Submitted by aarAdmin on Tue, 11/10/2015 - 00:00
Almost all of Marvin Hurnall’s unique collection of Australian pottery sold at auction on November 8 for $967,582 – more than twice the value anticipated by auction house Mossgreen.
The most expensive item was a glazed earthenware figure of a blue winged dragon (lot 214), which sold for $26,840 including buyer’s premium.
Other items of note included a Bendigo Pottery pair of large double handled glazed earthenware urns ($18,300, lot 69), Maude O’Reilly’s kookaburra figure with gumnut leaves ($17,080, lot 191) and William Ricketts’ earthenware sculpture of nine “Kangaroo Man” figures ($15,250, lot 233).
From the mid-1970s Hurnall was one of Australia’s most enthusiastic collectors and best known antique dealers and his collecting efforts sparked a resurgence in popularity for many Australian ceramic artist icons.
