1890s
t o
b e
Loetz (signed) iridised Art Nouveau single trumpet epergne, c. 1890s, set on a silver-plated base
Thomas Webb & Sons cranberry glass epergne, c. 1880s with applied uranium glass highlights
Selection of Carlton Ware Art Deco flower vases, c. 1930s, decorated with bell, hollyhocks & devil’s copse
i n s p i r e d
Art Deco Crown Devon vase in Mattejade Fairyland pattern designed by Enoch Boulton, c. 1930s
Samuel Clarke fairy lamp model Burmese ware epergne manufactured by Thomas Webb & Sons, c. 1884
Kauri pine & Queensland maple hallstand, c. 1900s, carved decoration includes kookaburras, tree stumps, grapes and grape vines
448A GREAT WESTERN HIGHWAY FAULCONBRIDGE, NSW. 2776
02 4751 7627 or 0458 524 752
faulconbridgeantiques.com OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 9.30 am – 5.00 pm or by Appointment
Moorcroft vase decorated in the Florian Poppy pattern designed and produced by William Moorcroft at the factory of James Macintyre & Co, c. 1902
Kalmar Antiques where you can hold a piece of history in your hand Specialising in antiques, fine jewellery, watches and objets de vertu
Shop 45, Level 1 Queen Victoria Building, Sydney 2000
Phone 02 9264 3663 Email kalmar@ozemail.com.au You can also visit our website at www.kalmarantiques.com.au
This rare and important ladies’ pocket watch, c.1910 formerly the property of a Russian aristocrat, is by the watch supplier to the Russian Imperial Court, Pavel (Paul) Buhre. Beautifully enamelled, the 18ct gold case is enriched with diamonds. The guilloche enamel is in mauve, the favourite colour of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, and no doubt intended as a compliment to her. The enamel is further enriched with painted flowers, and with a 1911 presentation date within the case, diameter: 3cm. $5,500
G e o rg i a n & C o n t i n e n t a l F u r n i t u r e • Po r c e l a i n
Silver • Ikons • Paintings • Imperial Russian
www.Roys-Antiques.com.au
410 Queens Parade Clifton Hill Vic 61 3 9489 8467
message in a bottle
WARNING ON OLD CONTENTS In this article Dr Geoff Crawford reviews some simple chemistry as it relates to substances
Beware when collecting early pharmaceuticals Old first aid boxes and doctors’ bags may contain an array of potential poisons. Watch out for anaesthetics (ether, chloroform), injectables (adrenaline, atropine, penicillin), narcotics (laudanum, morphine), antiseptics and smelling salts. Smelling salts release ammonia (NH3) and a good sniff is like a punch in the face!
Not child’s play Old chemistry sets may contain chemicals that are now banned for children’s use. I remember that Selby’s removed strontium nitrate from their chemistry sets in the 1960s because of its skin and eye irritant properties. Other nasties might include potassium dichromate (or bichromate) and potassium bisulphate which are both carcinogenic (cancer causing) or mercuric oxide that when heated gives off mercury metal vapour.
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CollectablesTrader
HELPFUL WARNING SYMBOLS
A helping hand regarding poisons is often given by the bottle itself. In Australia, poison bottles often had: • ‘Poison’ printed in raised letters on the glass • skull and cross bones or other warning symbol on the label • raised ribs or dots • were triangular /other unusual shape • were brown in colour
Common chemical names To complicate matters, chemicals are also often given common names as well as their chemical name:
»
Muriatic acid or spirits of salts is hydrochloric acid
» » »
Mercury – its more common uses A mercury amalgam was used as a
Oil of vitriol is sulphuric acid
Aqua fortis is nitric acid Aqua regia is a mixture of sulphuric and nitric acids used to dissolve gold
‘silver’ backing in old mirrors. When it
»
breaks down small beads of mercury
Calomel is mercurous chloride
accumulate at the bottom of the mirror. Mercury is an extremely heavy metal and has been used inside clock pendulums. It is still used in
Caroline Grills (1880?-1960). Image NWN Library Source: The Daily Telegraph. http://murderpedia.org
Below: The Canberra Times ACT, 10 October 1953. Courtesy http://trove.nla.gov.au
movement switches. Older style sphygmomanometers
alloy objects. Alongside these was a
(blood pressure meters) contain a
small Sigma brand bottle (c. 1960s)
long tube of mercury and laboratory
of the strong oxidising agent potassium
vacuum pumps often contain
permanganate (Condy’s crystals). Not
mercury. As glass is often used to
a great combination to have together
contain the mercury great care is
in an old wooden shed!
needed. Once spilt it is difficult to
From rat poison to a killer cake
pick up as it is a liquid metal and dry!
Alert for bottle collectors
Bottle collectors need to be alert
Recently I came across two lovely
Thallium, a particularly nasty poison,
reagent bottles in an old garden shed.
was used in Thall-rat (rat poison) in
The labels said ‘conc’ nitric acid and
Australia in the 1940-50s and old
‘1.1 N’ nitric acid. ‘Conc’ means
bottles are still found. An interesting
concentrated and ‘1.1’ means the acid
poisoning case involved Caroline Grills
has been diluted to 1.1 N (normal). A
('Aunt Carrie') who committed a
bit complicated but it means that it
number of poisonings and murders in
was diluted 14.5 times in water, so it
Sydney using thallium in cakes from
was safe enough to handle.
around 1947 to 1952. An afternoon
regarding the contents of old bottles.
The concentrated acid was the
tea at Aunt Carrie’s home was fraught
significant danger as nitric acid is
with real danger. She died in prison of
extremely corrosive and poisonous. It is
natural causes and never gave a
often used to clean copper and copper
reason for her crimes.
CollectablesTrader 17
Left: Mixing alkaline metals with water – an explosive reaction
Warning: water can worsen problem – dilution is not necessarily the answer!
SUMMARY: Collectors need to have
Do not assume that diluting the
objects. A 1½ pound tin of treacle is
substance in lots of water will solve
completely harmless (but sticky)
the problem. There are many nasty
whilst a bottle (wax or special plastic)
surprises in store for the uninitiated!
of hydrofluoric acid (HF) is extremely
For example sodium (Na) and
corrosive and deadly! It is routinely
potassium (K) metals explode in
used to etch glass and should never
Examining copper sulphate
water. Strong acids (hydrochloric,
be touched!
Another example: bluestone (common
sulphuric and nitric) and bases (e.g.
name), sulphate of copper or copper
sodium hydroxide or caustic soda)
For more information and advice
sulphate are all names of the same
generate large amounts of heat when
Dr Geoff Crawford can be contacted at
substance. Of course scientists use
diluted in water that can cause the
access@academix.com.au
chemical symbols as a kind of
acid or base to boil and fume and spit
shorthand for chemicals – copper
at you. Ouch!
Thallium. Courtesy http://murderpedia.org. An indication of thallium poisoning is the loss of hair. Initially it was used as a depilatory. Another side effect is the damage to peripheral nerves. In the case of the Grills poisoning, one of the surviving victims, Mrs Lundberg, became blind
some basic knowledge of the contents of their wonderful containers or
sulphate is CuSO4. 5H2O and has a lovely blue colour. If heated to drive off
ATOMIC SYMBOL
POISONOUS ELEMENT
often used in a water detecting paste
Sb
Antimony
as it turns back to blue in the presence
As
Arsenic
Ba
Barium. Barium sulphate OK (barium meal) but other compounds are poisons
will be found in many chemistry sets.
Br
Bromine
Poisons that are elementary
Cd
Cadmium
Cl
Chlorine
Chemical symbols are used
Cu
Copper
F
Fluorine
I
Iodine
chemical containing different kinds of
Pb
Lead
elements (a compound). Copper
Hg
Mercury
sulphate – CuSO4. 5H2O – contains copper (Cu), sulphur (S), oxygen (O)
P
Phosphorus
and hydrogen (H). I have listed some
Ra
Radium - radioactive
of the elements that may cause
Tl
Thallium
trouble if they are in a chemical
U
Uranium - radioactive
Z
Zinc – some compounds poisonous
the water, it becomes a white CuSO4
of water. Copper sulphate is a poison but not a very strong one and is often used in aquariums to control algae. It
extensively in science. Each element has its own specific symbol and they are put together to describe a
formula on your bottle. This is not an extensive list.
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CollectablesTrader
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more on collecting containers
REVEALING THE HIDDEN DANGERS Further and hidden risks associated with some vessels are examined by Dr Geoff Crawford whose knowledge of chemistry helps reveal the dangers
Top 12 mineral poisons ineral specimens are
M
intensely interesting and often handled. Who can resist the temptation to
pick up that wonderful crystalline structure? You should treat those listed
Pyrene brass pump handle extinguisher, c.1930s
in the table (next page) with great care, especially if some of the mineral has flaked off or is powdery. This is not a full list but some consider it to be the top 11 mineral poisons – with Crocidolite being number one!
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CollectablesTrader
extensively in science however some chemical symbols are very similar, e.g. NaCl or NaCN. Which would you put on your fish and chips and which is a deadly poison? The ‘CN’ gives it away – that is the symbol for cyanide. The first compound is common salt (sodium chloride) and the latter sodium cyanide. If symbols on an old bottle label resemble either NaCN or KCN (potassium cyanide) then be extremely careful as the bottle
Salt or cyanide on your chips?
contains deadly poison. KCN was
It should be noted that two of the
the USA. When mixed with sulphuric
minerals listed are possible sources
acid it gives off hydrocyanic gas
of arsenic. One also comes across
(HCN is also called prussic acid). An
this poison in 19th century
odour of almonds indicates it is
collectables, incorporated then in
cyanide but sniffing old bottles is not
clothing dyes (see ‘A Dress
recommended! Interestingly,
to Dye for’ in Collectables Trader,
poisoning from cyanide turns the
Dec 2012 – Feb 2013) as well as
body a bluish colour. Cyan means
in household items.
blue – check out your blue laser
As referred to in the previous Early fire extinguishers
article, chemical symbols are used
used for gas chamber executions in
toner for the word ‘cyan’.
MINERAL
POISON OR DELETERIOUS EFFECTS
Crocidolite Number one killer
Blue asbestos, lung disease including mesothelioma
Hydroxyapatite
Deposits in human heart valves and arteries
Erionite
Fibrous zeolite, malignant mesothelioma (virulent lung cancer)
Phenacite
Contains beryllium, dust is highly poisonous
K-Feldspar
Small amount of uranium, ore of lead
Chrysotile
White asbestos, lung disease
Quartz
Fine particulates cause lung disease silicosis
Fluorite
Contains fluorine
Pyrite(s)
Fool’s gold. May contain arsenic
Galena
Ore of lead
Cinnabar
Ore of mercury
Realgar
Source of arsenic
Brass poison ring
Hidden compartments: deadly legacy Cyanide is also found in old rings with hidden compartments (also called suicide, pillbox or locket rings) that sometimes crop up in jewellery auctions. Watch out for tablets or
dry powder (red with a white stripe) contains sodium bicarbonate powder. But what about those old collectable fire extinguishers? The small Pyrene brass pump handle extinguishers contain carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). This is a great
powders in such rings. These rings
fire extinguisher and degreaser but
can go all the way back to the 14th
causes liver cancer. Yellow BCF
century and were used extensively
extinguishers (c. 1970) contain a
during the Renaissance (14th –
halon (bromo chloro difluoro
17th century) but mainly to store
methane) that gives off toxic chlorine
lockets of hair or small miniature
(Cl2) fumes when used on a fire but is
paintings of a loved one.
again a great fire extinguisher. BCF is
Collecting early fire extinguishers could be a health risk Many substances are also fire risks.
an ozone depleting gas and is now banned for general use. Small ‘silvery’ extinguishers for cars and around the home also contain halons or carbon tetrachloride.
Things like phosphorus, celluloid, metal, matches and common
How to check your collection
alcohols burn. So a fire extinguisher
If in doubt consult the appropriate
might be handy but what chemical
MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets).
(poison or not) is inside it? Soda acid
Typing the names of chemicals into
(red) and foam (blue) extinguishers
your search engine will turn up the
contain sulphuric acid (battery acid)
meaning. Old chemistry texts or
and sodium bicarbonate (baking
books on poisoning cases often
soda) solutions, CO2 (red with a black
contain information about chemicals
stripe) contains carbon dioxide while
banned or no longer in use.
gun powder, sodium and potassium
Crystal hemlock poison ring
CollectablesTrader 21
www.aada.org.au
Abbott’s Antiques
Member
The Established Name for Quality Antiques since 1931
Pair of Japanese landscape painted Imari chargers with pierced scalloped rims, c. 1890
Fine pair of George III diamond cut crystal square base covered jars, c. 1820
Parian figure of 'Clytie' dated 1855, probably Copeland
George III sterling silver three piece bright cut engraved tea service, London 1811
Bronze figure of 'Seated Mercury' with winged sandals on a verde marble base, c. 1890
Walnut 3 division music canterbury with turned supports and lower drawer, c. 1840
Gilt framed painted porcelain portrait plaque, c. 1860, probably KPM
Fine George III Sheffield plate crested and scroll embossed tea urn, c. 1820
Selection of William Moorcroft 'Pomegranate' pattern items, c. 1925
Fine set of eight Regency period brass inlaid mahogany dining chairs including two carvers, c. 1820
Max Dupain, Wine press at Maurice O'Shea’s Hunter Valley, 1951. Signed and dated lower right
George III mahogany side table with three drawers and shaped apron, c. 1770
Specialising in Fine English 18th & 19th century Furniture, Sterling Silver, Porcelain, Jewellery, Sheffield Plate, 18th century Drinking and Table Glass, Bronzes, Paintings, Art Nouveau and Art Deco
14 Eastern Road, Turramurra NSW 2074 • Tel 02 9449 8889 Visit www.abbottsantiques.com.au for a further selection of current stock
Camberwell ANTIQUE CENTRE 25-29 Cookson Street Camberwell VIC 3124
Tel 03 9813 1260 or 0418 586 764 www.Camberwellantiquecentre.com.au OPEN 7 DAYS, 10 AM – 5 PM
Over 50 dealers in antiques, collectables, sporting memorabilia and ephemera. Large selection of Carlton Ware, Moorcroft, Wedgwood, Doulton, Australian pottery, furniture, silver, jewellery, paintings, toys, clocks, watches and much more!
Collecting
JFK MEMORABILIA The assassination as well as the life of US President John F. Kennedy resulted in a wealth of collectables
John Harrison ntil 9/11 slapped the world
U
in its collective face, the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas
on 22 November 1963, initiated more conspiracy theories than any other event in modern history. It seemed as if the majority of Americans, as well as many foreigners, could not accept the possibility that one person – Lee Harvey Oswald – had taken it entirely upon his own volition to murder the most powerful man in the western world, only to be killed by shady nightclub owner Jack Ruby in the basement of a Texas police station 24 hours later. Of course, all this happened at a (supposedly) more innocuous time, when random killings by lone gunmen were not such a common occurrence. Were it to occur in 2013, a lone shooter with a personal vendetta would be the first and most likely scenario that most people
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CollectablesTrader
hardcover tomes – that appeared in the assassination’s wake helped popularise the true crime genre which is so expansive and prominent today. But JFK memorabilia took in a lot more than just books and, along with Abraham Lincoln (also a victim of assassination in 1865), he remains the most collectable – and fascinating – figure in American political history.
American ‘royalty’ Prior to his killing, the youthful Kennedy and his extended clan were the closest thing America had to royalty, and his brief time in the White House symbolised a time of promise and discovery for a new era, just as his death ushered in a new dark side would consider and accept. In fact,
to the great American dream. When it
considering the noticeable rise in
comes to collecting JFK memorabilia,
random killings across America that
there are two clear periods: pre and
followed in its wake, Kennedy’s
post-assassination.
murder can be viewed as something
Pre and post assassination periods
of a catalyst for a long-simmering undercurrent of psychopathology and violence – it was the day that America lost its perceived innocence forever. The Kennedy assassination was also one of the most documented events in American history, it virtually changed overnight the way major news events were covered in the media (particularly in the medium of television). Suddenly, Americans were able to watch history unfold in front of them in real time, such as the worldwide televised Apollo Moon landing in 1969. The experience which the media gained was put to great use later in the turbulent decade when the Vietnam War was televised directly into lounge rooms all across America.
Pre-assassination, there is the usual political memorabilia to track down – campaign badges, posters and flags, commemorative magazines and copies of the books Kennedy authored (1957s Pulitzer Prize winning Profiles in Courage and Why
England Slept, his 1940 college thesis that was published in 1961). However it is the wealth of material that surfaced in the wake of his murder that remains most sought after by collectors – these items include original newspapers from the period, souvenir reels of 8 mm film released for the home movie market, tribute comic book biographies and magazines, postcards that depict the assassination route along Dealey Plaza, and record
Popularised true crime genre
LPs that documented the tragic event,
Kennedy was also exploited as much
President: The Four Black Days
as he was mourned. The rash of
(released in 1964 by the American
books – both of the cheap, trashy
Society of Recorded Drama).
variety and the more academic,
such as The Assassination of a
Of course there were – and
CollectablesTrader 25
continues to be – a plethora of books published on Kennedy over the years, as well as an enormous number of documentaries and bio-films (of varying accuracy and quality) which have been released on VHS and DVD.
Unusual items For those on the lookout for something a little unusual, you can buy posters and a paperback tie-in for
PT-109, a 1963 war film which chronicles the heroics of John F. Kennedy on his torpedo boat in the Pacific during World War II. Starring Cliff Robertson as JFK, PT-109 was the first film ever made about a stillcurrent US President (who had full approval over the casting and director), and was released only three months prior to the assassination. Over the years plastic model kits of the PT-109 have also been produced, and in 2000 as part of a GI Joe collector’s series celebrating American military heroes and famous battles Hasbro released a limited edition JFK GI
the Man of Steel promotes JFK’s physical fitness for young people. This edition was in preparation prior to Kennedy’s death, before being delayed a few months and finally published as a tribute to the slain President.
Rising interest & values
and his naval officer’s dress whites.
Most early JFK memorabilia is still fairly easy and inexpensive to obtain
sitting in his White House rocking chair
as much of it was produced in
was produced by Aurora in 1965.
overwhelming numbers. However it is
Other off-beat items include various
CollectablesTrader
DC’s Superman comic book, in which
Joe action figure in his PT-109 fatigues An earlier model kit of Kennedy
26
and the July 1964 issue (#170) of
a subject that will forever spark
die-cast replicas of Kennedy’s open-
fascination and debate and, as the
top 1961 Lincoln limousine which he
1960s become an increasingly distant
rode in on that fateful day, a series of
memory, prices for such vintage items
bubble gum cards released by Topps,
have been steadily rising.
MITCHELL ROAD ANTIQUE & DESIGN CENTRE
Upper Level 76 Mitchell Road, Alexandria NSW 2015 Open 7 days 10 am - 5 pm P: 02 9698 0907 I E: mitchellroadcentre@yahoo.com.au www.mitchellroad.wordpress.com
SHINE-ON IS THE MESSAGE For everyone who has favourite things which have lost it olishing varnished wooden surfaces has been touched on in a previous story I wrote, however in that article I spoke about creating a shine on furniture with the aid of Howard Restor-A-Finish as a preliminary treatment. What needs to be touched on more fully is the problem of floors that have lost their shine and are covered in light scratches, as well as items
P
like guitars or violins which have become scratched and marked with sweaty build-up.
Understanding modern varnishes Modern surfaces, especially highly polished floating floors, cannot be successfully repaired with Restor-A-Finish alone because it cannot melt and re-spread space age Carbamate ester based polyurethane finishes in the same way that it can
penetrate and melt early era shellac based varnish finishes and older style two pot polyurethane varnishes.
A special protective product This is where a light cutting polish which also creates a hard finish comes into its own. Most of the compounds available are silicone based and also contain harsh abrasives and certain drying agents and chemicals. Howard Products have devised a new style of polish containing micro-polishing powders combined with orange oil and select waxes, which does NOT contain silicone or linseed oil as fillers. This extremely safe cream will not lift veneer, and can be used by hand for buffing and polishing or can be used on floors with an electric buffer.
Looking at the big picture Take a look at the assembly of photos in the big panel to the left of this column. There you will see some examples of what can be achieved with new Howard Restor-AShine. First of all you will notice some half polished items like the guitar body, the decorative bedhead and the back of a chair. Then there's the newly polished floor just gleaming with new pizazz. There’s no prep work required, no waiting to dry, you just pour and polish, then buff to a shine. If you really want a non-toxic one-step solution to all sorts of surface blemishes, this is it. David Foster Howard Products Australia advice@howardproducts.com.au
The brand that impresses ... www.howardproducts.com.au 1 800 672 646 28
CollectablesTrader
Find a stockist or buy online
The Gold Coast Antique Centre is an exciting gallery in Miami with over 25 dealers displaying an ever changing range of rare antiques and collectables. It’s an Aladdin’s cave of treasures including the finest glassware, antique furniture, jewellery, clocks, toys, movie memorabilia and much more.
The Gold Coast Antique Centre is a must see venue located at
2076 Gold Coast Highway, Miami • Phone 07 5572 0522 • Mobile: 0414 338 363 More than a website – shop online @ www.goldcoastantiquecentre.com.au OPEN 7 DAYS 10 - 5 Sun 10 - 4
continuing our series on oriental decorative arts
SECULAR ARTS DURING THE QING DYNASTY (1644-1911) In China, imperial taste set the tone of creative pursuits undertaken by artists and artisans
Melody Amsel-Arieli n 1644, the Manchus, a semi-nomadic
I
people from beyond the Great Wall, established the Qing (Pure) dynasty, the last imperial dynasty in China. Their
empire, which eventually extended into Siberia Tibet, and Central Asia, lasted nearly 300 years, through to 1911.
Above: Late 19th century very large famille rose, greenground ‘In and Out’ offering dish made for the Asian market. The dish is painted both inside and on the underside of the rim. Courtesy Michael Backman Ltd, London Right: Encountering a Learned Beggar, folding fan leaf, ink and colour on paper, 24.1 x 52 cm, inscribed and dated gengzi (possibly 1840), bearing the signature Su Liupeng with one seal, now framed and glazed. Estimated value: US$1,200-1,500. Courtesy Bonhams
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CollectablesTrader
Under Emperor Qianlong (reigned
Art of Painting In the field of painting, a number of outstanding Chinese artists served the early Qing court. Others, however, loyal to the previous Ming dynasty (13681644), withdrew from public service. Instead, they pursued personal forms of expression in the Anchui province
1722), Chinese intellectuals with a
of literacy, a bustling economy, and
deep appreciation for the Orthodox
cultivation of the arts encouraged
School were recruited into
further creativity and innovation.
government service. Following their
Painting and calligraphy, as well as
advice, the emperor commemorated
the creation of porcelain and jade
his triumphal 1689 tour through the
objets d’art, flourished.
Chinese heartland with a huge collection of paintings in the
and Nanjing, once the capital of the Ming Empire. Although these
Emperor Qianlong
individualists found inspiration in the
increased the imperial
landscapes around them, they
collection of paintings
eschewed ancient artistic tradition.
and calligraphy to over
Elite Chinese scholars, who had
2,500 were by the
and calligrapher, Dong Qichang (1555-
emperor himself. Qianlong
painting techniques of Chinese old masters. A group of Dong disciples, known as the Four Wangs, founded the Orthodox School. Although their followers venerated ancient paintings,
Orthodox style. He also consulted the fourth Wang, Wang Yuanqi (1642-1715), about expanding his Imperial painting collection.
15,000 works of which
been influenced by the late Ming artist 1636), re-interpreted the models and
During the Kangxi Reign (1662-
1736-95), political stability, high levels
was also an artist who had a fondness for accurately painted, technically skilled works that were colourful.
Artist unknown, Lychee and Rat scroll, ink and colour on silk; painting: 20.4 x 25.5 cm, colophon: 21 x 25 cm. Bearing an inscription reading, ‘1428, painted by royal decree at the Wuying Palace and gifted to the eunuch Guo Bi’, inscribed over a seal reading Wuyingdian bao, dated ‘a winter month in 1762’, and bearing the signature Shen Deqian with two seals. Estimated value: US$2,000-3,000
their landscapes and bird-and-flowers pieces, which feature highly-skilled brush-and-ink techniques, were often innovative in form and expression. Since painting and calligraphy are closely entwined in Chinese cultural identity and social standing, many also feature traditional calligraphic inscriptions or lines of poetry.
The Four Wangs were painters all with the surname Wang who were members of the group known as the Six Masters of the early Qing period. They established a systematic style based on the tradition, known as the Orthodox School, continuing the tradition of the scholar-painter.
Fan painting signed Wang Duo (1592-1652), ink on gold paper, 22.2 x 51.5 cm, calligraphy in running script, mounted for framing. Estimated value: US$10,000-15,000 Images courtesy Bonhams
CollectablesTrader 31
Ceramics The Kangxi emperor reactivated the imperial porcelain factory at
seem to be of simple decorative form
Late 19th century pair of Kat Maus or Chupus with covers made for the Asian market. Courtesy Michael Backman Ltd, London
underpin a deep symbolic significance.
Jingdezhen in the 1680s. The period
Western influence
1680-1756 is held to be the era of
New colour came to Chinese porcelain
During Kangxi’s reign
superlative porcelain production. By
from the outside world. Pastels –
cobalt blue was used for
the end of his reign there were more
including pale yellow-crackle – and
decoration on white
than 3,000 workshops producing wares
shiny, bright monochromatic glazed
for the imperial court as well as for
porcelain. This was a
porcelains were widely produced, as
China’s domestic and export markets.
were ruby-magenta tones called famille
Symbols of power portrayed in porcelain
rose (rose family) and fencai (powdery
As the dragon was the Chinese
a wide range of hues resulting in
the establishment of The People’s
emblem of divine imperial power, Qing
porcelain graduating in China – as well
Republic of China in 1949. Some
porcelain often features ferocious, five-
as the west – from blue and white to
reached Western museums. Other
clawed, serpentine golden dragons –
all shades of the rainbow.
Qing pieces, including colourful
symbols of strength, good luck and
practice that dated back to the early 15th century.
colours). These new colours produced
Items produced included porcelain
cloisonné vases, serving ware and
potent powers. It is now thought that
ginger jars, brush pots, vases and tea
figurines, reached the public through
vessels decorated with five-clawed
cups, glazed with pink opaque famille
European and American expositions of
dragons were for imperial use only.
rose and hand-painted with dense
the 19th and early 20th century.
Other porcelain pieces feature overlarge flowers, muted enamel work or stylised figures of fierce, traditional
32
(Book of Changes). So pieces that
designs featuring auspicious motifs
Today, due to the restrictive Chinese
like bamboo, butterflies, and bats.
trade policy that is designed to safeguard
Many valuable late Qing era (1849-
the country’s national heritage, many
warriors. During the Kangxi Reign
1911) pieces which evoke the breadth
museum quality or rare collectables that
Daoist motifs were very popular. The
and grandeur of Chinese tradition and
date before 1911 cannot legally leave
decorative motifs of yang (continuous
culture, were looted or stolen from
the country. Thus few authentic, high
lines) and yin (broken lines) are drawn
1839 – the beginning of the first
quality late Qing dynasty antiques
from the Eight Trigrams from the Yijing
Anglo-Chinese Opium War – through
currently reach the international market.
CollectablesTrader
Fascination with jade According to Confucius, jade (ju), which ranges in colour from pure ‘mutton fat’ white through to vibrant spinach-green, embodied many virtues, including benevolence, fidelity, wisdom and sincerity. Because jade was believed to symbolise love, nobility and power, some craftsmen carved it into ritual utensils, weaponry and musical instruments. Others sculpted detailed ornamental pieces from blocks of jade, such as trees replete with fruit and birds and vases adorned with rambling roses. Still others fashioned jade bangles, beads, pins, pendants and amulets which were believed to avert bad luck. In those days, a Chinese who did not wear jade was considered improperly dressed.
detailed figures, amulets, earrings, pendants, and scholars’ implements from bronze. Others carved utilitarian objects such as tobacco boxes and snuff jars from hard stone like carnelian, lapis lazuli, agate, or wood. Their wooden
A pair of massive cloisonné enamelled metal covered urns, 19th century, h: 89 cm. The exterior surfaces covered in a dense vine and lotus ground surrounding ba jixiang motifs and crane roundels above the large side panels depicting the flowers of the four seasons against a ground of repeating cash motifs, now mounted in modern gilt lacquered soft wood stands. Estimated value: US$12,000-18,000
lacquered table screens, which typically portrayed auspicious motifs or traditional courtyard scenes, often featured mixed wood, ivory inlay, enamel, gold, marble, or brass accents. Silk or paper hand-painted, doublesided folding fans with carved bamboo or ivory frames, were fashionable as well. Since most artists were also well-trained calligraphers, many featured decorative, innovative script along with pictorials. The Qing dynasty covered a wideranging evolution in artistry, truly
Other materials
reflecting the signs – as well as the
Some late Qing era artists sculpted
symbols – of its times.
Below left: Jade censer and cover, width: 14 cm. reticulated around the side walls with leafy peony blossoms above a petal lappet band, two undercut and reticulated peony roundels forming the handles, the flat lip with a subtle step, receiving its similarly decorated cover with a raised knob centred with an additional peony. Value: US$40,000 Below: An 18th century polychrome lacquer box, 38.5 cm, exterior deeply carved in red, black and yellow hues, the lid centred with a large roundel containing two dragons flanking a large chun (spring) character which further contains a roundel of Shoulao seated beneath a tree, sided with cartouches containing fruiting plants and separated by the Eight Auspicious Emblems. Value: US$53,750 Images courtesy Bonhams
CollectablesTrader 33
NOW W SHO SHOWING OWING BOOK O NLINE N ONLINE
Pair of banquet lamps featuring stylised shades over glass fonts set on Corinthian columns $495 each
Large selection of 20th century art glass in stock
Belle Époque Louis XV style bonheur du jour c. 1900 with ormolu mounts $1950
Pair of brass with copper rivets peat buckets $280 each
Set of twelve late Victorian mahogany dining chairs c. 1890, showing Arts and Crafts influence $7800 set
Turned timber standard lamp with shelf $495
Set of eight spindle back leather upholstered Arts and Crafts chairs $3600 set
Good Victorian mahogany extension dining table to seat eighteen, with five leaves and set on fine carved legs $15,800
French late 19th century Henri II style walnut pillow mirror $2500
Glebe Antique Centre Phone: +61 2 9550 3199 Fax: +61 2 9550 3833
88-90 Parramatta Road, Camperdown NSW 2050
Arts and Crafts quarter sawn oak desk chair fitted leather upholstered seat $850
Two levels of quality furniture, lighting, jewellery, glass, porcelain and general collectables
Open 7 days 10am to 6pm Email: sales@glebeantiques.com.au Check out our up-to-date websites Victorian ash and brass mounted desk compendium $2650
www.glebeantiques.com.au www.desksofdistinction.com.au
The largest collection of genuine antique furniture in Sydney
French plum-pudding mahogany double bed c. 1910, gilded bronze ormolu mounts $3950
Restored Arts and Crafts oak hallstand with seat $1850
Willmotte Williams (1916-1992), The Tall House, Paddington, oil on canvas $385
Queensland walnut double pedestal tooled leather top desk featuring six drawers, fitted to cupboards $2250
George IV chest of drawers designed with quarter column corners, original handles, mother-of-pearl escutcheons $4850
Australian Art Nouveau carved walnut sideboard with slump glass doors $2750
European oak bookcase with glass doors and linen fold panels to base $2950
Edwardian walnut revolving bookcase of good proportions $2450
Magnificent Louis Philippe oak cylinder top desk, c. 1860. Provenance: ex Bill Bradshaw collection $7650
collecting profile
DAVID FIGG AND HIS MATCHBOX AND MATCHBOOK COVERS COLLECTION Matchboxes and matchbooks became popular as a cheap form of advertising and as well as continuing to offer an inexpensive collectable up to the present day, these items now provide historical insights Top: Captain Cook ARTB, issued late 1920s with a matching packet label; the first in a new series by Federal Match Company (Alexandria, Sydney). The series was planned to cover Australian explorers and their ships Left: Cigarette booklets Below: Federal Dozen labels. In the first half of the 20th century, a large label adorned a wrapped pack of one dozen boxes of matches and usually bore the same or a similar design to the front panel or top label of the boxes packed inside
Rob Ditessa avid Figg has accumulated a
D
sizable and historically significant collection of matchbox and matchbook
covers. According to his best estimate of all individual items, including duplicates and spares, it totals more than one million pieces. His core collection, including sets, tallies to over 30,000 items. Figg specialises in collecting from Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea because the Australian firm Bryant & May established the match industry there. Recollecting his first find, Figg explains that one day at the age of nine he was walking to school and happened to kick some rubbish in the gutter. Suddenly something caught his eye: it was a matchbox with a label that was different to the common one featuring Miss Redhead. Instead, the label had a picture celebrating the 1959 Queensland Centenary.
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CollectablesTrader
After Figg showed his find to his friends, they all began to collect and swap matchbox and matchbook covers. His friends’ interest faded after a few years but he continued to be intrigued, collecting and pasting his labels into school exercise books. ‘I had an auntie in England who sent me all the ones she was able to collect for me over there. There were many imports coming into England from the continent at the time, and many brands were made in the UK as well. So back in those days, I collected everything and anything I could get my hands on,’ he recalls.
An early discovery: realising the value of a collectors’ society At seventeen, he discovered the Australian Match Cover Collectors’ Society, and found a source of advice and information that started him on the way to becoming a successful collector. The first advice was not to paste labels as he had been doing, but to mount them in stock books with photo hinges. He attempted to soak off the labels but ruined many in the process. Fortunately, he has been able to replace them over the years.
For potential collectors – advice on how best to store and display a collection
drawers in it,’ he adds. ‘It’s a wooden one that I picked up at an antique shop. The boxes fit nicely in there, and I’ve lined the trays with felt so they don’t move around and get
Endeavour ARTB, issued late 1920s as the second in the series but shortly withdrawn thereafter. Only a couple of used examples are known to exist and not many more in mint condition are known. No packet label has ever been recorded The red background version is believed to be a printer’s proof as it has never been seen used or on box
scratched or damaged.’ Generally, the collection is sorted firstly by manufacturer, then by set or series or year of issue. Some are sorted by theme or other characteristics. Promotional matchbooks may be arranged in alphabetical order or by colour. Figg has displayed at the London quinqennial international
safety match, whose development is attributed to Carl Lundstrom from Sweden in 1855. For a while, wax vestas (matches) in tins were popular. Booklets were made in Australia by a number of factories,
exhibition and the Australian biennial
including Matches Australia (1927-
national exhibition. He gives talks at
1953), and the Plyfiber Match
historical societies and service clubs
Company (1953-1962).
and has given radio interviews about
Rare finds
his collection.
A highlight of his collection is two
easy to pop a label in or out using
History of matchbooks
Endeavour ‘all round the box’
tweezers. He keeps the stock sheets
Figg explains that the invention of the
(ARTB) labels. To his knowledge,
in albums but the bulkier whole boxes
matchbook is attributed to the American
only eight people around the world
or whole booklets he keeps in
inventor Joshua Pusey, who was
have any of these in their
drawers of large plan-filing cabinets.
granted a patent in 1892. In the USA,
collections, and no packet labels
Each of the 12 drawers is about
the matchbook was popular and in
have ever been found. The
seven centimetres deep, and takes
1895 it was used for the first time as a
interesting story around this label is
the complete, unopened packets of
publicity gimmick, to advertise a show.
that the Federal Match Company, in
matches and larger items. ‘I’ve got
In Australia, on the other hand,
Alexandria (Sydney), started on what
Storing the core collection in his study, Figg prefers to house his covers in Lighthouse stock sheets, acid-free high quality see-through strips on a black backing. It is very
one cabinet which has 20 shallower
people preferred the matchbox with a
was to have been a series of ARTB
CollectablesTrader 37
Left and right (opp page): Tobacco matchbox labels. As matchbox labels were a cheap form of advertising and due to smokers needing to use a match to light a pipe, cigar or cigarette, many brands of tobacco and cigarettes were advertised on matchbox labels
labels and labels for the dozen packets. The company first issued Captain Cook labels and followed up with labels featuring HM Endeavour. However, not many Endeavour box labels have survived. ‘They had released the second in the series to selected grocery shops in Sydney to test the market when management decided to scrap the idea. Apparently, they even went to the extent of going to these outlets, removing the stock from the shelves and destroying it,’ he says.
An Australian discovery made each year On the average, one new Australian item is found each year, estimates Figg. His own rare find was a printer’s proof. ‘We’ve never seen it as a label on a matchbox but it’s exactly the same size as a label. It looks like a label but it’s Left: Skylark ARTB, rare printer’s proof from C.F. Duncan & Co. Pty Ltd (Melbourne) for what is believed to be an unadopted design. It is the only one known to exist
probably an un-adopted design, and it’s mint, obviously. It was a Duncan’s ARTB, one for their Skylark brand.’ It was part of a fellow enthusiast’s collection that Figg purchased. When the factory closed, the collector visited to ask for any mint labels, and was given a bundle, amongst which was this solitary one. When he saw it, Figg says, his mouth watered.
Value in the market place The earliest labels, those from the 1820s, are extremely rare, and the highest price known to have been paid in Australia is $1,000 for one of the mint Endeavour labels. However, generally speaking, collecting labels is
Left: Federal Dozen labels. In the first half of the 20th century, a large label adorned a wrapped pack of one dozen boxes of matches and usually bore the same or similar design to the front panel or top label of the boxes packed inside
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CollectablesTrader
not expensive. In fact, Figg points out
meets, and the Internet. For research,
that almost all catalogues do not
he maintains a good library of reference
contain a price guide.
books on the subject and also makes
Beware of fakes
judicious use of the Internet.
He cautions that fakes of some labels and series have been produced, for example the 1956 Olympic Games labels by the Melbourne firm Bryant & May. Usually recognising a fake is obvious and the variations are especially noticeable when the fake is placed alongside a genuine item.
Collecting directions
As a collector and through his involvement with his phillumenist society, Figg says he has had the pleasure of meeting many interesting people such as the descendants of two early English match manufacturers in Australia, a descendant of Samuel Alexander Bell from Bell & Black’s, and a descendant of John Hynam. Figg provided them
Some enthusiasts collect only mint,
with information for their family trees
labels that have never been stuck on
and in turn, they provided him with
a matchbox, or mint matchbook flats.
some historical documents.
Others collect only used ones, where the striker panel has been struck to show actual usage. But most have a mixture in their collections. Serious collectors of today’s cardboard boxes prefer the complete ARTB specimen and do not thin the cardboard box outer, the skillet. Some collectors cut the cardboard box at its seam and then slice off the label layer, but this is frowned upon by serious collectors.
Modest about the historical significance of his work, Figg finally admits that without it there would not be a record of a slice of Australian social history for future generations. ‘I’ve published a couple of books on the hobby. I’ve done a catalogue on
Cigarette booklets. Bryant & May in Melbourne commenced the production of matchbooks in 1931 and continued up until 1939 when production ceased during WWII. All those illustrated are from this period. Matchbook production at Bryant & May Melbourne did not re-commence until 1951
Duncan’s (1926-1954), a catalogue on Australian Match Works/E.L. Bell & Co (1910-1927) and Commonwealth Matchworks (1913-1942), more than 50 years after these factories had
Sourcing specimens and the importance of research
closed. If I hadn’t, it would never have
The main sources for acquisition are
we can, share the research amongst
antique and collectables shops,
enthusiasts, and then go into print. It’s
collectables fairs, buy, swap and sell
a great sense of achievement.’
been done. We do try to find out what
David Figg’s recommended reading Jerry Bell, Lighting up Australia: The Story of the Australian Match Manufacturing Industry 1843-2003, self published, 2008. This features chapters on each manufacturer plus a section on New Zealand. J.H. Luker (editor), Encyclopaedia Phillumenica or The Matchbox Label Collectors’ Encyclopaedia, 1984
CollectablesTrader 39
CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE SHOP FOR EASY SHOPPING CAN BE VIEWED ON OUR WEBSITES www.xxxxantiques.com.au www.xxxxantiques.net ONE OF THE LARGEST SUPPLIERS OF MOTORING ACCESSORIES IN AUSTRALIA For sale & in stock
Corner Elizabeth & Johnstone St, Castlemaine VIC 3450
Phone 03 5470 5989 Web www.xxxxantiques.com.au / www.xxxxantiques.net Email sales@xxxxantiques.com.au
OPEN 7 DAYS 9.30 am to 5 pm
following the trail of finely crafted furniture
BEGINNING IN ANCIENT EGYPT Roy Williams he oldest practical wooden
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furniture surviving today is around 3400 years old! They are chairs that can be comfortably sat upon,
beds one could lie on and hinged chests for storage. As these are safely locked in glass cases in museums, their practicality cannot readily be put to the test. However this is just as well, as to demonstrate the strength of the 3400-year-old rush seat, one stool was sat upon at so many lectures in the late 19th century that it eventually gave way! Hundreds of such ancient Egyptian timber furnishings still exist. The tomb of Yuia and Thuiu, for example, which dates from the 18th Dynasty c. 1400 BCE, was excavated in the 19th century wherein several pieces of very advanced furniture were found. The boxes, stools, chairs and chests show as Late Cycladic I period (17th century BCE), plaster cast of a carved wooden table from Acrotiri. The volcanic ash preserved the shape of the table for 15,000 years. Archaeologists poured plaster into the cavity in the volcanic material to reveal the original shape of the table. Thera Prehistoric Museum
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CollectablesTrader
Stool with lattice supports with seat of plaited herringbone style cords. Tomb of Kha, Deir el-Medina, from Shiaparelli excavations 1906. Museo Egizio, Turin. Courtesy artsearch.org.uk
Ceremonial chair, Tutankhamun’s tomb, 18th Dynasty, Valley of the Kings, Carter expedition 1922
much sophistication and refinement as
furniture, to reconstruct the luxurious
legs. Most ancient tables were made
any wooden furniture produced in
furniture. While we have several
with three rather than four legs to
recent centuries. This wooden furniture
examples of humble, white painted,
create a better sense of balance.
was carved, leaf gilded, enriched with
rush seated wooden stools and a chair
Made in the 3rd or 2nd century BCE
metal mounts, and veneered in costly
from the workmen’s village and
means the table is comparatively
imported timbers, as well as ivory,
cemetery at Deir el Medina, the royal
'new' and it was preserved in Egypt,
faience, and coloured glass. Paint was
furniture shows many techniques that
possibly made in Alexandria by
also used to decorate the timber
an 18th century French royal furniture
Greek craftsmen rather than an
furnishings. Plywood, an extension of
maker would have known.
import from the Greek mainland.
veneer technology, was also used in
The furniture of Tutankhamun
ancient Egypt, as evidenced in a
(c. 1370-1352 BCE), is probably the
2700 BCE coffin. Egyptian plywood, like
oldest example of wooden furniture with
that of the 18th century and of today,
which most people are familiar. There is
has the grain of each laminate laid at
nothing primitive about his famous gold
90 degrees to the last, so that the result exceeds the strength of solid wood of the same dimensions. Drawers were created, as were copper hinges.
encrusted throne and there are chests which showcase skilled marquetry decoration, a pictorial decoration made up of pieces of different veneers,
Quality through the ages
structured like a jigsaw puzzle.
Even as long ago as 3100 BCE, wooden
Parquetry relies on the same techniques
furniture had already reached the
but rather than showing a picture, it is a
quality it was to retain until the recent
pattern of geometric shapes.
past. Unfortunately, the 5000-year-old
There are hundreds of complete
Furniture was also made throughout the ancient world in stone, marble, metals such as bronze and silver, and exotic materials such as ivory and animal horns. Quantities of stone and metal furniture still survive. We also know a great deal about Greek and Roman timber furniture from drawings and paintings on walls and pottery, without having the physical object surviving. Identical woven wicker chairs to those recorded on Roman walls are readily available new today.
furniture survives only in fragments,
pieces of ancient Egyptian wooden
Impact of mechanisation
such as the odd carved chair leg.
furniture still standing, thanks to the
Until the Industrial Revolution of the
Furniture excavated from the tomb of
dry, hermetically sealed tombs and
19th century, very little changed in the
the mother of Cheops, c. 2600 BCE,
dessicating desert sands. However
world of the furniture maker. The
was also found in scattered fragments.
from Ancient Greece, only a single
ancient Egyptian cabinetmaker could
However enough of the gold casings
piece of timber furniture has survived.
walk into an 1840s furniture workshop
existed, filled with powder, where once
This spectacular circular small table
and recognise most tools and
the wood formed the structure of the
is supported on three finely carved
techniques, if not the materials. The
CollectablesTrader 43
mortise and tenon joint was still
the pride the artisan undoubtedly feels.
is often ‘cherry wood foil wrapped
standard. He would be delighted with
By 1850 most British furniture was
chipboard’, a pathetic residual
the American timbers: mahogany and
made in large, anonymous urban
memory of the halcyon millennia from
rosewood. Egyptian saws, like current
factories. A nearby river or canal was
Lebanese cedar to satinwood.
Japanese ones, cut on the pull rather
essential for the delivery of fuel and
Value in the artisanal
than the thrust, as modern Western
dispatch of product. Gas lighting
saws do. Metal screws date only from
allowed the expensive machines to
the early 15th century. Nailed on
operate non-stop, 24 hours a day.
padded upholstery is a modern, 16th
Mass production required that each
century development. Glass doors,
worker produced endless multiples of
also, would surprise our time traveller.
single components: chair legs turned
These do not generally appear until
on a lathe with a pattern shaped blade,
the 17th century. This seems a short
for example. When finished the
list for an artisan tradition spanning at
furniture was then displayed in shops,
least 5000 years.
in the contemporary fashion, to be
Hence the rapid development and decline of the timber furniture tradition since 1800 seems all the
Since the mid-19th century our reliance on increasing mechanisation
Revolution brought machines: steam
has meant a decline in timber
powered circular and band saws,
furniture. Timber has to be carved to
lathes, drills, carving machines and
the desired shape, so this means
rotary peeling of veneers. None of
much of the expensive material is
these things in themselves were
wasted as sawdust. There is no waste
directly detrimental to the furniture
in materials that can be cast – such as
trade, but the immovable, huge,
metal, glass, and plastics. Chipboard
expensive machines needing constant
is an inelegant hybrid solution to this
fuel, demanded structural change in
problem, basically making wood able
all industries.
to be cast, but removing its advantages of tensile strength,
made for a specific client, to their
lightness, and the beauty of the figure.
specifications, by a team of craftsmen
Inexorably, from the 1920s the best
who made the product from scratch
furniture comprises glass, metal and
and delivered it to the client, with all
plastic. Timber-looking furniture today
CollectablesTrader
that is both practical for contemporary living and available, Roy’s Antiques chooses to stock pre-industrial, artisanal furniture made before about 1840. Fortunately, old artisanal furniture glows in the company of Philippe Stark plastic, Marc Newson aluminium, as well as vintage Italian marble and glass coffee tables, and Chuck Close paintings.
Couture had given way to prêt a porter!
more surprising. The Industrial
Until 1800 furniture was mostly
44
seen and selected ‘ready-made’.
To display the best of timber furniture
Note Article reproduced courtesy Antiques & Art in Victoria
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 Royal Doulton Art Deco hand painted bowls and jug, c. 1930; bowls $225 each, jug $350
Burleigh Ware Commemorative plate, c. 1930s $245
Royal Doulton Flow Blue & gilt bowl, c. 1890 $650
Moorcroft Anemone bowl, signed ‘William Moorcroft’, h: 38 cm, original sticker $725
Stuart Crystal decanter, c. 1950 $295
Beswick figurine of a Bald Eagle $595
Carlton Ware wall pocket $295
Art Nouveau twin handled vase, c. 1900, decorated with embossed flower $650
Art Nouveau hand painted vase, c. 1900 $195
Assorted Mason’s Ironstone ginger jars $165 - $265
Victorian oak purdonium or coal scuttle, brass hinges & trim with inlaid front, c. 1860s, original lining $750
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CollectablesTrader
Carlton Ware tableware, c. 1960s $75 - $160
Edwardian walnut c. 1910 bedside table $395
SALLY BERESFORD 17th - 19th Century Provincial Furniture
BIG & SMALL TABLES
DINING TABLES
EXTENSION TABLES
Sally Beresford/French Farmhouse Tables is now trading in the country. We have a beautiful and historic showroom for our range of artisan made, bespoke tables in hand-selected French timbers. Uniquely crafted locally, using 17th-18th century methods of construction and finish, we can take orders on tables custom made from 1m to 5m. Visit us at Mount Ashby and sit around a French Farmhouse table in the original, restored dairy, and enjoy the view of the vineyard surrounded by grazing dairy cattle.
SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS SHOWROOM Mount Ashby Estate Cellar Door and ‘La Palette’ Cafe 128 Nowra Road, Moss Vale (100m from cnr of Nowra & Yarrawa Rds) p: 02 4869 4144 p: 02 9362 1733 e: info@sallyberesford.com.au Open Thursday to Monday 10am to 4.30pm & By Appointment
www.sallyberesford.com.au
www.sallyberesford.com.au
www.sallyberesford.com.au
Collectables Trader
Congratulations to the winner of Conundrum No. 46
conundrum no.47
Congratulations to the winner of Conundrum No. 46, M. McMahon of Burleigh Heads, Qld., who wins a one year subscription to the online version of CARTER'S Price Guide to Antiques at www.carters.com.au, valued at $110.00. his issue we look at what are now fashionably called ‘pre-owned luxury’ items. Some of the designers, retailers and companies listed below are multi-nationals, or in the case of individuals, have lived or worked in several countries. However, the names of each are associated with their country of their origin.
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1
2
3
4
Item 1 is a gold cigarette case retailed by Asprey & Co., the oldest established of our luxury goods businesses, having been founded in 1781. The gold leopard brooch displayed as item 2 is by Cartier, which originally built its reputation as the retailer of exceptional jewellery by outstanding designers. The firm also sold fine antiques and objects d’art supplied by workshops, manufacturers and dealers, but whose range now includes clocks, pens, watches, clothing and desk accessories. Likewise, Georg Jensen (1866-1935), whose cuff bangle is displayed as item 3 was a silversmith whose name has become a brand with the range extending from jewellery and flatware to lighting, clocks and other luxury items. The name of Stuart Devlin is familiar to many of us as a designer of banknotes, but is probably better known commercially as a silversmith. A silver and gilt goblet by Stuart Devlin is shown as item 4. The Versace name launched with women’s fashion collection in 1978, proves that a strong brand name can be used to promote just about anything, from hotels in Dubai and on the Gold Coast, to ceramics, watches, jewellery and writing instruments, and even rhinestone encrusted sunglasses as shown in item 5. Tiffany & Co. was founded as a ‘stationery and fancy goods’ store in 1837, going on to set up a design house that won the grand prize for silver craftsmanship at the 1867 Paris World’s fair. The company’s innovative jewellery designs as shown by the bangle in item 6 lead them to be the preeminent jewellers of the 20th century and while the firm still sell jewellery, they now promote the Tiffany name as a ‘house of design’ which includes silver, watches, leather goods, writing instruments and so on. After reading through the description of each item from 1 to 6 above, which includes the name of the manufacturer or designer, your task this month is to write the name of the country of their origin, or birth in the case of individuals under each item. The names of the applicable countries are. Denmark, Britain, France, Italy, United States, Australia Once you are satisfied with your answers, complete the coupon below and mail it to the address shown.
5
6
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 $110.00 You must have an email address in order to be able to access the online price guide. Located on the internet at www.carters.com.au, it includes over 90,000 items. Carter's online price guide is fully indexed, making it easier to locate items, and offers affordable access for infrequent or once-only users, as well as being moderately priced for an annual subscription.
Answers to Conundrum No. 46, which asked readers to indentify six items of silver, which could have been found on the dining table in an upper class home in the 19th century. The answers are: 1. Jet 2. Baleen 3. Shagreen 4. Horn 5. Alabaster 6. Amber
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 June 2013. Win a free one-year subscription to Carter’s online price guide to antiques and collectables at www.carters.com.au valued at $110. Name: ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ Address: .........................................................................................................................Suburb or Town: ............................................................... State: .................Postcode: .................Phone..........................................................Email.........................................................................................
CollectablesTrader
47
Now you can easily find the value of antiques and collectables in the online version of Carter’s Price Guide to Antiques and Collectables.
STEP 1 Enter one or two words applicable to o your general gen area of interest, intere estt, and click c on the Go button. bu utton.
STEP 2 Select the index ind dex item from the disp play that display your matches you ur criteria. criteria.
STEP 3 Click to displ display ay the matching ma items.
Our online price guide comprises over 95,000 items sold by auction in Australia and New Zealand over the last four years, and the price range shown is indicative of the actual auction price. Carter’s price guide is fully indexed, just like a book, making search-and-find easy. Each item is fully described and illustrated.
Subscription rates are: – One week AUD$12.50
– One month AUD$30.00
Go to: www.carters .com.au John Furphy Pty Ltd trading as CARTER’S Publications ABN: 37 005 508 789 info@carters.com.au
– One year AUD$110.00
COLLECTABLES fairs ** Fairs listed prominently advertise complete details in Collectables Trader or Antiques & Art (NSW, VIC, QLD)
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 and Art NSW, Queensland and Victoria 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 MAY 1 May - June 16 Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition, Toorak Rd, Toorak Village, Melbourne VIC www.toorakvillage.com.au Until July 14 McClelland Sculpture Survey & Award, McClelland Gallery+Sculpture Park, 390 McClelland Drive Langwarrin VIC www.mcclellandgallery.com 18 - 19 Alstonville Rotary Annual Antiques & Collectables Fair, Alstonville Leisure & Entertainment Centre Commercial Rd, Alstonville NSW 0411 952 356 18 - 19 Thomson Brook Winery Antiques & Collectables Fair, Town Hall, Abel St, Boyup Brook WA 08 9731 5351 24 - 26 Griffith Antiques and Collectables Fair, Griffith Ex-Servicemen’s Club, Jondaryan Ave, Griffith NSW 0428 446 534 24 - 26 North Shore Antiques Fair & Collectables, Ku-ring-gai Town Hall, Pacific Hwy, Pymble NSW 0437 000 112 25 - 26 ANDA Coin Note and Stamp Show, Table Tennis Centre, Green Tce, Downey Park, Windsor QLD www.anda.com.au 25 - 26 Gumeracha Antique Fair, Gumeracha Town Hall, Albert St, Gumeracha SA 0438 856 853 25 - 26 Rotary Club of Mont Albert and Surrey Hills Annual Antiques & Collectables Fair, Mont Albert Primary School, Barloa Rd, Mont Albert VIC 0450 472 723 http://rotarymontalbertandsurreyhills.org.au 26 Dayboro Antiques and Collectables Fair, Dayboro Showgrounds, off Mt Mee Road, Dayboro QLD 0412 724 080 www.dayborodistrict.com.au 31 - 2 June Adelaide Antique Fair, Burnside Ballroom, cnr Greenhill & Portrush Rds, Tusmore SA www.adelaideantiquefair.com JUNE 1-2 1-2 15 - 16 15 - 16 16 21 - 23
22 22 - 23 29
The Rotary Club of Springwood Annual Antique and Collectables Fair, Springwood High School, Grose Rd, Faulconbridge NSW 02 4751 8277 Antique & Collectables Fair, Midland Town Hall WA 0430 019 030 Cobram Historical Society Annual Antique & Collectables Fair, Cobram Civic Centre, Punt Rd, Cobram VIC 0439 721 112 Mandurah Antique and Collectors’ Fair, Mandurah Indoor Volleyball Centre, Dower St, Mandurah WA 08 9535 5846 Aladdin’s Antique and Collectables Fair, Brisbane Table Tennis Hall, 86 Green Terrace, Windsor QLD 0424 731 006 Avoca Antique Fair, Function Centre, Avoca Raceourse VIC. Gala preview 21 June 6pm - 9 pm $20 entry 1300 303 800 www.avocaantiquefair.com.au Bendigo Collectables Fair, Kangaroo Flat Leisure Centre, Browning St, Kangaroo Flat VIC 03 5444 0308 Bridgetown Antique & Collectors Fair, Bridgetown Showgrounds, Peninsula Rd, Bridgetown WA 08 9586 3029 Fernvale Antiques and Collectables Fair, Fernvale State Primary School, Brisbane Valley Highway, Fernvale QLD 07 5426 3013
The Benalla Lions Club Antique & Collectable Fair to be held at
NEW ZEALAND MAY 4 4
4-5 5 5 10
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Antiques, Collectables and Crafts Market, Bay View Hotel, Petane Road, Bay View, Napier www.eventfinder.co.nz 06 836 5340 The Little Big Markets vintage wear, art, craft, Mount Maunganui Sports Centre, Cnr Maunganui and Hull Rds, Mt Maunganui, Bay of Plenty www.thelittlebigmarkets.co.nz North Shore Antique and Collectable Fair, AUT Sport & Fitness Centre, 90 Akoranga Drive, Northcote, Auckland 02 160 9399 Hamilton East Village Market Street Market, Grey Street Hamilton East 07 847 9855 Shabby Chic Market Day, Rochester Villa, Connal St, Woolston, Christchurch City www.eventfinder.co.nz Anissa Victoria’s Twilight Vintage Market, Pallet Pavilion, Corner Durham Streets and Kilmore Streets, Christchurch City www.eventfinder.co.nz Otara Fleamarket, Otara Town Centre Carpark, Newbury St, Otara, Auckland www.eventfinder.co.nz
Benalla Indoor Recreational Centre (Basketball Stadium) Ackerly Avenue, Benalla on
12 & 13 October 2013 Saturday 10am – 5pm Sunday 10am – 4pm Admission – $7.00 Accompanied children under 14 free For further enquiries phone
Margaret and Peter on 03 5762 3043 or email: pandmpoels@bigpond.com
CollectablesTrader 49
PROFILING AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS
KITTY ARMSTRONG a forgotten western australian A painter, a leatherworker and a metalsmith, Kitty was a business partner at one stage with the famous James W.R. Linton
Dorothy Erickson
here are many Western Australian
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women artists who have slipped from our gaze – most because they did not marry and, without
descendants, had no one to promote their memory or preserve their works. One such was Kitty Armstrong who is luckier than most as her work was distributed among her brothers’ descendants.
Early years Catharine ‘Kitty’ Armstrong was born at Semaphore in South Australia on 29 January 1885, daughter of Thomas Montgomery Armstrong and Caroline Elizabeth née Hammond. When she was nearly two her mother died tragically so Kitty and her three brothers went to live with their father’s sisters and brothers. Kitty Armstrong, c. 1914 One of Kitty’s charcoal drawings exhibited in London in 1908
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CollectablesTrader
James W.R. Linton with students at the Technical Art School, c. 1909
In business with J.W.R. Linton In 1914 Kitty re-enrolled at the Technical School. This was the year she inherited Moorabin. The following year she became a business partner with Linton in his silversmithing studio in Hay Street. She made copper and silver boxes, silver necklaces and silver spoons for herself as well as working on Linton’s commissions. They were Henry Charles Armstrong, a
the Tech. She was one of the better
rumoured to have had an affair, but
pharmacist with seven pharmacies
students and exhibited in the student
regardless of the reasons, the
and pastoral interests, and his wife
exhibition at the Industries Hall in
partnership did not last and soon
Zara cared for Kitty at Ballarat then
Barrack Street in 1906, in the following
Linton had a new partner.
Wilcannia. In 1894 they went to
year at the Exhibition of Women’s Work
Western Australia to open WA
in Perth as well as in the first
Apothecaries in Hay Street, Perth.
Australian Exhibition of Women’s Work
The family home ‘Moorabin’ was
in the Melbourne Exhibition, which was
nearby. Kitty lived the normal social
also held in 1907.
life expected of a well-connected
Franco British Grand Prix winner
young lady. In 1900, Perth Technical School was established and in 1902 J.W.R. Linton (1869-1947), son of Sir James
The Western Australian student’s work was a non-competitive entry in
Drumgole Linton who was painting
Melbourne however it was sent onto
tutor to the Royal princesses, became
the Franco British Exhibition in London
art master and developed classes in
in 1908 where it won the Grand Prix
applied arts as well as in painting and
and a Diploma of Honour – ‘showing
drawing. It became quite fashionable
that the work executed at this School
to enrol at the Tech instead of in one
is of a high order of merit’. One of
of the many private art schools.
Kitty’s drawings from this exhibition is
In 1904, aged 19, Kitty enrolled at
Above: Trinket box in copper and silver made by Kitty when a business partner of J.W.R. Linton from 1915-17
still in the family’s possession. Above: Silver necklace made by Kitty between 1915-17
Above: The diploma from the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition in London Left: The Art School advertisement
CollectablesTrader 51
living teaching and as an artist
Ballet – seen as the forerunner of the
painting still life, landscapes and
professional West Australian Ballet
portraits in oils and watercolours. She
Company, and famous Russian ballerina
established a solo studio in Cathedral
Anna Pavlova (1881-1931) who was
Chambers which she kept from 1918-
welcomed as a guest in Kitty’s home
22. In addition she went to Sydney for
when performing in Perth.
a while to study design during 1920. lessons and taught at schools in
Creative pursuits redirected
Claremont and Fremantle, and at
The Depression resulted in Kitty giving
Kindergarten Teachers College until
up art as a fulltime profession and
1930. In 1924 she relocated her
opening a teashop. In 1930 she
studio to Cathedral Avenue then to the
moved to the Old Mahogany Creek
corner of St George’s Terrace and
Inn in the hills behind Perth where
George Street and finally to Moorabin.
she ran her tearooms before moving
Diverse skills
two years later to Kalamunda where,
When she returned she gave private
Still life with Hookah which hung on the walls of Green Gables
As well as working as an artist Kitty also stained, tooled, cut and embossed leather. Her motifs included wildflowers and fanciful beasts while objects she made included handbags, writing wallets, table runners, dinner mats, lounge cushions, book carriers and other useful articles made of cowhide, pigskin, sheep and calfskin. Gesso workboxes in soft colours with neat designs were all part of her output. Examples are held by family members in Sydney and Perth. On a number of occasions, Kitty exhibited with the Western Australia
in a former school house which she beautified with gardens, ponds and rockeries with stone seats, she continued to serve tea and exhibit artworks on the walls. This teahouse was named ‘Green Gables’, after the famous stories written by her relative Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942). Kitty’s great nieces and nephews remember her with great affection for she was apparently quite a character – she once fell down a well in her garden and, after being rescued some five-and-a-half hours later, joked about ‘Kitty’s in the well’.
Society of Arts – in 1908, 1913, 1920,
Postscript
1928 and 1929. In 1928 she exhibited
When she died in 1968 she left Green
a substantial collection of tooled, stained
Gables to the Church of England who
and embossed leather and suede – a
built homes for the aged there. This
fire screen, mat, table centre, bags,
property was sold a few years ago,
blotters, needle case and a cushion.
and the Church invested the proceeds
Quite a collection was exhibited in the
in the Amana Living property at Salter
Society’s 1929 Centenary exhibition. An
Point, where they named the new
undated cutting held by the Art Gallery
wing Armstrong House in her honour.
of Western Australia quotes a critic’s
The epitaph on her grave reads: ‘I
view that ‘her colour work, the bags and
pray thee, then, write of me as one
purses ... being worth more than a
who loves his fellow men.’
passing glance’. Study for a commissioned portrait
Counted among her friends at the time were the dancing entrepreneur
52
An independent spirit
Norma Linley Wilson (1898-1990), who
After the dissolution of her partnership
established Western Australia’s first
with Linton, Kitty made a modest
ballet company, the Australian Caravan
CollectablesTrader
Acknowledgements Information from the late Col. F.H.M. Armstrong, NSW Photographs courtesy of John and Robert Armstrong, Elizabeth Bradshaw and Dorothy Erickson
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and collectables since 1985
Swan pattern Master Bowl $275
Australian 9 ct gold prize rugby fob $165
Art Deco flapper celluloid purse, c. 1920 $125
Pair Art Deco bronze theatre lights $495
Altar candle holder made by WJ Sanders, Sydney, c. 1913 $995
Gold plated Lord’s Prayer charm $38
Japanese Satsuma moriage porcelain vase $295
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Shop 7, Centenary ANTIQUE Centre 29 Centenary Rd Newcastle NSW • Open 7 days: 10 am – 5 pm Just 100 metres from Civic Station
02 4332 8183 • 0405 127 602 View selection at www.antiquesplus.com.au – search for: Collectors’ Cottage
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Corgi 441 VW Toblerone van, c.1963-67, in mint condition boxed $350
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CollectablesTrader
53
FOLK ART FINDS Whether designed for function or as a personal creative impulse these often inventive and mysterious artworks are a delight to behold and collect
Conrad Blakeman
ecently, travelling through the
R
southern Philippines, I observed an array of ethnographic carvings and artefacts. From a distance it
enabled me to reflect upon the panorama of the Australian antique landscape that I travel; a parallel with antipodean folk art, carvings
Chip carved nautical themed photograph frame made in kauri pine. Courtesy Glenn R. Cooke. Photographer: Eden George, Dunedin and Auckland, New Zealand
and sculptural melange. There is a unique richness in the panorama of what is termed folk art – a fascination of simplicity and purpose accompanied by whimsical decorative flourishes within an obvious rustic digression of interpretation. Yarn reel made by unknown artist, c. 1830-50, paint on wood. Courtesy American Folk Art Museum. Eva & Morris Feld Folk Art Acquisition Fund, 1981
Traditional European skills employed The folk art movement that I am aware of traversed the backdrop of Australia and the United States, both having societies created from European transmigration into the New
Leaping horse weathervane, c. 1850s, laminated and carved wood, iron. American Museum in Britain Far right: A creative solution to a seating problem – the effective recycling of a packing case into a chair
Worlds. Taking and drawing upon old traditional European skills, this expression gave rise to the groundswell of peoples’ art – vernacular, rustic, lived-in and shaped from memory and a glorious creative spark. The United States had a head start of some 200 years over us as a founding colony then nationhood, so the retrospectivity of folk art began in the 1920s at a time between two
56
CollectablesTrader
world wars and fiscal uncertainty, which
we say here, ‘as rare as hens’ teeth’ in
also proved to be the impetus for
the reassurance of old values and the
creative solutions and inspired designs.
old days.
Items considered passé, obsolete, to be
Treen – small, wooden handmade
detruded, or stored away within a
household objects other than furniture
hoarder’s sanctity, suddenly took on new
– were plentiful, such as pegged coat
demeanour, or were rejuvenated, cast
or hat racks, milking stools, fruit bowls,
into new light or incarnation.
mixing spoons, racks for dishes, shoe
Country craftsmanship
polishing boxes, fruit boxes, blanket or
Vital implements in the tools of trade
dowry boxes dovetailed or merely
included chisels, mallets, spokeshaves
butted together; whatever could be
(a tool to shape wooden shafts and rods,
turned or shaped.
such as for chairs), augers and bow
One can only marvel at the
saws. Metal was beaten, hammered and
draughtsmanship of John Scholl (1827-
laboured into weather vanes, whirligigs,
1916), a German American who lived in
sign posts, trade signs, church spires
Pennsylvania and created innovative
and advertising motifs that displayed
and symmetrical designs of whatever
navigation points – to be etched into
took his fancy; masterpieces of
travellers’ yarns and tales.
imagination running wild but with
In the 1920s, American folk art gathered momentum on the north eastern seaboard then lay dormant until
From left: Copper donkey weathervane made by an unknown artist, 1890-1930. American Folk Art Museum. Gift of Susan Unterberg, 1996. Photo by John Parnell Carousel rabbit. Courtesy American Folk Art Museum Toy horse made by unknown artist, c. 1860-90, paint on poplar. Courtesy American Folk Art Museum Soldier whirligig made by unknown artist, c. 186080, paint on wood on metal. Courtesy American Folk Art Museum. Gift of Frances and Paul Martinson, 1995
constraint featuring unique, idiosyncratic and diligent design. In the 1980s I used to always read
the post war years and times of
Architectural Digest when they did
prosperity. It then rose from humble
country features, and the richness of
urbanity to reverential decor highlighting
Americana jumped off the pages. Yarns
the richness of simple traditional values
of dealers, pickers and avid collectors,
and country craftsmanship; one-time
tales of barn finds, country clearing sales
dime-a-dozen status was dramatically
and flea markets, plain old door
elevated to rarity, collectability and, as
knocking, hearsay and intrepid pursuits,
Above: Cat weathervane, origins unknown, copper with gold leaf. Colby College Museum of Art. Helen Warren and Willard Howe Cummings Collection Below left: Garden furniture made in Australia from tree branches, c. 1900. The design is reminiscent of chairs and benches made in England and the United States in the 19th century Below right: Indian weathervane, c. 1880s, gilded copper. American Museum in Britain
Wooden pull toy made for the Macarthur family, Camden Park, NSW
CollectablesTrader 57
Old Fun Fair ‘shoot ’em down’ mounted onto an old Oregon block as a base
A whirligig I found on the roadside at Peats Ridge, NSW. It is in its as-found condition apart from minor structural stabilising
journeys down country backroads into
principally for people who in those days
heartland Pennsylvania or upstate
were illiterate and could only judge a
New York.
store's function by appropriate signage.
Motifs & designs
On the subject of animals, of course,
Above: Australian made cradle crafted from twigs then attached to a rocking chair base ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Photography by John Delacour. Images courtesy Golden Press in association with National Trust of Australia NSW, 1977 Images courtesy World of Antiques & Art
Skilled artisans decorated with fine
on every dealer and collector’s list was
draughtsmanship creating floral or fauna
decoy ducks. I have read of a collector
motifs, fretwork, applique, tracery that
cum dealer in New York in the
off a buzz around the traps, and the
was symmetrical, and painted effects
embryonic revival days of Americana
trade bush telegraph was humming
with nods and winks to naturalistic
who owned 2,000 ducks and knew the
with anecdotes and swapped yarns in
scenes; just simple statements of the
provenance of each and every one: the
search of the next bush eureka of
inner self – freewheeling autonomy with
carver, type of wood used and its general
dinky di holy grail.
what I term ‘conceptual naivety’.
history. In the mid 1980s, a major New
Australian folk art
York auction house sold a decoy duck
heart shape, in a diversity of forms,
There are two waves or cycles within the
for the then unheard of price of
appearing within the margins and
Australian movement – the first was at
$200,000, moving it from the realm of
the turn of the 19th century around the
letterheads in the old traditional way of
collectable to that of significant artwork
time of Federation. Inspired by national
communicating endearment, to a
desired for its provenance – maker/artist
fauna and flora, depictions of kangaroos,
painted motif on a bride’s dowry chest as
– and material – Sequoia wood.
kookaburras and lyrebirds embellished
A common motif was the human
well as score more stencilled designs.
Along these lines, a classic piece of
chair back rests, leadlight windows,
There were anecdotes of weather
Australiana of vernacular cut and thrust
picture frames, poker work, quilts,
vanes and how they originated: a horse
too had its moment of glory. Around
weavings and studio pottery. A flourish at
motif could indicate a saddler
1987, an old bush chair that had been
high artistic level is, in part, why it
feed depot; a fish symbol for a fish
salvaged by pickers at the Maldon tip in
survives and is lauded today.
merchant; a ship for a ships’ chandler; a
Victoria, reached an astonishing price of
The other cycle spun out of the
whale for a whaling station – this was
$17,000 at auction in Victoria. This set
Depression era (1929-32): a severe,
or stock
Below: Decoy duck of South Australian provenance Right: A broken tricycle takes on a new form
58
Top: Hardwood bench and table found in South Australia, probably made late 19th century
CollectablesTrader
Right: Perceval-Compton Windsor chair (English), c. 1756 © Victoria and Albert Museum London Below: Unknown maker, 'Jimmy Possum' chair, c. 1925, blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) slab and stick construction. National Gallery of Australia. Gift of Diana Cameron 1981
Right: Primitive Thames Valley comb back chair for possible use as a garden chair, 18th century, original paint still partly visible
Above: Interior of The Hollow, Mackay, c. 1880s, showing a typical Queensland interior. Rawson Archive, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland Below: Depression period side table made from two side panels taken off an old Norco butter box, c. 1920s, washed in blue paint and red ochre
shattered economy saw tough, austere
understatement of bush sensibilities,
and 1925 attributed to Jimmy Possum
and frugal times. As there simply was
and not a dovetail joint in sight!
sits in the National Gallery of Australia in
not enough money for a working man to buy new furnishings, old Victorian pine furniture, cedar, mahogany, oak and whatever lay at hand would be recycled, rejuvenated, rejigged or enhanced with licks of fresh paint. For those even further down the food
Bush furniture
Canberra. The symmetry and style of the country form is stunning in its
The crafting and use of bush furniture
understated elegance. The centre seat
was widespread but very little of it within Australia has been attributed to a
slab braced and mortised by simple stick
particular maker. However, some pieces can be ascribed to coming out of a distinct school of style, leading me to the
poles shooting up to the horizontal top rail rest – it is almost air animation holding sticks, hand rails and seat in suspension. One would guess that he made other
chain, thrift really cut in: old packing
mention of a Mr Jimmy Possum who is
crates were salvaged to make crude
perpetually associated with a certain
meat safes; old kerosene tins were cut
type of crude country armchair – skeletal
open and used as utility cupboards;
and sparse – but held in mystical
crude bush furniture in the rural areas
esteem owing much in inspiration as
to. From all accounts, Jimmy Possum
was fashioned from eucalyptus planks
well as a passing nod to the British High
seems to have been a journeyman joiner
while rustic dressers were made from
Wycombe chairs emanating from the
cum bush carpenter – elusive and
sugar pine backboards, ventilation
Windsor region in the late 1700s. This
ghostly, floating through the Deloraine
panels forming the sides made from
furniture icon has moved from high
region of northern Tasmania around the
perforated tin. These may have been
status parlour or drawing room
turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
crude and makeshift but were ultimately
designation, to the cottage as an
With that surname, I suspect that he
functional, not only serving a practical
everyday chair.
was of indigenous background with a
purpose but also declaring a pithy
A hardwood chair dated between 1900
chairs and furniture as well as treen with whatever timber lay at hand and whatever he was asked to turn his hand
tribal totem name.
CollectablesTrader 59
BRISBANE ANTIQUE EMPORIUM at Discovery Junction Cnr Sandgate & Junction Road Clayfield Qld 4011
07 3862 1600 info@brisbaneantiqueemporium.com.au
Chinese famille rose vase, c. 1880, h: 35 cm
* Valuations * Restorations * Off street parking * Air conditioned
Pair piano babies designed and made by Gebruder Heubach (Sonneberg, Germany), c. 1890, h: 27 cm x l: 27 cm
* Coffee * Personalised Service * Friendly Atmosphere * Knowledgeable Staff
Join us for the Rare Clock Display and Sale
1 June to 30 June
Aquamarine and diamond dress ring
Victorian mahogany Wellington chest, c. 1890, 210 x 86 cm
Parian Ware figurine group ‘The Three Graces’, c. 1880, h: 32 cm
Art Deco diamond and sapphire brooch
Scottish mahogany longcase clock made by James Davidson, c. 1880, h: 218 cm
OPEN 7 DAYS 10 AM – 5 PM Discovery Junction incorporates Buy Design Clayfield & Atomic Martini Vintage
ROYCROFT AUCTIONS
THE MILL MARKETS ENAMEL SIGN COLLECTION Sunday 26 May Flowerdale Public Hall Yea Rd Flowerdale Victoria View 8.30 day of sale Auction 10.30
THERE WILL BE 400 ODD SIGNS UP FOR SALE FROM THE RECEIVERS Petrol, Oil, Motor Car, Household, Battery, Shop Advertising Lights, Fertiliser, Motor Tyres, Enamel, Metal, Wooden, Acrylic, Cardboard Quantity of Embossed Enamel Signs FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER FOR CATALOGUE Please call John 0433 247 438 Email info@roycroftauctions.com or Ross 03 5780 1234 Email roycroftantiques@bigpond.com Cash or Chq only View at www.roycroftauctions.com
Under Instructions From: Ken Sellers and Mathew Muldoon, Receivers and Managers of Daramking Pty Ltd (Receivers & Managers Appointed) Formerly trading as “The Mill Markets” Geelong Markets Pty Ltd (Receivers & Managers Appointed) and Geelong West Property Trust (Receivers Appointed)
Pakenham’s
10th Annual Antique Fair
TWELTH BLUE MOUNTAINS
Saturday 20 July 2013
ANTIQUES &
9 am to 4 pm
Pakenham Racecourse Racecourse Road, Pakenham ALL UNDERCOVER
COLLECTABLES FAIR Blackheath Community Hall Great Western Highway, Blackheath NSW
Entry: $5 Adult $4 Concession, Children free
SATURDAY 6th JULY 2013
Valuations by David Freeman from 1 pm
SUNDAY 7th JULY 2013
$5 per item
10 AM - 4 PM
Please bring photos of larger items No jewellery, coins or stamps can be valued
Accompanying children FREE
10 AM - 5 PM
Admission $8.00 ENQUIRIES 0428 446 534
Enquiries
03 5941 1327 or 03 5943 2366
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 ✯
CollectablesTrader
61
Portrait of Johann Friedrich Böttger. VEB Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur, Meissen
FIGURINES MADE BY
JOHANN FRIEDRICH BÖTTGER inventor of european hard-paste porcelain Europe provided an enormous market for oriental porcelain and the huge profits that were made encouraged efforts across the continent to discover the secret of making it. But it was not until the 18th century that the mystery was solved
Paul Rosenberg n the first few years of the fledgling
I
Meissen factory, a crisis emerged; their amazing new discovery, porcelain, was a very valuable product both in the
marketplace for luxuries, and as a prestigious gift to buy political influence for the patron, Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. However, what were they to make?
Meissen porcelain factory On 15 January 1708, Johann Friedrich Böttger (1682-1719) fired the first successful samples of true white porcelain and the Dresden porcelain factory was established in 1709 and was then moved to Albrechtsburg in Meissen. The earliest pieces were simple: small tea bowls very similar to the highly desirable Chinese Left to right: Meissen figure of a Gypsy, c. 1715-20 Meissen dwarf figure of an American Indian, c. 1725 Meissen commedia dell’arte figure, c. 1720
62
CollectablesTrader
Meissen jug and bottle, 1710-13, Böttger stoneware
Meissen teapot, 1725, Böttger porcelain
porcelains imported at great cost.
the romanticised world of the Gypsies
Very soon, non-Chinese elements
– a much more appropriate theme for
crept in, such as applying acanthus
the table of the gentry.
leaf moulding to the outside. Larger
The source is by the esteemed
vases were attempted, as well as
French engraver and etcher, Jacques
shapes such as teapots and jugs, and
Callot (1592/3-1635). It is said that
they all had a common theme: they
he ran away at a young age with a
echoed the German taste for the
band of ‘Travellers’ – the nomadic
Baroque, that northern European
gypsies who roamed as they wished
taste for the dramatic and exotic.
through Europe.
Early figures Into this period fall a group of figures we have assembled over the years. Known as Böttger figures due to the distinct porcelain body they are made from, they are extreme rarities, dating from 1715-20. Meissen had an interest in producing figures from the very beginning, as a part of the decoration for the lavish table settings typical of the 17th and early 18th centuries. These were traditionally made from sugar, which didn’t last for many uses; porcelain was the perfect replacement.
Above: Abraham Bosse (French 1602/1604-1676), Portrait of Jacques Callot (Épitaphe de Jacques Callot), c. 1636, etching with engraving, published by Israël Henriet (Fench c. 1590-1661). Metropolitan Museum of Art New York
Callot created a series of four prints on the subject in around 1621, titled
Below: Jacques Callot (1592/3-1635), Les Bohemiens, c. 1621, engraving
Les Bohémiens, and in one, the first figure in the long procession of travellers on the road is very similar to our porcelain figure. The boots, the long hair, and the hat match; his left hand, which was always assumed to be a beggar’s plea, suddenly makes sense, as it supports a long thin barrel of a gun hefted over the gent’s shoulder – an impossible feat to produce in porcelain at this time, so they have left it out.
Table settings often had themes. Our figures appear to belong to three distinct themes: first, and most interesting, is a tall man in a broad brim hat. He bears a very rare early version of the famous crossed swords mark of Meissen, which first appears shortly before 1725 and was quickly discarded, allowing us to date this
Jacques Callot worked in Rome and then Florence before returning to Nancy in 1621. His speciality of portraying beggars and deformities made him a favourite with 18th century
figure to circa 1725. Very few of these
collectors. His engravings
figures exist; when described, they
of the bizarre and
are often called ‘beggars’.
grotesque inspired
Gypsy figure However, a recent discovery reveals a probable graphic source for the figure which removes him from the dubious
statuettes made by goldsmiths and in porcelain at Vienna and Chelsea as well as at Meissen.
world of begging and places him into
CollectablesTrader 63
There is a figure representing Africa
Meissen mark in a pale Böttger lustre
Dwarf figure This discovery came about while researching the next figure for our 2013 catalogue. He represents our second theme – a previously undescribed set of the continents. He is a dwarf, of a type often called Callot figures, as once again a series of engravings dating to the early 17th century were the source for both painted and moulded productions. However, after an exhaustive search of the recorded Callot engravings (there are literally thousands of them!) we were unable to find a suitable source to which to attribute this particular figure. The first unusual feature you notice is his skin. It’s a pale reddish colour, giving a strong clue to his identity. We know this shiny surface from early Meissen teawares, which we call Böttger lustre. Identical figures exist with thick black enamel to the skin, representing Africans; our figure, therefore, is surely a redskin Indian, representing the Americas. Interestingly, a female example exists
64
Punch & Judy show, but in the
The figurine has black enamel skin
European courts, it had many more
colour and stands on a hexagonal
characters and themes played by
base. The dwarf as an American
actual characters, not puppets. This
Indian is also set on an octagonal
figure is the earliest porcelain example
base and a perfect partner for this
from this theme, and has been
African figure. Another unusual
variously described as Harlequin,
feature is the odd trace of a painted
Scaramouche and Beltrame, but is
surface. High magnification reveals
most probably The Captain.
traces of colourful enamels, with a
The figure’s extremely baroque pose
yellow ground to his cloak painted
is most probably the work of a sculptor
with scattered red flowers, the
outside the Meissen factory, and
feathers in the headdress alternating
researchers have pointed out the
yellow and red, and bright yellow
similarity to ivory carvings produced in
boots. As a fragile lacquer surface put
Augsburg. Intriguingly, a reference in
on cold, such a surface was easily
the factory records for 1725 refers to
removed by merely washing, and so
161 plaster models being purchased
rarely survived. Underneath is a mark, a large ‘G’ in a pale Böttger lustre. A number of such letters have been recorded and are linked to the decoration, often of simply gilding. Older books describe this as a ‘fired ink’ mark, which is wrong. It is actually a lustre, achieved by firing massively diluted gold. Such
figure could be from this source. Unmarked and dating to the early 1720s, it has left the factory in the white, and travelled to Augsburg where it has been gilded to enhance its value. These figures represent the first endeavours of the Meissen firm to produce figures, something they were to become very famous for within a few decades. At this early period,
category of products, pieces that were
however, they were not the ‘pretty’
sold by the Meissen works in the
figures we think of when we speak of
white and decorated in workshops in
Meissen figures – but they are most
nearby Augsburg. Many of the
definitely the rarest, representing the
beautifully gilded teawares from early
pioneering years of the first porcelain
Meissen were decorated there, the
factory in Europe.
gold significantly enhancing their value. An interesting Meissen Böttger pagod figure with the same pale lustre to the face exists, and is attributed to the workshop of Johann Aufenwerth of Augsburg.
direction making a perfect pair, perhaps from a long-divided set of the
Our gypsy figure has escaped this fate
continents. An interesting clue comes
and remained white; the next figure
from the factory records, which in
has not. He is from a third theme,
around 1725 refer to ‘nationen’ –
that of the commedia dell’arte. This
people of different nationalities – and
very popular entertainment was
includes Zwergnationen, dwarfs of
widespread through Europe for much
different nationalities. Very few seem
of the 18th century, and was varied
to have survived.
and evolving in its nature. We know it
CollectablesTrader
from an Augsburg studio, and this
a mark also puts it into an interesting
Rare early commedia dell’arte figure
and curves in a complementary
best by its English descendant, the
in the Blohm Collection (1953, #129).
Note Article reproduced courtesy Antiques & Art in Victoria
Valentine’s Antique Gallery IMPORTERS OF FINE QUALITY ANTIQUES ESTABLISHED 1947
Impressive French rosewood Louis XV style queen size bed, c.1880, with ornate rococo scrolls, professionally extended for new mattress
Rare 19th century satinwood double bed made by Alex Mackenzie (Glasgow UK), c.1880, with cartouche initials ‘R.D.’ to foot; fine ebonised inlays, newly upholstered head & foot
Fine quality French mahogany Louis XVI style queen size bed, c.1890, with parquetry inlaid panels and quality floral ormolu mounts
Rare Victorian burr walnut arched top queen size bed made by Wylie & Lochhead (Glasgow UK), c.1870, with turned columns to head, bow ends to bracket foot
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: 03 5443 7279 Mobile: 0418 511 626 Fax: 03 5442 9718 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
This painting by Queensland based artist Peter J Hill, acclaimed for his equestrian oils on canvas, features legendary Australian horse Black Caviar being ridden by her jockey Luke Nolen in the BTC Cup at Doomben Racecourse, Brisbane Queensland, May 2011; a Group 1 weight-for-age race attracting the best sprinters in the country. This was Black Caviar's 13th unbeaten race – of 22 so far. One of only four paintings in the series, one of which has already been sold. Price: $20,000 Dimensions: 76 x 60 cm unframed, 100 x 76 cm framed
“ P. J.”ART GALLERY 136 Long Road ‘Gallery Walk’ Eagle Heights Qld 4272
Phone: 07 5545 0089 Mob: 0428 259 014 judyandpeter07@bigpond.com • judyandpeter09@bigpond.com
www.pjart.com.au
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JEWELLERY DESIGNED & MADE for the Australian market
Spurred on by miners happy to spend their earnings from rich mines on gold craftsmanship, 19th century Australian jewellers found a ready market for their creativity, using local materials and motifs
Anne Schofield
old discoveries in New South
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Wales and Victoria in 1851 led to the immediate local production of gold jewellery, at
first with symbolic gold-mining imagery and later with distinctly Australian motifs. In the 1890s, discoveries in Western Australia provoked another creative output, with its own local flourishes based on goldmining emblems as well as resulting in the migration of jewellers from the eastern states who were suffering from the 1890s Depression. Like the 1850s gold rush, goldsmiths from Europe were also attracted to the mining settlements.
Clockwise from top: Gold-mounted black opal brooch, c. 1900 Gold medallion made by Willis & Sons Pty Ltd (Melbourne), c. 1900, with twisted border and openwork design depicting an Australian coat of arms with ‘ADVANCE AUSTRALIA’. Private collection Heart-shaped gold brooch pendant set made by Henry Newman (Melbourne), c. 1910, blister pearl within a turquoise blue enamel border, with a baroque pearl drop and another pearl on the suspension loop. Private collection
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CollectablesTrader
IDENTIFYING GOLDFIELDS
stock of unique and characteristic
JEWELLERY
goldfields work’.
In general, the differences
Among the goldfields-inspired
Similar trinkets were made in Tasmania, a popular tourist destination also at that time, and
between the goldfields
designs were souvenir gold bar
maps of Tasmania were popular
jewellery of the 1890s are
brooches with picks and shovels,
features with rival manufacturers
windlasses and other mining
often offering almost identical
equipment, inscribed with the name
pieces. Jewellers were also
of a mine, or a town such as
enthusiastic about using local
Hannan’s (Kalgoorlie) or Coolgardie.
gemstones and incorporating
The Western Australian black swan
Australian floral and plant forms.
that the pieces are usually made in 9- or 15-carat gold as well as being lighter and simpler than the 1850s jewellery.
Forms and shapes inspired by goldfields
could appear alongside.
Patriotism and souvenir trinkets Patriotism for Federation around 1901
The Caris brothers, John and Stanley,
was an additional incentive for the
came to Western Australia from South
employment of Australian motifs and
Australia about 1894. They advertised
materials. A wealth of inexpensive
‘Nuggets mounted as brooches, & c.’
novelty jewellery resulted featuring the
among a range of jewellery at their
Australian coat-of-arms, the map of
Coolgardie premises in the Western
Australia, the Southern Cross, the
Australian Post Office Directory of 1897.
word ‘coo-ee’ and boomerangs.
Joseph Pearl, a jeweller who had
Maker unknown (Western Australia), brooch, c. 1895, in 18 ct gold with a central swan and nuggets on either side
Willis & Co., a Melbourne-based
moved to Coolgardie from Melbourne,
jewellery manufacturer, wholesaled
advertised in the Coolgardie Miner of
vast numbers of such novelties
21 March 1899 a ‘large and varied
throughout the country.
Brooch made by Golding & Sons (Hobart), c. 1900, 9 ct gold, design features map of Tasmania on a bar. Private collection
Goldfields jewellery made by Piaggio & Co (Perth), c. 1895. Private collection
Silver openwork pendant and chain designed and made by J.W.R. Linton and Arthur Cross (Perth), c. 1910, set with sapphires and blister pearls. Private collection
CollectablesTrader 69
Inspired designer pieces In addition to the commercial ‘novelty’ souvenir ranges, some Australian jewellers were creating striking original designs for Australian opals and sapphires which had been discovered in northern New South Wales and Queensland in the late 19th century, and for the wonderful pearls and Gold brooch made by Priora Bros (Sydney), c. 1900, set with a plaque of opal which represents the sea. The gold rising sun is reminiscent of ecclesiastical motifs found on Catholic monstrances. Private collection
mother-of-pearl from the Torres Strait in Queensland and Broome in Western Australia. Prominent Melbourne jeweller Henry Newman became so interested in Broome’s pearling industry that in 1900 he invested in a fleet of 26 luggers as well as in local real estate. Table Talk of 20 March 1902 reported that among his stock there were ‘grotesque pearl brooches…Their original form suggest some animal or insect… and they are worked up into a brooch or pendant to represent that object’.
Sydney based jewellers John Priora with his brother Ernest traded as the Priora Bros, which was considered one of Sydney’s premier manufacturers of the Edwardian period. John created a black opal necklet and pendant commissioned by German residents in Australia, prior to World War I, presented to Bertha Krupp, ‘the Munitions Queen of Essen, Germany’. Another remarkable piece is a gold and opal brooch dated to circa 1900 that includes decorative elements found on Catholic monstrances. Highly-esteemed Sydney jeweller Percy Marks and founder of the firm of the same name was another Australian opal enthusiast. In 1907 he purchased a collection of rare black Lightning Ridge opals. The following year, when exhibiting his collection at the Franco-British Exhibition in London, it attracted the interest of Queen Alexandra. Marks went on to receive the Grand Prize for his collection at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915 where, in his Group of 9 ct gold novelty brooches, c. 1900-1910
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CollectablesTrader
honour, the famous French dancer
Page from Flavelle, Roberts & Sankey, From Outer Darkness, 1908, p. 9. The page reproduces the article published by Brisbane’s Daily Mail (13 Dec 1907) validating the firm’s use of Queensland gems for their jewellery designs
Loïe Fuller created the Opal Ballet for a special benefit performance for French casualties of World War I.
Promoting Queensland gems Flavelle Roberts & Sankey Ltd promoted local gemstones: blue green and gold sapphires; beryl, olivine, amethyst and topaz. But it was an uphill battle until the showing of their designs at the Greater Britain Exhibition held in 1899. Their gold display on show in the Queensland Court drew everyone's attention. ‘All London admired and talked of them, and better still, later brought and wore them’ reported Brisbane’s Daily Mail of 13 December 1907. In response the firm published a booklet, From outer darkness, in 1908.
Tracing local Arts and Crafts societies During the first decade of the 20th century, local Arts and Crafts societies sprang up – first in Hobart in 1903, then Sydney in 1906 and Melbourne in 1908 to ‘encourage and assist the development of the use of Australian materials and motifs in work and design’. In Western Australia, the craftsmanship of James W.R. Linton attracted interest. Linton had studied metalwork, enamelling, jewellery and bronze casting in England. After being sent on family business to the goldfields, he settled in Perth and emerged as the most important and influential figure in Arts and Crafts jewellery design.1 Thus it became evident that Australian jewellers could produce beautiful and highly sought-after work, whether commercial novelties or original, finely-wrought pieces. This article is adapted from Anne Schofield, ‘Australian Jewellery at Federation’, World of Antiques & Art, July-Dec 2001, pp. 20-24. Note 1 Anne Gray, Line, light and shadow: James W.R. Linton, painter, craftsman, teacher, Fremantle Arts Centre Press, Fremantle, 1986
Novelty jewellery featuring local iconic emblems and patriotic themes, made in 9 ct gold, c. 1900 – 1910
CollectablesTrader 71
Open Monday to Sunday 10.30am to 4pm
Avoca Antiques fair 22-23 June 2013 30 Exhibitors from across Australia showcasing their finest wares Function Centre Avoca Racecourse Gala Preview Friday 21 June 2013 6pm to 9pm - Entry $20.00 Bookings essential phone Avoca Information Centre 03 5465 1000
General Admission
Admission Prices
Saturday 22 June & Sunday 23 June 10am to 5pm both days
Adult / Senior $10 Concession $8 Children U/16 Free (accompanied by an adult)
Door prizes Refreshments available & local wineries in attendance
Enquiries P: 1300 303 800 M: 0428 384 133
www.avocaantiquefair.com.au
EURABBIE ESTATE
GOWRIE GALLERIES AUSTRALIA’S FINEST COLLECTION OF RARE AND IMPORTANT ANTIQUE MAPS
The 1680 edition of Goos’ magnificent sea chart of the East Indies, c.1666
PRINTED WORLD V Beyond Settlement A catalogue of rare world, Australian, Southeast Asian and Pacific maps from 1493 to 1847 featuring a fine selection of 17th-century Dutch sea charts of Australia
For orders 02 4365 6399
OUR STOCK INCLUDES 15th – 18th century world maps Australian maps from the 17th century onwards Maps of Southeast Asia and the Pacific
❖ ❖ ❖
Expert advice on all aspects of map collecting Full research, evaluation, restoration and framing service Collections and individual items always considered for purchase Extensive range of decorative antique engravings
Please note new contact details for Gowrie Galleries PO BOX 276 TERRIGAL NSW 2260 Matcham studio: Phone: 02 4365 6399 Mobile: 0417 040 902 Fax: 02 4365 6096 EMAIL: maps@sydney.net • WEBSITE: www.gowrie-galleries.com.au
Paul Cholewinski
Special features sales 2013 June 7 Rock, pop & retro July 5 Toys, books & ephemera Aug 2 Vintage clothing, accessories & jewellery Sept 6 Blokey, sport, pubanalia, tools, military Oct 4 Australiana & decorative art Nov 1 Rock, pop & retro & vintage clothing Dec 6 Toys, books & ephemera
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ntiques & Collectables Fair
Presented by the
Rotary Club of Springwood, Inc to be held at
Springwood High School Grose Road, Faulconbridge Saturday 1 June 2013 - 9 am - 4 pm and
Sunday 2 June 2013 - 10 am - 3 pm Admission $7 Daily ALL ITEMS FOR SALE 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.
ENQUIRIES Valda: 02 4751 8277 or Ross: 0414 279 805
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
THE 21ST ANNUAL ROTARY CLUB OF HOPPERS CROSSING INC.
Antiques & Collectables Fair
July 2013 Fri 19th Sat 20th Sun 21th
6 pm - 9 pm 10 am - 5 pm 10 am - 4 pm
Werribee Civic Centre 45 Princes Highway PLEASE NOTE
CHANGE OF VENUE Many of our most respected dealers presenting a wide range of antiques and collectables priced to sell
Enquiries: Trevor Jago 03 9748 6437 0408 486 432 Admission $10.00, Seniors & Health Card discounts apply
CollectablesTrader
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Above: Display of the replicas of the Unicorn Tapestries hanging in the Chapel Royal in Stirling Castle, Scotland Left: Dish with an allegory of Chastity and the arms of Matthias Corvinus and Beatrice of Aragon, 1476-c. 1490, probably Pesaro, tin-glazed earthenware (majolica). Metropolitan Museum of Art NY
Knowledge base
THE UNICORN ITS MEANING & ORIGIN he unicorn is a mythological animal widely recognised as resembling a white horse with a single horn on its forehead, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Although the unicorn was depicted in Mesopotamian art and referred to in the ancient myths of India and China, its earliest description in Greek literature dates from c.400 BCE.
T
Mediaeval representations The most elaborate and beautiful depictions can be found in mediaeval works. The Unicorn Tapestries are seen as the finest expression of this subject from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance. Comprising seven individual hangings, they are among the most complex works of art from the Late Middle Ages to survive. Given by John D. Rockefeller, Jr in time for the 1938 opening of The Cloisters, a New York museum devoted to mediaeval art and architecture, the Unicorn Tapestries are its best-known masterpieces. The tapestries have been seen both as metaphors for Christ and a celebration of matrimony. They are emblematic of mediaeval notions of the magic inherent in the natural world that endured through the Renaissance. Sections of Unicorn Tapestries. Metropolitan Museum of Art NY
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CollectablesTrader
Illustration from 14th century copy of Shahnama of Iskandar (Alexander the Great) killing the monster of Habash (Ethiopia)
The unicorn’s horn was thought to offer protection against poison however it was believed to be fierce and difficult to capture but if a virgin were brought before it, it would lay its head in her lap. A celebrated work illustrating this myth is the Morgan Library and Museum's English Bestiary, a 12th-century manuscript that depicts the unicorn with its head in the lap of a maiden. A late 15th-century majolica dish made for the marriage of Matthias Corvinus (1440-1490), king of Hungary, and Beatrix of Aragon, presents a similar image of the unicorn as a metaphor of love and marriage, with the couple’s entwined coats of arms reinforcing the idea of a happy alliance. In the collection of the North Carolina Museum of Art, on a Florentine tray, a pair of unicorns draws a golden chariot representing Chastity, painted in celebration of the birth of a child.
Association with exotic lands & legends Continuing the emblematic symbolism, the Meshal ha-Kadmoni (Fable of the Ancients) uses unicorns and other animals to present moral lessons. The first printed and illustrated edition of this 13th-century Hebrew text, published in Brescia, Italy in 1491, is held by The Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary, New York.
The text of the nearly contemporary Peregrinatio in terram sanctam, an illustrated travel diary to the Holy Land that was printed in Germany in 1486 and is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, claims that its woodcut of a unicorn was drawn from life. Indeed, the unicorn was often associated with faraway lands.
A page from a 14th-century copy of the Shahnama (Book of Kings), a 10thcentury text that recounts the legendary deeds of the Persian kings, features Iskandar (Alexander the Great) killing the monster of Habash (Ethiopia), an elegant one-horned beast, quite like a unicorn. A 16th-century engraving by Julius Goltzius after Maerten de Vos suggests that the unicorn’s natural habitat was the American continent! Where the creature resided might be debated, but unicorns were included – and depicted – in early encyclopaedias of animals, such as Konrad Gesner’s treatise, published in four volumes, 1551–58 (these works also form part of the Metropolitan Museum’s collection).
the original printing of the KJV, when the word ‘unicorn’ is used, there is a footnote that says ‘Or Rhinoceros’. Today scientists today often use the word ‘unicorn’ when referring to either the Indian or Asian One-Horned Rhinoceros and it is also known as the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros. And Diceros bicornis is the scientific name of the two-horned black rhinoceros. Of interest, there is an extinct species of a giant one-horned rhinoceros called Elasmotherium sibiricum, also known as the Big Horn Rhinoceros. Scientists often refer to this creature as 'The Giant Unicorn'. This is the creature that some creation scientists believe may be the unicorn that is mentioned in scripture.
Was the unicorn really a rhinoceros?
Further reading
Many insist that the King James Version (KJV) is the most accurate of all the English translations of the Bible. However although unicorns are fictitious, they are referred to nine times in the KJV, the only version in which they are mentioned. Unicornis and bicornis are Latin words. In Psalm 92:10 in the Latin Bible, the Latin word used is ‘unicornis’. The King James was translated from the original tongues, but the translators also diligently compared their work to former translations, including the Latin. They would have known that the Latin said ‘rhinoceros’, and they put ‘unicorn’. This is evidence that unicorn meant rhinoceros back in 1611 when the KJV was first published. In Isaiah 34:7, in
www.creationtoday.org/why-does-thebible-mention-unicorns/
Right: Bernhard von Breidenbach, Peregrinatio in terram sanctam, 1486
CollectablesTrader 77
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G N I S O CL DOWN! SALE!
setting a new
standard
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Porcelain, Glass, Lighting, Metalworks, Prints, Victorian, Edwardian & French Furniture, Ephemera, Watches, Statuary
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LET’S TALK A DEAL! NO REASONABLE OFFER REFUSED
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Lovely French terracotta figure, signed T. Bess, 27 x 26 cm $1,500 Royal Worcester figurines ‘Water Carriers’, modelled by James Hadley, c. 1898, Female H:23 cm Male H:25 cm $4,950 pair French Louis XV style carved armchairs set on cabriole legs $1,800 pair Noel Jack Counihan (1913-1986), Untitled (nude study), charcoal on paper, 26.4 x:29.5 cm $1,495 Fine French 19th century walnut keyhole desk set on carved cabriole legs fitted with four drawers and brass ormolu escutcheons, H:76 cm L:150 cm D:86 cm $15,000 Fine set of five French Louis XV oak chairs with caned backs and seats $3,250 French Louis XV style night stand, rouge marble top fitted with one drawer and unusual curved marble interior cupboard, H:85 cm W:43 cm D:37 cm $2,495 French Brittany style oak hall bench with storage, H:99 cm W:106 cm $2,500 French Louis XV style two tier floral marquetry pedestal table with brass mounts, H:75 cm W:50 cm $1,295 Tufted back easy chair in rosewood, newly upholstered $3,500 Superb 19th century light from France with wrought iron frame, leadlight shades, brass reservoirs and Hinks patent duplex oil burners, c. 1887 $42,000 Set of six French Louis XV style beech framed ladder back chairs with rush seats $3,900 French antique ladder back carvers with rush seats $2,495 pair French oak oval extension table, superb detailed carving on a four footed central pedestal, H:72 cm L:127 cm W:108 cm $4,950 Antique French buffet in rosewood on oak with rouge marble top, H:95.6 cm W:122 cm D:60 cm $7,950 Stunning French Louis XVI style buffet, white and grey marble top, inlaid walnut and burr walnut with bevelled back mirror and brass ormolu mounts, H:208 cm W:149 cm D:55 cm $7,950 Large French walnut Louis XV style bookcase bevelled glass to doors with adjustable shelves, H:185 cm W:132 cm $5,600
Silver, Ceramics, Advertising, Clocks, Kitchenalia, Bakelite, Perfume Bottles, Oriental, Costume Jewellery, Cruet Sets
LIMITED FLOOR SPACE / CABINETS AVAILABLE. CONTACT DENISE 02 9550 5554 212–220 Parramatta Rd, Camperdown NSW 2050 Phone 61 2 9550 5554 Fax 61 2 9550 4990 www.camperdownmewsantiques.com Open 7 days 10 am–6 pm Off-street parking
WE BUY, SELL, HIRE AND TRADE
out & ABOUT Cayley at Mosman Library osman Library hosted the Sydney launch of a book that
M
many have been waiting to read for decades.
This book is about Australia’s most famous bird artists Neville Henry Cayley (1854-1903) and his son, Neville William David Crane and author Penny Olsen in conversation at the book launch
Cayley (1886-1950). Cayley & Son: The life and art of Neville
Henry Cayley and Neville William Cayley by Penny Olsen, published by the National Library of Australia was celebrated in the guise of an interview with the author, Penny Olsen and collector of all things Cayley, David Crane to an audience of bird and art lovers. As part of the celebration Donna Braye curated a wonderful exhibition of original art works by the two artists in a setting of
Two works by Neville Henry Cayley
David Crane with one of his Cayley paintings
bush flora and bird calls. This was a rare opportunity as these works had never been on public exhibition and may never be able to be viewed together again. Wandering around the exhibition space it was clear everyone had a story to tell about their own Cayley – on the walls over the dining table, rolled up in the bottom of
The exhibition space
Noela Gill, Professor David Carment and curator, Donna Braye
wardrobes, prints purchased that turned out to be originals and originals that turned out to be prints!
More for collectors in Kew fter 11 years working and operating in Bulleen, the highly
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successful partnership of David Freeman and Amanda
Addams decided it was time for a change and have relocated to 344 High Street, Kew. This closely knit family business which boasts between the two of them over 50 years of experience is continuing their popular regular auctions and equally in-demand valuation services. David invites regular and new clients to take advantage of their free market appraisals, held every Thursday
David and Amanda Freeman
Amanda Freeman and Jared Shaw
Kathy Mc Mahon, Amanda Freeman and Michael Sirakoff
Bryan Stertern-Gill
between 3 pm and 7 pm. Amanda and David are excited about moving into Kew and look forward to meeting new neighbours and the local community while continuing their relationship with long-time customers and clients.
Julian, David, Amanda and Juliana Freeman
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Melbourne dealers Chris Ogden, Alastair Ingles and Jon Davies
Performing arts, literature and human rghts
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he powerful theme of anti-bullying attracted a diverse crowd to the ‘I Am Jack’ event at the Lend
Lease Darling Quarter Theatre, Darling Harbour. Susanne Gervay OAM’s best selling, award winning children’s books – the I Am Jack series – have been adapted into an acclaimed play by Monkey Baa Theatre. Tim McGarry Susanne Gervay OAM and David Whealy
performed powerful segments of the play to the audience.
I Am Jack is currently in development for a feature film to be directed by Nadia Tass and starring actor Deborra-lee Furness who both enthusiastically endorsed the evening and the feature film. Guests included Linda Funnell, Chair of the Board of the NSW Writers Centre, acclaimed sculptor Terrance Plowright, David Small CEO of Variety the Children’s Charity, Lisa Berryman publisher Tim McGarry performing segments of the play
David Whealy, Executive Producer and Stephan J Wellink, Producer of I Am Jack
HarperCollins, the British Consul General and many people from the film industry.
Celebrating Native American Jewellers
F
our Winds Gallery hosted an exhibition of works by internationally acclaimed Native American mother and daughter
artists Denise and Dawn Wallace. Their finely crafted jewellery which features scrimshawed fossilised ivory set into silver and gold reflect their Aleut Eskimo culture and heritage.
Lesley Paul & Annette Goubran
Colleen Keys & Waverly Lynch
Ethan with his mother Dawn Wallace, Jennifer Cullen, Dawn’s grandmother Sally Hottinger and Denise Wallace
Denise Wallace & Gayle Sutherland
Peter & Shelley Madden
Joanna Thorpe & Ross Teitzel
Marie Scott & Jenny Reed
Lydie Bacot & Edwina Anderson
Helen & Mark Clifton
Denise Wallace, Dawn Wallace and their mother and grandmother Sally Hottinger
Sue Brannon, Dawn Wallace & Issabel Little
Chris & Ed Pearson
Dawn Wallace, Ashleigh Cullen & Denise Wallace
Victoria & Peter Smith
CollectablesTrader 81
VALUE ADDED @worldaa.com NOW ONLINE Australia’s foremost magazines on the decorative arts – antiques, art & collecting vintage & retro Need to contact your local dealer but don’t have a copy of your state’s Antiques & Art? Problem solved – log on and read online. Peruse World of Antiques & Art – the most authoritative magazine on the decorative (antiques) and fine arts in Australia. A portal to national and international collecting trends, subscribe to the online edition and SAVE! Check out Collectables Trader – subscribe to the online editions and save! Australia’s only bi-monthly magazine on vintage, retro and collectables.
World of Antiques & Art
Collectables Trader
Antiques & Art NSW
Antiques & Art Victoria
Antiques & Art Queensland
Brasac enterprises One of a set of five framed photographs selected by Max Dupain from amongst his favourites, for sets of limited edition prints published for the Royal Blind Society in the late 1980s. Set of five framed $2,500. Individual $600 each.
Sunbaker, 1937
Moonflower, 1982
Girard Perregaux 9 ct white gold stainless steel case back 17 jewel $2750
Interior Elizabeth Bay House, 1978
At Toowoon Bay, 1985
Blue Gum Forest, c. 1940
Cartier gold on sterling silver quartz c. 1990 $1500
24 Jewel VGOC 31198614 case 168018, 18 ct gold Omega Constellation c. 1971 $3800
Of the three nine piece sterling silver tea sets made by Garrard & Co London in honour of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, this is the only known surviving example. Hallmarked Garrard & Co London 1953/54, weight approximately 11 kilos
Omega Seamaster 14 ct c. 1960s $1895
Longines Admiral 10 k gold filled c. 1965 $2295
Gerrard Perregaux gyromatic, original band, c. 1960 $1295
CAMPERDOWN MEWS 212-220 PARRAMATTA ROAD CAMPERDOWN NSW P: 61 2 9550 5554 M: 0412 229 117
GOLD COAST ANTIQUE CENTRE 2076 GOLD COAST HIGHWAY, MIAMI QUEENSLAND P: 61 7 5572 0522 M: 0412 229 117
BOTH OPEN 7 DAYS
Gold diamond and jade stick pin $3750
A selection of English hallmarked sterling silver frames and antique silver available
noticeBOARD total of 1809 opulent woodcuts from the print shop of Pleydenwurff / Wohlgemuth, in which Albrecht Dürer was an apprentice. It has an estimated value of C100,000 and is to be auctioned by Ketterer Kunst in Hamburg in May.
Moreton Bay Tourist Drive Qld St Helena Island has a dark and grim past and for 65 years (1867-1932) it was Queensland’s maximum security prison for men and the colony’s worst criminals. Located four kilometres from the mouth of the Brisbane River, St Helena Island is one of Queensland’s most historic islands and has been preserved as a Historic National Park, the first of its type in Queensland. Cleveland Lighthouse which was built in 1864, is the only remaining timberstructured, timber-clad 19th century lighthouse in Moreton Bay.
Alfredo Bouret fashion drawings for RMIT Fashion & Textiles Archive Born Alfredo Gonzalez Acevez in 1926 in Mexico, in 1948 Bouret worked for Pierre Balmain and French Vogue. Subsequently he established a base in London. His illustrations appeared in English
Vogue, The Tatler, Queen and Glamour magazines and he covered the designs for post-war couture houses including Chanel, Christian Dior, Jacques Fath, Pierre Cardin and Givenchy. He was the only artist of any discipline granted access to record the collections of master couturier, Balenciaga. From 1969 to 1972 he established an outlet in Sydney under the name of ‘Mexicana Bazaar’ together with ‘The John Cavanagh ready-to-wear’ shop.
Photograph of lighthouse taken c. 1871
Eureka Flag on display Australia’s most iconic symbol of democratic struggle and defiance, the Flag of the Southern Cross (Eureka Flag) will be the centrepiece of Ballarat’s new national Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka (M.A.D.E), built on the site of the Eureka Stockade, opening 4 May 2013.
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CollectablesTrader
Stamps to collect Australia Post’s latest stamp release features five paintings drawn from the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). The stamps were designed by Lynette Traynor of the Australia Post Design Studio. In this second issue in the Gallery Series, the five domestic base-rate (60 c) stamps show landscapes by some of Australia’s most well-known painters. Landscapes have long been a favourite subject of artists, and this stamp issue features John Glover’s Mr
The first true-tolife illustrations
Robinson’s house on the Derwent, Van
In 1493, Hartmann Schedel created
Chevalier’s Studley Park at sunrise
the first true-to-life illustrations of
(1861), Eugene von Guérard’s
important cities such as Augsburg,
Dandenong Ranges from ‘Beleura’
Diemen’s Land (c. 1838), Nicholas
Munich and Vienna in his Liber
(1870), Arthur Streeton’s Land of the
chronicarum, an incunable (a book
Golden Fleece (1926) and Hans
printed before 1501), containing a
Heysen’s In the Flinders-Far North (1951).
Windsor store proprietors Hunter and Ross Hordern were the great grandsons of Anthony Hordern the founder in 1825 of Anthony Hordern & Sons, which at its peak in the early 20th century employed 1200 people, served 30,000 customers a day and operated the largest department store in the
Celebrating the Moorcroft centenary in Qld
southern hemisphere (in Sydney). It died an ignominious death in 1970.
Roundabout Antiques in Toowoomba is having a Moorcroft Legacy Collection
Tiffany glass on show
open weekend (22-23 June) at their
The Corning Museum of Glass, which
Campbell Street premises, which marks
holds one of the most comprehensive
the 100th anniversary of the celebrated
collections of Tiffany glass and related
manufactory set up by William Moorcroft
materials in the USA, will place on
in 1913. For more information –
display in its permanent galleries two
www.roundaboutantiques.com.au
remarkable examples of the
A quick response
decorative work of Tiffany Studios.
The passing of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Hilda Thatcher has created more than steamy political debate – her life and times have also inspired Moorcroft to
One of the objects is a recently acquired, rare example of a dragonfly reading lamp by the respected Tiffany Studios designer Clara Driscoll. Also going on view is a recently conserved, ecclesiastical stained glass memorial window commissioned for the United Methodist Church in Waterville, NY, around 1901.
Clever marketing The English firm of W.R. Harvey & Co. (Antiques) Ltd is setting up a selling exhibition devised around room sets that take the visitor on a journey through the daily life of a home predominantly furnished and decorated in the Georgian style. For the collector looking to recreate
create a Margaret
the Georgian bedroom there is a
Thatcher
George III period mahogany four-poster
commemorative
bed, c. 1780, and add to that the
series.
William and Mary period chest of drawers in oyster kingwood, rosewood
Numismatics meeting in York
and with Arabesque/ seaweed marquetry, attributed to the maker Gerrit
The Yorkshire Numismatic Society will host the 2013 joint meeting of the
Jensen (1680-1715), priced at £45,000.
Mason’s ware exhibition
Racecourse on 20 July 2013. The
Hordern Brothers Department Store in Windsor NSW
meeting is being held at the same
An exhibition opening at the
(and other) Mason’s wares. Early
venue as the York Stamp and Coin
Hawkesbury Regional Museum in
wares produced by Miles Mason date
Fair. The event is open to all
May focuses on the Hordern Brothers
from c. 1795 until c. 1813.
and is free. More at
Department Store in Windsor which
http://yorkshirenumismatic.blogspot.
operated from 1962 to 1998 and is an
co.uk/2013/02/joint-rns-and-bns-
exploration of the changing face of retail.
summer-meeting-2013.html
Among the displays will be remnants of
Royal Numismatic and the British Numismatic Societies at York
a cash carrying system that operated on overhead wires and transported cash in small containers from the counter to a room out of view.
Keele University has on display a permanent exhibition of Ironstone
Free mobile art app As part of its mission to present great done 21 years ago by Art Gilding who
enjoy, the National Gallery of Art,
Night class in history of fashion
Washington has released a free mobile
Eleanor Keene is teaching an eight
application about the treasures in the
week course at North Sydney
permanent collection. Your Art expands
Community Centre on Tuesday
the Gallery’s reach by bringing its
evenings, beginning 30 April. Eleanor
masterpieces to art lovers across the
has a Masters Degree in the History of
globe. Your Art is designed for use on
Fashion and Textiles, and ran the
iPhone and iPod Touch devices and is
Costume and Textile auctions for
available in the iTunes App Store:
Bonhams. She now works in Sydney
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/your-
consulting for auctions and writing for
art/id600049768.
antique magazines. If you are
UNESCO World Heritage site destroyed by Hamas
interested in attending the classes, or
Hamas’ military wing has bulldozed
know others that would, please find
parts of the 3,000-year-old Anthedon
more information at
Harbour to make way for a training
www.northsydneycentre.com.au
zone, Abeer Ayyoub (al-monitor.com)
works of art for all to learn from and
again are working on the clock face. Peter McKenzie, specialist in heritage architecture, discovered that the Sydney Town Hall original clock face had 3 rings of gold leaf and so is being restored to match the original. All will be unveiled in September when the scaffolding comes down.
reports. The present site consists of a variety of elements which spread in the area from the seashore, including the underwater archaeology, to the
Calling on Ipswich businesses
inland: the ruins of a Roman temple
Do you own a business or know
uncovered, as well as Roman artisan
someone who does? The Ipswich Art
and living quarters, including a series
Gallery is currently seeking donations
of villas, testifying to the city of
from businesses for use in their
Anthedon. Mosaic floors, warehouses
upcoming exhibit Light Play. The
and fortified structures are found in
gallery is looking for materials and off-
the area.
and a section of a wall have been
cuts that are clean, translucent, transparent, perforated, fibrous, safe. If you think you can help, please materials to Children’s Program
Art Gilding’s Sydney project
Officer Stefanie Ferguson:
The Sydney Town Hall is undergoing
smferguson@ipswichartgallery.qld.gov.au /
restoration and is currently covered in
07 3810 7225. The gallery will come
scaffolding – a perfect time for the
and collect the material.
clock face to be re-gilded. Work was
email a photo of your surplus
86
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TRADER toys
Lincoln Continental Sedan made by Bandai, l: 29 cm, friction drive $595 Antique Toy World Camberwell VIC 03 9882 9997
Bassett-Lowke LMS Compound #1082, O Gauge electric locomotive $1250 Antique Toy World Camberwell VIC 03 9882 9997
Matchbox Major Pack M-9 Cooper-Jarrett, c. 1962 interstate double freighter $250 Antique Toy World Camberwell VIC 03 9882 9997
ceramics Aynsley bone china, hand painted cabinet plate, c. 1920, diam: 22 cm, signed with the initials of the artist: ‘R.G.K.’ $265 Collectors’ Cottage Newcastle NSW 02 4389 1922
Pair of Beswick bunny bookends, c. 1937-1954, multi-coloured drip glaze $265 Collectors’ Cottage Newcastle NSW 02 4389 1922
English meat platter, c. 1870, l: 47 x w: 36 cm $245 Nostalgia Antiques Pty Ltd Thornbury VIC 03 9480 3745
To see more dealer items for sale, visit www.AntiquesPlus.com.au, managed by John Furphy Pty Ltd who also publishes Carter’s Price Guides to Antiques and Collectables, now online at www.carters.com.au
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John Campbell, (Tasmania), beer mug made for the Commercial Hotel, Port Kembla, c. 1930, h: 12 cm, unsigned, but with typical Campbell glaze and pottery body $125 The Compulsive Collector Newcastle NSW 02 9630 7106
Bing & Grondahl (Copenhagen, Denmark) wall plaque, c. 1970, diam: 15 cm signed on the back ‘Bl’. ‘Arctic Greenland’ 8000/9200 $25 Tricia’s Treasures Gosnells WA 08 9398 2450
Martin Boyd plate or plaque, c. 1950, diam: 18.4 cm, hand painted scene of Aboriginal figure in a landscape $125 Yande Meannjin Antiques Narangba QLD 07 3886 6037
Royal Copenhagen (Denmark), wall plate Hare in Winter (Hare I Vinterlandskad) design, c. 1971, diam: 18.5 cm $25 Tricia’s Treasures Gosnells WA 08 9398 2450
Martin Boyd plaque or plate, c. 1950, diam: 18.4 cm, hand painted scene of Aboriginal figure $125 Yande Meannjin Antiques Narangba QLD 07 3886 6037
Guy Boyd wall plaque, c. 1960, diam: 15 cm $45 Tricia’s Treasures Gosnells WA 08 9398 2450
Arthur Merric Boyd plate, c. 1930, diam: 13 cm, inscribed on bottom ‘A. M. Boyd’ $110 Brunswick Street Antiques Fitzroy VIC 03 9416 3093
William Moorcroft Art Deco jug, c. 1935, featuring yacht design, h: 23 cm, signed by William Moorcroft $695 New Norfolk Antiques TAS 03 6261 1636
English, maker unknown, majolica jardinière, c. 1940, h: 24 x diam: 30 cm $185 Toowoon Bay Antiques NSW 02 4334 1775
Burleigh Ware (England), hand painted jug, c. 1930, h: 18 cm, squirrel handle and leaves and acorns in relief $68 The Centenary Centre Newcastle NSW 02 4926 4547
To see more dealer items for sale, visit www.AntiquesPlus.com.au, managed by John Furphy Pty Ltd who also publishes Carter’s Price Guides to Antiques and Collectables, now online at www.carters.com.au
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89
Royal Worcester dessert plate, c. 1907, hand painted decoration, diam: 23 cm, gilded rim edge $125 Toowoon Bay Antiques NSW 02 4334 1775
Royal Doulton character jug, ‘Sam Weller’, c. 1930, h: 56 mm $98 Toowoon Bay Antiques NSW 02 4334 1775
Gouda (Holland), Zenith factory plate, c. 1925, diam: 12 cm $65 Brunswick Street Antiques Fitzroy VIC 03 9416 3093
Crown Devon vase, c. 1930, hand painted decoration, h; 20 cm $295 Aggie’s Attic Newcastle NSW 02 4926 4547
Royal Doulton figurine of fox terrier, bone china, hand painted, h: 7 cm $98 Collectors’ Cottage Newcastle NSW 02 4389 1922
Vase designed by Hugh McHugh (Tasmania), c. 1930, h: 15 cm, inscribed to base signature and No 10 $130 Collectors' Cottage Newcastle NSW 02 4389 1922
Royal Worcester cabinet plate, c. 1905, unsigned, hand painted scene, diam: 23 cm, pale green border with brown lace edge, gilded rim $128 Toowoon Bay Antiques NSW 02 4334 1775
Royal Worcester comport/tazza, c. 1874, hand painted floral border, gilding to centre, rim and foot, diam: 23.5 cm $198 Toowoon Bay Antiques NSW 02 4334 1775
Small Melrose gum leaf vase, c. 1930 $50 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 publishes Carter’s Price Guides to Antiques and Collectables, now online at www.carters.com.au
90
CollectablesTrader
Bizarre vase designed by Clarice Cliff for Newport pottery (England), c. 1930, Gayday pattern, hand painted, h: 22.8 cm, manufacturer's mark to base: $1250 Tarran Court Pty Ltd trading as Online Antiques Harcourt VIC 0407 321 865
WMF (Germany), lobster bowl with EPNS trim, c. 1930, h: 12 x diam: 21 cm $175 Aggie’s Attic Newcastle NSW 02 4926 4547
Australian art pottery jug c. 1960, h: 25 cm $135 The Compulsive Collector Newcastle NSW 02 9630 7106
Regal Mashman (Australia), brown toned dripware bowl, c. 1940, signed on the base, width: 26 cm $195 Pastimes Antiques Camperdown NSW 02 9550 5554
Majolica jug made by George Jones (England), c. 1890, h: 17 cm $95 The Compulsive Collector Newcastle NSW 02 9630 7106
Remued vase, c. 1941, dripware glaze, size 4-L, h: 13 cm $130 Pastimes Antiques Camperdown NSW 02 9550 5554
Royal Doulton figurine ‘Sleepy Darling’ c. 1970, h: 19 cm, artist’s signature and maker’s mark stamped to base signed $105 Tulip Antiques & Art Silvan VIC 03 9737 9010
William Ricketts, Untitled sculpture, c. 1940, 16 x 12 cm wide $595 Yande Meannjin Antiques Narangba QLD 07 3886 6037
Royal Albert cake plate, c. 1960, decorated in old country roses pattern $88 Collectors’ Cottage Newcastle NSW 02 4389 1922
To see more dealer items for sale, visit www.AntiquesPlus.com.au, managed by John Furphy Pty Ltd who also publishes Carter’s Price Guides to Antiques and Collectables, now online at www.carters.com.au
CollectablesTrader
91
Royal Winton Marguerite pattern teapot, c. 1930s, h: 16 cm $425 Aggie's Attic Newcastle NSW 02 4926 4547
Royal Doulton cabinet plate ‘Columbine’, c. 1977, 35 x 35 cm design after an original work by Le Roy Neiman, $80 Tulip Antiques & Art Silvan VIC 03 9737-9010
Royal Worcester cabinet plate decorated by Raymond Rushton titled ‘Wick’ c. 1939, diam: 26.7 cm $1150 Yande Meannjin Antiques Narangba QLD 07 3886 6037
English china teapot with unusual lid $145 Retro Active Northcote VIC 03 9489 4566
Royal Doulton Series Ware Robbie Burns wall plate, c. 1930, diam: 26 cm $95 Antique Effects Ballarat VIC 03 5331 3119
Shelley Foley Wileman intarsia three handled vase by Frederick Rhead, c. 1890, decorated with Queen of Hearts motif., h: 17 cm $1500 Turn O' The Century Antiques Sherwood QLD 07 3379 7311
Royal Doulton bowl, c. 1930, diam: 19 cm, signed ‘Grace’, ‘D5694’. Registered Australia 16306/7/8; 2-37. $155 Aggie’s Attic Newcastle NSW 02 4926 4547
Royal Doulton hunting scene cabinet plate, c. 1940 diam: 26cm $155 Yande Meannjin Antiques Narangba QLD 07 3886 6037
To see more dealer items for sale, visit www.AntiquesPlus.com.au, managed by John Furphy Pty Ltd who also publishes Carter’s Price Guides to Antiques and Collectables, now online at www.carters.com.au
92
CollectablesTrader
Pair of large 18th century Italian majolica dishes, c. 1780, painted in the rococo manner, width: 34 cm $400 South Fitzroy Antiques Fitzroy VIC 03 9417 7993
Moorcroft vase designed by Vicki Lovatt, 2012, 'A Tribute to Terra Australis' series decorated with image of honey possum, h: 20 cm, limited edition of 75 $1150 Roundabout Antiques Toowoomba QLD 07 4632 8805
French ceramic figurine in the form of a fish signed ‘Le Jan’, c. 1940, h: 30 x w: 12 x l: 49 cm $225 Nostalgia Antiques Pty Ltd Thornbury VIC 03 9480 3745
Shelley teacup, saucer & plate, c. 1930, Queen Anne shape decorated in medallion pattern # 11612 $125 Yande Meannjin Antiques Narangba QLD 07 3886 6037
Shelley Harmony Ware ashtray, c. 1930, diam: 11 cm $95 Turn O' The Century Antiques Sherwood QLD 07 3379 7311
Royal Doulton dish, c. 1930, 'Under the Greenwood Tree' l: 23 cm maker’s mark and no 12-39 impressed to base $195 Aggie's Attic Newcastle NSW 02 4926 4547
Pot made by Gustavsberg Argenta (Sweden), c. 1930, with applied silver decoration, h: 5.5 cm $40 The Compulsive Collector Newcastle NSW 02 9630 7106
Grace Seccombe (attrib) figurine of a penguin standing on an ice flow, c. 1940, h: 11 cm, unsigned $1850 The Compulsive Collector Newcastle NSW 02 9630 7106
To see more dealer items for sale, visit www.AntiquesPlus.com.au, managed by John Furphy Pty Ltd who also publishes Carter’s Price Guides to Antiques and Collectables, now online at www.carters.com.au
CollectablesTrader
93
glass
Holmegaard Per Lutken (Denmark) glass bowl, c. 1950s, ‘Provence’ design, diam: 29 cm $225 Retro Active Northcote VIC 03 9489 4566
Sabino (Paris, France), ‘Gaite’ scent bottle with stopper, c. 1925, h: 15 cm $395 New Norfolk Antiques New Norfolk TAS 03 6261 1636
Pair of antique Bohemian glass candlesticks with applied gilt design, c. 1910, h: 26 cm $395 Pastimes Antiques Camperdown NSW 02 9550 5554
Victorian era jug or pitcher with internal green and opaque white colours and moulded spirally waved exterior, c. 1890, h: 21.6 cm $195 Yande Meannjin Antiques Narangba QLD 07 3886 6037
European art glass vase, c. 1970 trapped internal fish net design, h: 17 cm $110 Yande Meannjin Antiques Narangba QLD 07 3886 6037
Art Deco uranium glass vase glows well under UV light, c. 1930 $98 Collectors' Cottage Newcastle NSW 02 4389 1922
Biomorphic shaped Italian art glass vase, c. 1950s, h: 30 cm $125 Collectors' Cottage Newcastle NSW 02 4389 1922
ADVERTISING RATES 1/4 page colour $270 1/2 page colour $456.50 Full page colour $830
Pair Murano figures, c. 1950, h: 25 cm $795 New Norfolk Antiques New Norfolk TAS 03 6261 1636
Collection of 6 Lalique demicrystal plates c. 1938, diam: 18 cm $395 each Yande Meannjin Antiques Narangba QLD 07 3886 6037
Rene Lalique 'Gazelles' bowl designed in 1925, diam: 29.2 cm $1950 Yande Meannjin Antiques Narangba QLD 07 3886 6037
To see more dealer items for sale, visit www.AntiquesPlus.com.au, managed by John Furphy Pty Ltd who also publishes Carter’s Price Guides to Antiques and Collectables, now online at www.carters.com.au
94
CollectablesTrader
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
Girard Perregaux 9 ct white gold stainless steel case back 17 jewel $2750 Brasac Enterprises 02 9389 2919
One of a set of five framed photographs making up a portfolio illustrating Max Dupain’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
Cartier gold on sterling silver quartz c. 1990 $1500 Brasac Enterprises 02 9389 2919
Gerrard Perregaux gyromatic, original band, c. 1960 $1295 Brasac Enterprises 02 9389 2919
Longines Admiral 10 ct gold filled, c. 1965 $2295 Brasac Enterprises 02 9389 2919
Gold diamond and jade stick pin $3750 Brasac Enterprises 02 9389 2919 24 Jewel VGOC 31198614 case 168018, 18 ct gold Omega Constellation c. 1971 $3800 Brasac Enterprises 02 9389 2919
Omega Seamaster 14 ct c. 1960s $1895 Brasac Enterprises 02 9389 2919
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95
Antique and Modern Clocks and Watches Repairs and Sales
Family business established 25 years Specialising in antiques & decorative arts CONDUCTING MONTHLY AUCTIONS Next auctions: 26 May 2013 16 June 2013 Refer to website for future sales
Friendly professional service Free quotes Guarantee on major repairs Clocks bought and sold Leigh Fist 493 North Road Ormond VIC 3163
Tues – Fri 9 am – 5 pm Saturday 9 am – 1 pm
03 9578 6960
Contact Mark or Megan Stone on 03 5256 1674 or 0418 553 910 14-16 Grubb Road, Ocean Grove Victoria 3226 Catalogues available
www.woodlandsauctions.com.au
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Noble Numismatics
13 9
5
Antique Valuations Established 1985
John Rogers, Off Little Bourke Street, 1948, oil on canvas, 50 x 66 cm
How much is this painting worth? $6,000, $8,000, $10,000
David Freeman knows... David Freeman Antique Valuations is Melbourne’s largest independently owned valuation service. Founded in 1985, we have vast experience with art, antiques, china, collectables and general household contents. David Freeman Antique Valuations delivers expert valuations, on time, every time, all at extremely competitive rates. Whether you require valuations for insurance, market, family law, company divisions, or deceased estates, David Freeman can help you with experience, total confidentiality and personal service. David Freeman can also advise you on purchasing, disposal, placement and restoration services. David Freeman is approved to value Australian Paintings and Prints after 1850 for the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program. We can supply you with excellent references from some of our many satisfied clients, if required.
Call David for your next valuation. Phone: 03 9855 2255 Mobile: 0419 578 184 Fax: 03 9855 2244 344 High Street Kew Victoria 3101 PO Box 21, Balwyn North Victoria 3104 Visit our website: www.aaauctions.com.au
Government Approved Valuer Cultural Gifts Program Australian Paintings & Prints after 1850
OFFERING A CONSECUTIVE PAIR OF AUSTRALIA’S FIRST BANKNOTES ON THEIR 100th ANNIVERSARY
Ten shillings, Collins/Allen (issued 1913), presentation notes M000054 and M000055 with an accompaning letter dated 5 July 1913, to W.N. Hodges ‘Dunboe’, Sackville Street, Kew East, signed by the Secretary to the Treasury, Geo. T. Allen. Price on application.
Contact our Sydney office (02) 9223 4578 or our Melbourne office (03) 9600 0244 for a free, confidential valuation
www.noble.com.au ground floor 169 macquarie street sydney info@noble.com.au level 7 / 350 collins street melbourne noblemelbourne@hotkey.net.au
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