The usual high profile modern artists – led by John Brack’s Adagio 1967-69 (lot 41) with a $600,000-$800,000 estimate – are guaranteed to pull a large auction crowd at Menzies final sale for the year from 6.30pm Thursday December 10 at 12 Todman Avenue, Kensington in Sydney.

Possibly of greater interest is a group of seven rare works by colonial painter Thomas Tyrwhitt Balcombe (1810-1861) who was born on St Helena – home of exiled French Emperor Napoleon – before moving in 1824 with his family to Sydney, where his father had been appointed colonial treasurer.

Mossgreen’s Quarterly Collectors Auctions Series should just about wrap up the Christmas shopping for those auction goers looking for relatively inexpensive unusual gifts.

The sale will be held from 2pm Tuesday December 8 at 926-930 High Street, Armadale.

Right from Lot 1 – an art deco enamelled nickel travelling clock – many of the offerings are not part of the normal Christmas fare displayed in large department stores.

Christian McCann Auctions final sale for 2015 – from noon Sunday December 6 at 426 Burnley Street, Richmond – caps off a highly successful year for the auction house.

This last auction will offer what auctioneer Christian McCann describes as “without doubt the finest French furniture on the open market, superb French antique porcelain, Australian art, antique clocks and antique bronze sculptures – and should not be missed by any serious collector”.

A 1903 Robert Prenzel blackwood settle and three panels is a major highlight of E.J. Ainger’s forthcoming special two-day sale from 11am Saturday December 5 and Sunday December 6 at 433 Bridge Road, Richmond.

Each panel is finely carved in the Gothic Renassance style with Gryphons and the centre panel depicts foliage with the relief carved inscription ‘Salve’.

Another Prenzel panel features a lorikeet on an Australian native gum tree branch and was purchased by the Black family from his workshop and installed as part of a homestead fireplace at Tarwin Meadows.