Our clients are constantly challenging and entertaining us with the diversity of their consignments so we hope you will enjoy “leafing” through the pages of the catalogue and finding the items that interest you. We particularly like Lot 57, our front cover item, a beautiful and quite large micro-mosaic panel of Venice, Lot 68, a stunning example of the Lalique “Archer” in violet glass and Lot 81, a pair of French Art Nouveau plaques with original copper patination.

Among the most unusual and rare items consigned is Lot 97, a magnificent solid gold pen created by Mont Blanc to honour the legacy of Albert Einstein, one of only 45 examples sold. Lots 147 to 173 present you with a remarkable range of antique miniature portraits, surprisingly consigned by three different vendors. Funny how that happens sometimes. The group is punctuated by one full size portrait, Lot 152, a German porcelain plaque portrait of The Duchess of Devonshire as a Vestal, by ANGELICA KAUFFMAN, a remarkable piece in superb condition. Equally unusual is the fact that we find ourselves offering four different pairs of architectural columns, namely Lots 367, 373, 374 and 375. Sorry, we can’t help you with the roof!

A highlight of the sale is Lot 386, a chair designed by Josef Hoffmann for the Gallia apartment in Vienna in 1913. Those of you who were lucky enough to visit the “Vienna Art + Design” Exhibition at the NGV in Melbourne in 2011, will know how this chair came to be commissioned and created as well as how it came to be in Australia. We have done our best to provide the history and context as part of our catalogue entry. For lovers of mid-century design, Lot 410, a Danish designed dining table and chairs may be more to your taste, but it certainly doesn’t have the same story to tell.

Other lots that deserve a mention include an original pen drawing by Matisse Lot 459, a superb and large Imari ware floor vase Lot 481, a pair of incredibly detailed Chinese carved ivory ancestral figures Lot 526, a superb Canadian National Railways poster designed by Australian artist Fred Powis (Lot 611) and the striking Dutch poster for the film “Son of Kong” from 1933 (Lot 612). There’s lots for the collector of advertising signage, as well, with a French Optometrist hanging sign (Lot 663) and a Chrysler Plymouth sign (Lot 665) being our favourites. Lots 780 to 816 will delight the “children” amongst you, a wonderful range of antique and vintage toys and Lots 825 and 830 (amongst others) will be fun for those of you who are students of movie costume design.

Fifty years since the release of “Abbey Road” and 55 years since the Beatles visited Australia, we are featuring some pieces of the bedsheets that John and Ringo slept on during their tumultuous stay at the Southern Cross Hotel in Melbourne (Lot 836); accompanied by the original letter from the hotel general manager. What an amazing item for the die-hard Beatles fan! The sale finishes with a lovely range of jewellery, watches and other fine objects and we will all take a deep breath at the end of a long day. We hope you’ll be able to join us or at least participate from wherever you are in the world.

It’s a big auction – nearly 900 lots – so please note that we will be starting at 10am AEDT (local time) on the day. Unfortunately, this also means that we are unable to offer viewing on the day of the auction, so if you’re coming from far away, please make sure you complete your viewing by the close of business on Saturday 19^th October.

We hope you find something that brings you pleasure and look forward to receiving your bids.

The team at Leski Auctions.

Contents
Decorative Arts
001–052 Silver
053–291 Decorative Arts
292–418 Furniture
419–431 Rugs & Textiles
432–462 Paintings & other Artworks
463–473 Clocks & Timepieces
474–571 Chinese & Asian Art
572–580 Tribal Artefacts

Collectables
581–599 Books & Historical Documents
600–608 Maps
609–626 Posters
627–767 Collectables
768–779 Military
780–816 Models & Toys
817–836 Film & Music

Jewellery & Watches
837–889 Jewellery & Watches

Featured Lots