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Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
29-May-2021
Lot No.
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Description:
Julius Schomburgk, impressive Australian Colonial silver mounted emu egg casket adorned with Aboriginal figures in a wrestling pose, the base featuring a kangaroo and emu amongst ferns and foliage, interior with original gilt wash finish, mounted on an ebonized plinth with silver fittings, South Australian origin, mid 19th century. Provenance: The Edward Clark collection, Melbourne. Julius Schomburgk arrived in Adelaide in 1850. He had been born in Prussia. He was 32 years old when he arrived and had trained as a goldsmith. He was a skilled artisan and worked with Firnhaber and Wendt, with very few pieces bearing a mark identified to Schombergk. He was among the German immigrants who raised silver and gold-smithing and watchmaking in Adelaide to an elite level. Schomburgk quickly gained a reputation for his silver smithing and design. Committed to Victorian naturalism, his mofifs often featured Australian flora, fauna and aboriginals. He frequently sold his pieces through the Rundle Street shops of Henry Steiner and Joachim Wendt.
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Precious Objects: Eggs, Mounted Emu and Other Large