The piano (Lot 279 ) was formerly in the Melbourne's Le Louvre, owned by Lillian Wightman and her daughter Georgina Weir.
The premises were sold 12 months ago and the business relocated to South Yarra. For many years Le Louvre attracted every society girl keen to be seen in an iconic trousseau on her wedding day, and was firmly entrenched at the Paris end of Collins Street for many years.
As well as the Le Louvre Collection of 34 lots, the sale included two other collections, 'The Private Collection of a Gentleman' (27 lots) and the Collection of the late Elizabeth Baillieu (40 lots) which together contributed around 28% of the lots in the sale.
Overall the sale grossed $1.1 million at hammer ($1.3 million incl. BP) with 212 of the 361 lots sold by number, giving a clearance rate of 59% of lots offered.
The three single owner collections achieved a slightly higher clearance rate than the overall sale of 61% by number, but 70% by value, boosted by the exceptional result on the giraffe piano.
English and Continental ceramics performed well. Comprising 11 lots of Royal Doulton and Royal Worcester and 4 lots of continental origin, 11 of the 15 lots sold. Unfortunately in this section, the lot carrying the highest estimate at $25,000-35,000 a pair of Royal Worcester vases by Harry Davis, (Lot 59 ) were passed in.
Amongst the furniture, a leather chesterfield, (Lot 108 ) with little apparent age but an appealing worn chocolate hide upholstery as might be seen in a gentleman's club, was keenly sought by five bidders. Estimated at $1,000-1,500 the chesterfield was pushed to $8,400 hammer ($10,800 with BP).
The six items of Anglo-Indian furniture failed to excite bidders with only three of the six items finding new homes.
A number of bidders must have believed that the fold over flame mahogany card table (Lot 122 ), catalogued as George III style, was period, as the price was pushed to a hammer of $9,500, ($11,400 with BP), way beyond the estimate of $3,000-5,000.
A total of 32 of the 56 lots of furniture sold, a clearance rate exactly matching that for the sale as a whole.
Judging by the attendance on the first night, many of the Asian ceramics and works of art were in line to be repatriated to their country of origin. The strong section of 77 lots saw 46 sold, with the highest price achieved by a soapstone seal, (Lot 167 ) Qing dynasty, dated to Qianlong 42nd year, estimated at $1,500-2,500 but soaring to $25,000 hammer ($30,000 with BP).
Also in the oriental section, Sleeping Girl and Two Goats (Lot 195 ) by Cheng Shifa (1921-2007), an ink and colour on paper, framed signed with three seals and estimated at $6,000-8,000, made $17,000 under the hammer ($20,400 with BP).
The last Sotheby's sale in October 2009 included around five items of Australiana including the Janet Lady Clarke Chair by Australian sculptor and cabinetmaker Robert Prenzel which sold for $192,000 (with BP). This sale lacked any outstanding items, including four lots of Australiana with a total estimate of $20,000 to $28,000, only one of which, a large photograph of horse trainer Tommy Woodcock and the horse Reckless, by Bruce Postle (Lot 55 ) sold at the low estimate of $3,000 ($3,600 with BP)
Not included in the Australiana section, although eligible, was a large Victorian stained glass window, (Lot 340 ) showing a figure of 'Summer' originally from a famous but now demolished Melbourne home 'Nareeb' in Kooyong Road, Armadale. It made $9,000 ($10,800 with BP) against the estimate of $8,000-12,000
Clocks and barometers also failed to stir much interest with five of the six items in this section failing to sell including the leading lot, the early George III green Chinoiserie long case clock by Robert ward, London, (Lot 304 ) estimated at $20,000-25,000.
Bronzes, mostly of 19th century origin which followed the clocks, had a similar result with only 6 of the 14 offered being sold.
However for those who were prepared to stay until the end of the sale, a 100% sale rate was achieved for the last 14 lots, all carpets, bringing a total of $40,802 hammer. All sold for consistent ratios above the high estimate without any achieving unexpected prices.
Although the equivalent sale in 2009 achieved a higher total of $1.4 million at hammer, the May 2009 sale totalled 435 lots of which 75 were jewellery. Sotheby's Australia now conducts stand alone sales for jewellery and taking out the 75 lots of the May 2009 sale equates almost exactly to the 361 lots in the current sale.