The sale, at Byron Kennedy Hall in the Entertainment Quarter (formerly Fox Studios), includes a second segment of the Owston Nominees collection – the first Owston sale was a gigantic offering at Circular Quay in June.
As well as wildlife, this 1700-lot sale spans vintage cars and auto memorabilia – including a veritable barnful of old bangers - masses of furniture and decorative art, jewellery and prints from Gould’s 1850s “Birds of Australia”.
Owston, a family company of prominent developer Warren Anderson and his wife Cheryl, is being wound up as part of a divorce settlement.
Like the first Owston sale, this one is rich in the cased and taxidermised creatures that were Anderson’ s passion. Perhaps top of the tree is the egg of the extinct, flightless Elephant bird (Aepyornis maximus) of Madagascar (Lot 417 ), a 31cm high egg described as “in undamaged condition with original contents”. Similar specimens have fetched up to Euro 80,000 at auction in recent years, and this carries an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.
It’s not just Anderson, it seems, who has a yen for animal parts, with the sale offering an immense menagerie from various other vendors - trophy heads, horns and skins ranging from bisons to bull elks, musk ox, polar bear, coyote, antelope, and rhino.
The nooks and crannies of the various Anderson homes have also yielded more decorative art and pictures.
Among the highlights is an important pair of Russian ormolu and amethyst coloured cut glass vases circa 1830 (Lot 418 ), estimate $80,000 to $100,000; an impressive 19th century French gilt bronze mantel clock with figures of Chronos and an attendant (Lot 332 ) at $20,000 to $30,000, and a silver stag hunt table centrepiece by Stephen Smith and William Nicholson, London 1850 (Lot 416 ), estimate $15,000 to $20,000.
Also part of the Owston collection are no less than nine watercolour studies of Aborigines by the much sought after naive-style colonial artist Richard Browne with estimates of $10,000 and up - incongruously followed by a brace of voluptuous Norman Lindsay nudes ($30,000 and up).
Elsewhere in the sale the furniture includes an Empire revival style kingwood and gilt bronze mounted bureau plat and matching chair (Lot 588 ) with an estimate of $35,000 to $40,000, and a fine Regence walnut and satinwood commode (Lot 561 ) at $30,000 to $40,000.
Australiana includes an early 19th century Australian cedar bookcase (Lot 571 ) from the Exton Grange Inn in Tasmania at $12,000 to $18,000, and a spectacularly grotesque studio pottery lamp stand entwined by a dragon by Castle Harris (Lot 607 ) also at $12,000 to $18,000.
Collectable trinkets include a Swiss gold box with enamelled panel from Garrards, London, antique tea caddies, numerous jade and ivory carvings, and a host of silver vinaigrettes and snuff boxes.
Also among the paintings are two small oils by the 19th century Dutch painter Willem Koekkoek. Last item in the catalogue – sadly, not so lucky last – is Anderson’s highly rated old master, Joachim Wtewael’s epic biblical study “Jacob and Esau” from the 1600s. It is now offered for sale by private treaty, estimate “upon request”, after reportedly going unsold in London in July with $1 million expectations.