By Richard Brewster, on 29-Mar-2022

The comparatively modern blended with furniture several hundreds of years old to comprise the top 10 sale items at Melbourne-based Gibson’s Auctions Autumn Auction Series on Sunday March 27. On one hand, there was Austro-Hungarian furniture designer and cabinetmaker Schulim Krimper’s (1893-1971) circa 1954 blackbean dining suite(Lot 167 )  holding centre stage with a $17,080 (including buyer’s premium) result – while on the other a circa 1760 George III oak dresser (Lot 151 ) brought $7930.

 

 

A blackbean dining suite made circa 1954 (above) by Austro-Hungarian furniture designer and cabinetmaker Schulim Krimper’s (1893-1971) achieved the top price of $17,080 at Melbourne-based Gibson’s Auctions Autumn Auction Series on Sunday March 27.

A blackbean dining suite made circa 1954 (above) by Austro-Hungarian furniture designer and cabinetmaker Schulim Krimper’s (1893-1971) achieved the top price of $17,080 at Melbourne-based Gibson’s Auctions Autumn Auction Series on Sunday March 27.

Krimper migrated to Australia in 1938 and opened a workshop in Melbourne’s bayside suburb St Kilda where he rapidly developed a reputation for the superb construction of custom-made modern furniture, including that of the chapel in St Mary’s College at the University of Melbourne.

In 1975, the National Gallery of Victoria held a retrospective exhibition of Schrimper’s work and he is represented in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of South Australia and the Powerhouse Museum.

Antiques continued to perform strongly with a set of Charles II style dining chairs (Lot 316 ) filling third spot at $6710 and a late 18th century/early 19th century norther India Mughal miniature painting (Lot 148 ) bringing $5865.

Krimper once again popped up in fifth spot with a circa 1960 teak  hall seat (Lot 166 ) changing hands for $5124 – also the price achieved for a 19th century gilt bronze mounted marquetry credenza (Lot 169 ).

Seven circa 1790 George III carved mahogany dining chairs (Lot 384 ), manufactured by leading cabinetmaker Gillows of Lancaster and London founded about 1730 by Robert Gillows (1704-1772), was another solid result at $4880.

The final three spots in the top 10 were filled by an art deco bronze and glass pendant light by Degue France (Lot 408 ), a carved giltwood over mantel mirror (Lot 455 ) – each of which sold for $4636 – and a velvet upholstered Knole sofa (Lot 162 ) for $4392.

 

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About The Author

Richard Brewster has been writing about the antiques and art auction industry for almost 20 years, first in a regular weekly column for Fairfax's The Age newspaper and also in more recent times for his own website Australian Auction Review. With 45 years experience as a journalist and public relations consultant, in 1990 Richard established his own business Brewster & Associates in Melbourne, handling a wide range of clients in the building, financial, antiques and art auction industries.