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Such is buyer thirst for major works by iconic Australian artist Brett Whiteley (1939-1992) that every time one pops up at auction it is snapped up.
Add the fact that it is an early work – and then expect to see fireworks.
This was the case at Menzies Sydney auction on April 9 when one of two works, entitled Untitled Painting III (lot 35) – both painted in 1961 and never before seen in Australia – more than doubled its lower catalogue estimate and was...
A circa 1890 Carrara marble figure sculpture more than 1.6 metres tall (lot 809) rocked Melbourne-based Leski Auctions two-day Decorative arts, Collectables and Cameras sale March 29-30 when it was knocked down for $32,000 – more than five times its upper estimate.
The sculpture was by famed French sculptor and caricaturist Prosper d’Epinay who worked under the name Nemo.
Born on July 13, 1836 in Pamplemousses, Mauritius, d’Epinay completed his primary...
A rare complete set of proclamation coins – inextricably linked to the development of Australia’s domestic currency system – sold for around their catalogue estimates at Melbourne-based Abacus Auctions four-day sale of stamps, coins, banknotes, postal history and sporting memorabilia beginning on March 25.
The most valuable was a gold Portuguese Johanna from Brazil (lot 3045), knocked down for $5750, which in early Australian colonial days was valued at four pounds....
A gold medal from the 1956 Melbourne Olympics is a rare auction treat so appreciated by collectors that they paid more than double lower catalogue estimate at Leski Auctions two-day February sporting memorabilia sale.
The gold medal (lot 1026), awarded to Australia’s Anthony “Tippy” Marchant in the 2000-metre Tandem Cycling Final, was knocked down for $70,000 on a $30,000-$40,000 estimate.
Marchant won the medal with his teammate the late Ian “Joey” Browne (...
Sydney collector John Gibson was very much in the auction limelight with his collection of 19th century Sudanese postal history ranging from early Egyptian post offices through to the tumultuous 1880s and 1890s military campaigns of the region.
The top selling exhibit from his collection at Melbourne-based Abacus Auctions December 10-13 sale was the 1852 letter cover to an Austrian noblewoman (lot 2568), recognised as one of the most outstanding of all...
A landscape painting (lot 1430) by Australian artist John Perceval (1923-2000) purchased by the vendor’s father – a close friend of the artist – was the top selling item at Melbourne-based Leski Auctions Australian & Historical sale on December 7 and 8.
The painting was knocked down for $66,000, slightly more than its upper catalogue estimate, while another work titled Cobaea (lot 1432) by Criss Canning also performed well at $36,000.
A third...
Fresh works to auction, particularly if they are by well-known artists, often attract much deserved attention from buyers and collectors.
So it proved with Australian iconic modern artist Jeffrey Smart (1912-2013) when his impressive work Cable Coils 2000-01 (lot 38) went under the hammer at Menzies Melbourne Important Australian & International Art sale on November 20.
The catalogue front cover painting sold for $828,409 (including buyer’s premium...
Spirited bidding bumped up the modest $400-$600 catalogue estimate of a Chinese carved ivory and engraved gourd cricket cage (lot 880) to a massive $10,000 sale price at Melbourne-based Leski Auctions November 16 and 17 decorative arts and collectables auction.
A strong result also was reached for an impressive 20th century Continental 925 sterling silver punchbowl (lot 78) which sold for $8000.
Other silver items to fare well included a 20th...
Famous Austrian biologist, filmmaker and diving technology pioneer Hans Haas (1919-2013) – and his Viennese firm Akustiche und Kinogerate – was front and centre at Melbourne-based Leski Auctions cameras and photographic equipment two-day auction October 29 and 30 when his c1954 underwater housing for Leica was sold with a c19555 red-dial Leica 1f camera (lot 863) for $5500.
The auction, which also included a framed photographic collection of the Adelaide leg of The...
A rare early 1855 watercolour panorama of the Port River & North Parade, Port Adelaide by artist, forger and fraudster Frank (Francis) George Hankey (c1832-1911) on four panels (lot 530) doubled its auction estimate to sell for $42,000 at Melbourne-based Leski Auctions October 20 sale of the Dr Jane Lennon collection.
The scene depicted was largely destroyed in the Great Port Adelaide Fire of November 1857 in a blaze covering several acres that wiped out half the...
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