AUSTRALIAN & COLONIAL
We are delighted to send you details of our forthcoming Australia & Colonial Auction. It’s a big catalogue with tremendous variety so we hope you will take some time to review the many fine items to be offered.
The sale begins with a fabulous Scrimshaw and Maritime section, Lots 1 – 131. The scrimshaw – more than 60 pieces – is all from one Victorian collection and includes some extremely fine examples. The section is complemented by several fine paintings, models and equipment. The sale continues with a section which contains lots of surprises including Lot 132, a superb hand-woven Australian Coat-of-Arms from Charters Towers, a stunning pair of hand-painted porcelain vases Lot 143, an historic presentation walking cane Lot 151 and a remarkable hand-painted set of plates and compote stands Lot 169.
Lot 230, a 19th Century Solomon Islands canoe prow (Nguzu Nguzu), in carved wood, pearl shell and natural earth pigments, kicks off the small section of tribal and indigenous artworks and artefacts, which is followed by some colourful pieces of Pottery & ceramics (Lots 253 – 292). Autograph, Book and Document collectors will find much of interest (Lots 293 – 374), in particular, the extensive offering of PALS magazines and supplements (Lots 342 – 355). A highlight of The Convict Era section is Lot 380, a choirmaster’s notebook which belonged to David Davies, a Welsh convict. The Australian & Colonial furniture section (Lots 388 to 465) is rich with variety and rarity and is followed by a fine selection of early silver objects including a particularly historic piece of Judaica from Sydney in 1898 Lot 492. Historic maps, military memorabilia and medals lead into a section of photographs and early cameras and viewing equipment which is followed by the finest selection of Australian travel, movie and advertising posters we have been able to offer for several years. In particular, we love Lot 558 (reproduced on our front cover), the magnificent scene created by James Northfield as well as the equally wonderful Melbourne Centenary scene created by Percy Trompf (Lot 561). The early Australian movie posters are colourful and rare; we think we might find a few of you considering a new collecting field once you’ve had a look!
Two remarkable reference albums (Lot 582 and 583) provide hundreds of examples of early Melbourne Omnibus and Tramway tickets, many of them not previously seen by us! And that’s just the start of that little section, which is sure to be popular with enthusiasts. The range of artworks then on offer (Lots 587 – 687), could have been an auction by itself, with pieces included by Marguerite Mahood (Lot 591), Emanuel Philips Fox (Lot 592), William Knox (Lots 598-600), Norman Lindsay (Lot 605), Lloyd Rees (Lot 608), Max Middleton (Lot 629), Euan Macleod (Lots 629-30), Jessie Traill (Lot 679), Tracey Moffatt (Lot 687) and many other fine artists. The final section of this huge sale, the Australian & Colonial Jewellery (Lots 697 – 750), includes some magnificent pieces of goldrush-era creativity; take the opportunity to have a look even if you’re not a collector in this field.
We hope to see many of you in our rooms during the viewing days but for those of you who can’t make it, we trust that you will find our descriptions and the accompanying photographs helpful in deciding what to bid on. And as always, let us know if we can help you in any way.
Contents
001 – 131 Scrimshaw & Maritime
132 – 229 General
230 – 252 Aboriginal Art & Tribal Artefacts
253 – 292 Pottery & Ceramics
293 – 295 Autographs
296 – 374 Books & Historical Documents
375 – 387 The Convict Era
388 – 467 Australian & Colonial Furniture
468 – 473 The Goldfields
474 – 496 Silver – Australian & Colonial
497 – 510 Maps
511 – 530 Military Memorabilia & Medals
531 – 550 Photographs & Photography Equipment
551 – 577 Posters
579 – 586 Railway & Tram Memorabilia
587 – 687 Paintings & Other Artworks
688 – 690 Fine Australian Wine
691 – 696 Postcards & Trade Cards
697 – 750 Australian & Colonial Jewellery