DECORATIVE ARTS & COLLECTABLES

Live Auction

Sun 20th Oct 2019

Time: 10:00am

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 19th 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

Lot 1

LUDWIG WITTMAN for DAVID ANDERSEN Norwegian silver box with carved ivory lid encrusted with turquoise, circa 1910,
makers stamps to base,
6cm high, 12cm diameter

Est: $1,600 - $2,000

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Lot 57

An Italian micromosaic panel of Venice, in original gilt frame, 19th century,
25 x 46cm

Est: $3,000 - $5,000

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Lot 68

LALIQUE "Archer" car mascot in violet glass, French, designed in 1928,
stamped "R. Lalique, France",
12.5cm high

Est: $2,000 - $2,500

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Lot 81

A pair of French Art Nouveau plaques with original copper patination, late 19th century,
the images based on drawings by Elisabeth Sonrel, "Fleurs de Montagne" and "Fleurs de Eaux",
54 x 22.5cm

Est: $450 - $550

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Lot 97

MONTBLANC: ALBERT EINSTEIN 18K WHITE GOLD LIMITED EDITION 99 SKELETON FOUNTAIN PEN IN THE ORIGINAL NUMBERED, LACQUERED CASE OF ISSUE: Pen Number 2 of 99 (although it appears that only 45 examples were put on the market), 2012.

Est: $15,000 - $20,000

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Lot 152

Important Berlin KPM German porcelain plaque portrait of The Duchess of Devonshire as a Vestal, by ANGELICA KAUFFMAN, late 19th century. Very fine original gilt frame with gallery exhibition label verso and details of exhibitions in London and Dresden. Rare.
plaque size 39 x 31cm, frame 72 x 64cm

Est: $20,000 - $30,000

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Lot 367

A pair of architectural fluted columns, carved and painted wood, 19th century,
234cm high

Est: $1,200 - $2,000

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Lot 386

JOSEF HOFFMANN Wiener Werkstätte carver chair from the GALLIA apartment in Vienna, circa 1913.
90cm high, 60cm across the arms

Est: $30,000 - $50,000

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Lot 410

A Danish 7 piece rosewood dining stetting with drawer leaf extension and red leather upholstery, circa 1950s

Est: $2,500 - $3,500

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Lot 459

HENRI MATISSE (French, 1869-1954)
Jeune Femme Assise (Young Woman Seated), 1942. Pen and ink,
signed and dated "12/42" lower left,
51.8 x 39.8cm. Framed.
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Matisse Archives, dated January 24, 2005 with registration No. H132.

Est: $150,000 - $200,000

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Lot 481

Imari ware Japanese floor vase by FUKAGAWA, Meiji Period,
eight character seal mark to base with old label,
79cm high

Est: $4,000 - $6,000

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Lot 526

A pair of Chinese carved ivory ancestral figures with two character seal mark to base, circa 1920s,
13.5cm high

Est: $2,500 - $3,500

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Lot 611

Fred Powis (Australian, active 1910s-40s)
Jasper In The Canadian Rockies
c1929 colour lithograph, signed “Fred Powis” in image lower right,
101 x 63.5cm. Linen-backed.

Est: $3,000 - $3,500

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Lot 663

A French Optometrist hanging sign, painted metal, 19th century,
88cm wide

Est: $600 - $800

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Lot 665

"CHRYSLER PLYMOUTH" vintage tin enamel sign,
30cm diameter

Est: $200 - $300

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Lot 797

The "Columbia" Depression era peddle aeroplane with original painted finish, rare, circa 1930,
138cm long

Est: $450 - $550

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Lot 836

THE BEATLES IN AUSTRALIA - 1964
30 July 1964 letter "TO ALL MEMBERS OF STAFF" on Southern Cross Hotel, Melbourne letterhead from John C. Carrodus, General Manager: I have been asked by a member of staff for pieces of [bed] sheet that the Beatles slept in whilst at the Hotel. No doubt they require these for their children or others who are Beatles fans. So that nobody will be disappointed, I am now enclosing a couple of pieces for you to either give away or throw away. May I also take this opportunity of thanking everybody for their co-operation and assistance over the very busy time we had during the visit of this outstanding group."

Est: $500 - $1,000

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Lot 854

ZEETA Orchid brooch, 9ct yellow gold set with garnets,
stamped "Zeeta, 9ct",
5.5cm high, 11.5 grams

Est: $200 - $300

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Lot 882

LONGINES 14ct gold cased full hunter pocket watch with two tone Albert fob chain, circa 1900,
5cm diameter, chain weight 12.5 grams

Est: $600 - $1,000

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