Philips Auctions

A rare mid-17^th century northern Italian rosewood, ivory and ebony cabinet on a 19^th century stand (lot 387) is one of the strong antique furniture highlights at Philips Auctions forthcoming Decorative & Fine Arts sale from noon Sunday December 1 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.

The cabinet contains eight cedar lined drawers each with pen engraved ivory plaques depicting hunting, fishing, fowling and hawking scenes and in its centre is a Renaissance style cupboard with the drawers and the base inlaid with ivory neoclassical pictures.

One of Australia’s leading sopranos with a career in both Opera Australia and the Victorian State Opera is auctioning several pieces of quality sterling silver through Philips Auctions forthcoming sale from noon Sunday October 20 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.

The retired diva, who does not wish to be named but who has been honoured twice over the years in Queen’s Birthday honours for her services to music, appeared with many of the leading musical lights of her day.

Two 1930 exotic bronze and ivory dancers (lots 83 and 100) by Austrian artist ‘Gerdago’ (1906-2004) and belonging to a prominent Melbourne identity are among the more appealing highlights of Philips Auctions Fine and Decorative Arts sale from noon Sunday September 8 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.

Paintings from the deceased estate of former Melbourne identity Peter Davis are among popular highlights of Philips Auctions forthcoming decorative and fine arts auction from noon Sunday July 28 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.

Several of the paintings feature past Melbourne and Victorian scenes by artists such as Dora Lynell Wilson (1883-1946) Top End of Collins Street, Melbourne (lot 395) and Fabian Swire’s 1934 etching Collins Street Old & New (lot 394) showing views of the then recently completed Manchester Unity Building.

Unusual silver and bronze elephants belonging to a leading Melbourne business identity will be a major highlight of Philips Auctions forthcoming fine and decorative arts sale from noon Sunday June 16 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.

The 40-strong collection features several fascinating examples including lot 65 – Austrian Franz Bergman’s (1861-1936) bronze rendition showing the elephant with game hunters and a slain tiger.

Auction goers will be confronted by an absolute feast of sterling silver at Philips Auctions forthcoming Fine and Decorative Arts sale from 12pm Sunday May 5 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.

Leading the goodies is an extensive collection of English Victorian Vesta match cases (where matches are stored and can be lit by striking on the bottom of the case), collected in the 1940s and 1950s by one family who documented from where each piece came.

Ninety-two-year-old Perth widow Ruth Foreman has decided to auction more than 100 pieces of jewellery – most left by her jeweller father – and donate the proceeds to a women’s charity in Western Australia.

Her main reason for doing so is that she has no children to leave the pieces to and would like them to be of public benefit.

The jewellery collection will be sold through Philips Auctions jewellery auction from 6pm Monday May 6 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.

A turn of the 20^th century Russian silver and gem set elephant match holder by Faberge from St Petersburg (lot 177) and belonging to a former Carlton Australian Football League club president will be the highlight of Philips Auctions forthcoming decorative arts sale from noon Sunday March 24 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.

A five-carat heart shaped gold and diamond ring (lot 88) might be just the ideal slightly belated Valentine’s Day gift for those auction goers willing to go the “whole nine yards” at Philips Auctions first jewellery auction for the year and fork out an estimated $50,000-$60,000 on that special someone.

If not, there are plenty of other romantic ruby, diamond, emerald and sapphire contenders at this particularly interesting jewellery sale from 6pm Monday February 18 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.

In the early days of automobiles, manufacturers would often proudly mount mascots on the radiator caps to better identify the make of the vehicle.

Many became elaborate works of art and a collectable prize for those who could afford them.

They only really went out of favour in the 1970s when authorities realised the extra damage they could cause pedestrians in the event one was hit by the vehicle.