Coat of arms strikes gold amid the chaos
Sporting and General MemorabiliaSession 1 (Lots: 1 - 431)Tuesday 26 October, 2010 17:00 pm Session 2 (Lots: 432 - 761) Wednesday 27 October, 2010 17:00 pm View the lots from this article | |||||
In 1855 the first Royal Mint to be established outside of England was opened in Sydney,
four years after the gold rush began in NSW. It took very little time for the world's attention
to focus on this outpost of the British Empire, bringing all manner of men on a variety of missions
to the goldfields.
Among them was Lewis Steffanoni who had already established a reputation as a master craftsman in gold embroidery, despite being only 17 when he arrived with 48 needlewomen in Sydney in 1852. Three years later he is credited with creating a remarkable embroidered coat of arms that draws its inspiration from the goldfields. The delicate work using gold and silver thread on silk includes motifs representing the miners, their equipment, the kangaroo and emu, and the words 'Advance Australia'. "There are two aspects of this embroidery that makes it quite extraordinary," says Charles Leski. "It is clearly the work of an unique talent using a technique known as three dimensional needlepoint, and as far as we can tell the only work of its kind to be so specific about Australia and the goldfields." Lot 1 has a pre-sale estimate of $5,000 - $8,000. Click image to enlarge detail. | |||||