News and Opinion — Year 2015

Young people today are more interested in collecting apps on their mobile phones or computers than furniture or other categories of collectables, according to Young’s Auctions director David Young.

“Of course, it is unlikely they will last as long as much of the furniture we have seen pass through our auction business in the past 85 years,” he says.

These insights were being offered as Young’s Auctions (which sold its premises earlier this year) held its farewell sale on Friday December 18 before closing the business for good.

With Christmas just around the corner, Philips Auctions final decorative arts sale for the year features a plethora of items that would make ideal presents for family and friends.

The auction, from noon Sunday December 6 at 47 Glenferrie Road Malvern, features quality items from a Melbourne philanthropist that include a stunning French commode, ormolu pier table, two vitrines and porcelain by Royal Worcester, Dresden and Limoge such as lemon and pink eggs and vases by Grainger & Co and Royal Dux.

The resurgence of buyer interest in emerald jewellery will be tested when Leonard Joel holds its forthcoming jewels auction from 6pm Monday November 30 at 333 Malvern Road, South Yarra.

Joel’s confidence is reflected in the featuring of an art deco style Colombian emerald and diamond bracelet (lot 205) on the auction catalogue front cover.

Other noteworthy pieces are a 4.99-carat Colombian emerald and diamond ring and a Colombian emerald and diamond suite comprising, ring, earrings and pendant (lot 145) with a catalogue estimate of $80,000-$120,000.

Sales of the collections of two well-known Melbourne dealers will take place this weekend. Marvin Hurnall, who passed away last year,  had a ceramics collection for which most collectors would give their right arm.

One of Australia’s most enthusiastic collectors and best-known antique dealers, Hurnall amassed a personal collection that featured the very best of Australian pottery.

On the same day, Geoffrey Hatty, a Melbourne institution for iconic mid-20th century design for more than 20 years, has closed the doors on his “Twentieth Design Store” in Prahran to renovate and expand the store into recently acquired neighbouring premises. Accordingly, he has asked Leonard Joel to auction his collection from 2pm Sunday November 8 at 249 Johnson Street, Abbotsford.

Mossgreen will hold its sixth Interior Decorator auction from 2pm Sunday October 25 in a sale that showcases a curated selection of indoor and outdoor items for home owners designed for the summer months.

Internationally famous designer Allegra Hicks wrote the catalogue introduction in which she alluded to the 18th and 19th century French furniture, mid-20th century Murano glass and retro Italian armchairs within the auction mix.

An art deco diamond bracelet (lot 86), earrings (lot 138) and brooch (lot 98) in platinum are some of the more intriguing items at Philips Auctions forthcoming jewellery sale from 6pm Monday October 26 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.

The intricate work needed to create all three items is reflected in the catalogue estimates – the bracelet listed at $12,500-$15,000, while the brooch and earrings are respectively $1300-$1800 and $5000-$7000.

A 50-year-old collection built up by one of Melbourne’s leading businessmen will be auctioned on site from 11am Sunday at 46 Monomeath Avenue, Canterbury.

Kim’s Auctions has been asked to handle the sale which features quality sterling silver including a 1774 George III swing handle basket, a 1697 pair of William III lighthouse castors featuring the London coat of arms, a George IV oval shaped Scottish soup tureen by J McKay, an 1830 William IV ewer and basin, and George III dinner plates (London 1762) and six-piece tea service (London 1817-18).

For wine buffs there is a selection of early Penfold Grange wine from the 1950s to the late 1970s.

A world-class collection of 19th century French Sevres leads the charge at Christian McCann Auctions forthcoming sale from noon Sunday September 27 at 426 Burnley Street, Richmond.  The Sevres collection, comprising 40 mainly ormolu mounted Celeste and Cobalt blue pieces, is unlikely to be matched in the foreseeable future.

Mossgreen Quarterly Collectors Auction Series always throws up an interesting array of collectables and this latest effort – over two days from 10am Monday September 21 at 926-930 High Street, Armadale – is no exception.

While porcelain, glassware and sculpture feature prominently, the auction also is notable for rather unusual antique items.

Of particular note is an Austrian (Franz Bergman manner) cold painted bronze of a camel led by an attendant and ridden by a Bedouin playing drums, and also a stoneware two-headed sculpture by Alexander Leckie.

A fascinating collection of elephants and tribal artefacts belonging to collector Bob White will be auctioned from 2pm Thursday September 17 at Leonard Joel 333 Malvern Road, South Yarra.

A 5.73 carat Tiffany & Co heart-shaped diamond ring – originally sold at auction by Leonard Joel in 1998 – is once again being offered by the company at its forthcoming jewellery auction from 6pm Monday September 14 at 333 Malvern Road, South Yarra.

There is no recession in China, if the results of the buying for the last major section of the auction by Mossgreen of the collection of the late Dr Peter Elliott is anything to go by, writes Terry Ingram. On the Internet, phones and in the room, overseas Chinese and members of the local Chinese community repeatedly paid over the odds for the work of members of the art and craft of their forebears.

Carved wooden statues from the Philippines were the star performers in the third session of the dispersal of the collection of the late Dr Peter Elliott in Sydney this week. The statues contributed nearly $200,000 to a further blow out in the total sold on the day of $982,490, bringing the total so far to $5.34 million IBP.

A rare William White 1920 Royal Doulton figure The Coquette wearing a blue dress is a major feature of Abbeys Auctions forthcoming special sale from 10am Saturday August 29 at 480-482a Station Street, Box Hill.

The late Neil Collister collection – comprising 163 lots of high quality furniture and rare old English porcelain – brought auction goers flocking to Philips Auctions August sale determined to buy items rarely seen on the auction market.

Names such as Dr Wall Worcester, Bow, Longton Hall, Nantgarw, Chelsea and Derby were the impetus for prices that well exceeded vendor expectations.

Young’s Auctions special sale from 9.30am Friday August 7 will be a strong reminder to auction goers of two famous Victorian families – one who was instrumental in the development of medal and sterling silver manufacture in the State and the other a pioneer of the Western District.

The late Neil Collister was the sort of collector most auction houses would pay good money to have in the room at sale time.

There was always some item – be it smalls or antique furniture – that would grab his interest every time he frequented his favourite Melbourne or Victorian regional auction houses and his collection grew steadily.