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Ricketts (1899-1993) was famous among Australian sculptors for his renditions of Aboriginal figures and faces which he produced at the Mt Dandenong sanctuary that bears his name.
He was fascinated with their lifestyle and culture and spent many years visiting and recording the activities of those indigenous peoples living in central Australia.
A rare mid-17th century northern Italian rosewood, ivory and ebony cabinet on a 19th century stand (lot 387) is one of the strong antique furniture highlights at Philips Auctions forthcoming Decorative & Fine Arts sale from noon Sunday December 1 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.
The cabinet contains eight cedar lined drawers each with pen engraved ivory plaques depicting hunting, fishing, fowling and hawking scenes and in its centre is a Renaissance style cupboard with the drawers and the base inlaid with ivory neoclassical pictures.
A pistol traditionally the property of Captain James Cook (lot 20) and a cricket stump that played silent witness to the 1933 Bodyline bowling series against England (lot 21) are among the new category of “Australian icons” created by Leski Auctions as part of it latest Australian & Colonial sale on Sunday November 24 at 727-729 High Street, Armadale.
Carrying a catalogue estimate of $150,000-$250,000, the pistol is an early 18th century continental flintlock designed for a holster and was passed onto his elder sister after he was killed by natives on February 14, 1779 attempting to kidnap the Island of Hawaii's monarch, Kalani'opu'u, to reclaim a cutter stolen from one of his ships during his third exploratory Pacific voyage.
One of Australia’s leading sopranos with a career in both Opera Australia and the Victorian State Opera is auctioning several pieces of quality sterling silver through Philips Auctions forthcoming sale from noon Sunday October 20 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.
The retired diva, who does not wish to be named but who has been honoured twice over the years in Queen’s Birthday honours for her services to music, appeared with many of the leading musical lights of her day.
Auction houses are always searching for new ways to attract clients to their sales – for there is nothing more boring than serving up the same sort of stuff every time they hold another auction.
Leski Auctions latest Decorative Arts & Collectables sale, from 10am Sunday October 20 at 727-729 High Street Armadale, is a case in point.
Not only is it intensely fascinating, but among the items on offer is an unusual and rare magnificent solid white gold pen created by Mont Blanc (lot 97) to honour the legacy of iconic scientist Albert Einstein, with a catalogue estimate of $15,000-$20,000.
The pen is one of only 45 sold, although it is number two of an originally planned 99 in an apparent reference to the periodic table number of the chemical element Einsteinium, named after the great physicist to honour his achievements.
No one really batted an eye when Claire-Jeanne Roberte Colinet’s (1880-1950) Theban Dancer (lot 58) sold for $23,180 (including buyer’s premium) at Gibson’s 20th century Design auction on September 22 in Melbourne. The sculpture carried the top estimate ($20,000-$30,000) of any item before the auction and during her lifetime Colinet built an enviable reputation as a Belgian-French sculptor whose best known works were art deco Arab dancers. These days, collectors find her works highly desirable and they increasingly sell for large sums.
The more spectacular and intricate the clock, the more collectors are prepared to pay for it – if the results of Leski Auctions Melbourne-based Fine & Rare Clocks sale on September 15 are any guide.
Two of these circa 1885 clocks, both by French clockmaker Andre Romain Guilmet, brought the same amount on the day – a hammer price of $38,000 each.
One is a nautical “ships stern” industrial clock (lot 67) that sold for almost six times the upper catalogue estimate.
Its companion, lot 66 – a “fire pump” industrial clock, realised more than three times the lower estimate.
With many of Gibson’s Auctions Melbourne-based 20th Century Designs auction pieces carrying catalogue estimates under $1000, auction goers are presented with the perfect opportunity to purchase quality items that will not only adorn their homes but provide many hours of viewing delight.
The auction will be held from 2pm Sunday September 22 at Level 1, 885-889 High Street, Armadale.
Legendary Australian businessman and underworld figure John Wren (1871-1953) – made famous thanks largely to a fictionalised account of his life in Frank Hardy’s 1950 novel Power Without Glory and remembered from the early 1900s for his Johnston Street, Collingwood horse racing gambling venture which eventually earned him $40,000 a year – will make an unforgettable impression on Leski Auctions forthcoming Fine and Rare Clocks sale.
The auction, from noon Sunday September 15 at 727-729 High Street Armadale, includes an impressive French mantel timepiece adorned with bronze figures, engraved with an unusual Australian coat of arms and weighing more than 76 kilograms that sat on the dining room mantelpiece of Wren’s Collingwood hotel.
Two 1930's exotic bronze and ivory dancers (lots 83 and 100) by Austrian artist ‘Gerdago’ (1906-2004) and belonging to a prominent Melbourne identity are among the more appealing highlights of Philips Auctions Fine and Decorative Arts sale from noon Sunday September 8 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.
Two cricketing items streaked the field at Leski Auctions August sporting memorabilia sale in Melbourne.
One was former Australian fast bowler Rodney Hogg’s yellow rebel tour Test team cap (lot 241), which sold for $6500, and the other the first membership badge issued by the Melbourne Cricket Club (lot 48) – knocked down for $5000 on a $3000-$4000 catalogue estimate.
Bob Hawke’s treasure trove of art works, diplomatic gifts, mementos and designer furniture is set to go under the hammer later this month in a home contents clearance sale expected to total more than $250,000. “The home that Bob Hawke and Blanche d’Alpuget shared had an eclectic mix of 20th-century design furniture that was complemented with an archive of his political career that represents some of the important moments in Australian history,” said Andrew Shapiro, whose Shapiro Auctioneers and Gallery is handling the sale.
Australia’s cricketing icon and batting legend Sir Donald Bradman still attracts an enormous amount of public attention – even though it is more than 70 years since he last competed at international level.
With a batting average of 99.94, he is regarded as the greatest batsmen to ever live and, although he died in February 2001, every time a cricketing item or piece of memorabilia he owned comes onto the market collector hearts appear to beat just a little faster.
Gibson’s Auctions is marking its first anniversary in business with a two-day sale entitled The Winter Auction Series, which over three sessions from 1pm Monday August 5 and 11am Tuesday August 6 will offer a comprehensive 789-lot range of jewellery, antique furniture, porcelain, sculptures, clocks, art and other collectables.
To be held at 885-889 High Street Armadale, jewellery will be auctioned on the Monday and features items with estimates ranging from several hundreds of dollars to many thousands – well within the reach of most auction goers.
Internationally famous and colourful Casala furniture and homeware products are making their first appearance at E.J. Ainger’s forthcoming weekly auction from 9.30am Tuesday July 30 at 433 Bridge Road, Richmond. It’s rare for Casala furniture to be offered in Australia, and the 10 lots in the sale is double the number of lots recorded in auction sales in by the Antiques Reporter over the last 11 years.
Hundreds of rare documents and books, marking major milestones in New Zealand's history are set to go under the hammer next week. The collection - lovingly accumulated by Christopher Parr over 70 years - is described as one of the finest collections of early New Zealand printed material, and includes original documents, some of which are thought to be completely unique. Interest is expected to be high, especially among museums and libraries across the country. The Christopher Parr Collection, comprised of some 330 documents, newspapers, and rare books, includes the Crown's declaration of sovereignty over New Zealand, M?ori proclamations and the first printed newspaper in New Zealand's history.
World War I, or the Great War as it was known, was meant to be the “war to end all wars”. Of course, as history records, peace after the “war to end all wars” only lasted for 20 years – as Germany once more tried its hand at world dominance by invading Poland, leading to the outbreak of World War II on September 3, 1939. Supreme Allied Commander towards the end of World War I was French general and military genius Marshal Ferdinand Jean Marie Foch (1851-1929), who played a decisive role in halting a renewed German advance on Paris in the Second Battle of the Marne.
Unusual silver and bronze elephants belonging to a leading Melbourne business identity will be a major highlight of Philips Auctions forthcoming fine and decorative arts sale from noon Sunday June 16 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.
Various items belonging to the estate of industrial chemist, woodcarver and poet John Kendrick Blogg (1851-1936) should attract plenty of attention at Gibson Auctions forthcoming sale entitled The Australian Collection.
The auction will be held on Sunday June 16 at their High Street Armadale rooms.
Works by two colonial Australian artists – Emanuel Philips Fox (1865-1915) and Ludwig Becker (1808-1861) – brought the highest prices at Leski Auctions Melbourne sale on Sunday May 26. Fox’s Reclining Nude (lot 592) went under the hammer for $10,000 followed closely by Becker’s Melbourne and the old Princes Bridge (lot 596) for $9000.