News and Opinion — Year 2023

A 19th century antique Narwhal tusk more than two metres long (lot 759) almost doubled its catalogue estimate to go under the hammer for $39,000 at Melbourne-based Leski Auctions Australian & Historical sale on November 18 and 19, 2023. The Narwhal is a medium-sized toothed whale, characterised by a large tusk from a protruding canine tooth, that lives year-round in the Arctic waters off Greenland, Canada and Russia.

History plays an important part in many of Melbourne-based Leski Auctions as seen in the forthcoming two-day Australian & Historical sale on Saturday November 18 and Sunday November 19, consisting of pottery, glass, convict memorabilia, silver, jewellery, furniture, maritime, photographs, paintings, books and maps.

One of the pottery highlights is a 19th to 20th century grotesque glazed pottery figure (lot 3) Victoria Art Pottery’s William Ferry, while Merric Boyd features with several works including a seated woman statue dated 1935 Murrumbeena (lot 31). History plays an important part in many of Melbourne-based Leski Auctions as seen in the forthcoming two-day Australian & Historical sale on Saturday November 18 and Sunday November 19, consisting of pottery, glass, convict memorabilia, silver, jewellery, furniture, maritime, photographs, paintings, books and maps. One of the pottery highlights is a 19th to 20th century grotesque glazed pottery figure (lot 3) Victoria Art Pottery’s William Ferry, while Merric Boyd features with several works including a seated woman statue dated 1935 Murrumbeena (lot 31).

This pair of auctions provides a very special opportunity for collectors, with an extraordinary collection of antiques held privately in storage since the 1990’s. The selection includes Victorian and Georgian silverware, Qing dynasty Chinese porcelain, Victorian glassware, Moorcroft, Minton and Clarice Cliff porcelain – and the largest collection of Martin Brothers ever brought to auction in Australia.

Most of the 1428 lots in what can only be described as a hugely diverse auction sold with military items also proving popular – such as a pair of circa 1830s antique flintlock pistols of Ottoman Balkans origin that went under the hammer for $12,000.

When hundreds of vendors consign items for auction, the result is an eclectic range that has to be seen to be believed. Melbourne-based Leski Auctions forthcoming two-day decorative arts and collectables sale – from 10am Saturday August 26 and Sunday August 27 at 727-729 High Street, Armadale – is just such an event, with a comprehensive selection bound to suit both collectors and first-time auction goers.

An impressive 19th century Indian Kutch silver lidded bowl with elephant adornments and original gilt finish, believed to be the work of Oomersi Mawji & Sons, (lot 78) and a pair of Chinee silver elephant vases adorned with jade rings and semi-precious stones (lot 366) shared second spot in the top 10 items, each with a $6000 result.

A mid-20th century Georg Jensen “Acanthus” pattern Danish sterling silver cutlery set for six places (lot 139) – with its original brochure and cloth bags – doubled its catalogue estimate in bringing $5000.

Born in 1869 into a family of potters, Stahl invented and designed the phanolith – and his detailed, translucent, finely worked porcelain won him the Grand Prix at the 1900 World Fair in Paris. Stahl created Art Nouveau master pieces, noted for their detailed modelling of figures that created a three-dimensional illusion by modulating white porcelain transparency.

Robert Reis was such a famous and knowledgeable London-based antiques dealer and collector that one of England’s oldest and largest auction houses Christie’s was keen to employ him – and he also trained many of the commentators on the well-known TV show Antiques Roadshow. For 45 years with partner Gay Bowler, he spent much of his time travelling throughout Europe and the United States in the pursuit of his passion before moving to Australia in 2009.

The “man catcher” is lot 1683 in Melbourne-based Abacus Auctions forthcoming three-day sale of stamps, postal, history, coins and banknotes, sporting memorabilia and other collectables from 11am Wednesday June 28 to Friday June 30 at 29 Hardner Road, Mount Waverley – and part of a 130-lot collection of Papua New Guinea tribal artefacts assembled by German builder and cabinetmaker Ottmar Maier who lived and worked there from 1958 to 1982. Now 94, Ottmar migrated to Queensland with his family after his PNG work finished and believes it is time to pass on the remainder of his collection to other collectors equally as passionate.

Eighty-six per cent of the 1383 lots on offer sold by volume with the surprise being a Papua New Guinea carved wooden ancestral spiritual figure (lot 1099) collected by Australian ex-pat John Lean Pender, who lived there during the 1930s and returned to Australia in 1942 following the Japanese invasion.  Listed in the catalogue with a $250-$350 estimate, it brought a staggering $32,265.

A large Chinese Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) bronze censer (lot 55) brought more than four times its low $2000 estimate when sold for $9000, and an 18-carat rose gold wristwatch by De Grisogono (lot 418) achieved more than double its low estimate to change hands at $7500.

The silver centrepiece was constructed at the behest of John Moore Cole Airey (c1811-1893), whom the seaside town was named after and whose older brother Sir Richard was the first Baron Airey. A Royal Navy officer, in 1837 John Airey migrated to New South Wales and bought land in the Port Phillip District (which in 1851 became Victoria), particularly around Geelong, during early government sales and settled there five years later. On December 22, 1847 John Airey was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council as the member for Port Phillip but eventually returned to England. Portugal’s king made him a viscount and he died in Lisbon on July 17, 1893.

Working in neoclassical and other styles, Paul Storr was England’s most celebrated silversmith during the first half of the 19th century and his pieces currently adorn royal palaces and stately homes throughout Europe.

So prominent was he that both King George III and King George IV purchased much of his work and in 1799 he created a “Battle of the Nile” cup for presentation to the British fleet commander Admiral Lord Nelson.

Melbourne auction goers were keen to obtain items from Chemist Warehouse billionaire Sam Gance’s Toorak mansion on April 30 and most of the 186 collectables (including 17th and 18th century furniture) on offer were sold within or above catalogue estimates once the sale started. 

The collector, who passed away unexpectedly, was a life-long passionate art deco devotee and the collection contains some of the most beautiful pieces ever made. 

Seventeenth and 18th century furniture and contemporary artworks belonging to Chemist Warehouse billionaire owner Sam Gance will be auctioned from 2pm Sunday April 30 on site at 2 Struan Street, Toorak by Melbourne-based Gibson’s Auctions as he allows auction goers an inside glimpse of one of his multi-million-dollar properties.

A nine-carat solid gold Williamstown Cup (lot 27) estimated at $15,000-$20,000 and made by the now defunct Melbourne gold and silversmiths Stokes & Drummond will be offered in Philips Melbourne online auction on Monday April 3, 2023. The cup was won by the five-year-old mare Saxony 1949.

Golfing champions couldn’t be further from mind when considering religious icons and artefacts coming up for auction – but in the case of Melbourne-based Leski Auctions two-day decorative arts and collectables sale from 10am Saturday and Sunday February 18 and 19, the two are inextricably linked.

There was plenty of interest in Ken and Gloria Ely’s world-renowned collection of works by the English porcelain manufacturer at Melbourne-based Gibson’s Auctions February 27-28 sale.  At $20,000 hammer price and more than three times the catalogue estimate, the top selling item was a signed 1912 William Hawkins porcelain plaque (lot 14). Painted after Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier’s “The Print Collector”, on the back was a label with the title and place of purchase ‘Royal Worcester Factory for 25 pounds in 1917’. The original is part of London’s Wallace Collection.