Auction Results

Stamps and postal cards fetch good results at Melbourne auction

A £2 black and rose kangaroo first watermark stamp (lot 134) has sold for more than twice its catalogue estimate at $26,887.50 (including buyer’s premium) as part of Leski Auctions Melbourne Stamps, Coins & Postal History sale on Sunday June 27.

Accompanied by a 1983 BPA certificate, it is the finer of the two known examples still in existence with the other sold in 2007 as part of the Arthur Gray Collection in New York.

Four hundred and fifty five of the...

Australia's Kennedy collection a worthy auction result

An early 19th century colonial Tasmanian cedar and blackwood sideboard (lot 231) belonging to Trevor Kennedy, former journalist and right hand man to Australian media tycoon the late Kerry Packer, sold for a solid within catalogue estimate range $24,400 (including buyer’s premium) at Melbourne-based Gibson’s Auctions on Sunday June 20 and Monday June 21.

The sideboard was part of his extensive collection of colonial furniture, silver and other collectables...

Gold beer glass pips all at Australian historical auction

For the Australian couple who in 2010 won a commemorative 18-carat gold beer glass by Hardy Brothers Jewellers organised by Carlton Draft Brewery, Leski Auctions weekend auction (Saturday May 29 and Sunday May 30) in Melbourne was a real bonus.

The glass (lot 64) fell only $500 short of its lower catalogue estimate, bringing $119,500 (including buyer’s premium), and was the top-selling item of more than 1300 lots – 90 per cent of which sold for $1,401,735.

Part...

Chinese bronze censer sets up Melbourne auction success

A very unusual Chinese archaistic lacquered bronze covered censer (lot 102) sold for $23,180 (including buyer’s premium) at Gibson’s Auctions Autumn Series sale on May 16 in Melbourne.

With a catalogue estimate of $5000-$7000, it was the top selling item in an auction that comprised 532 pieces covering a comprehensive range of categories.

The circa 1889 gilded and patinated bronze sculpture entitled Gloria Victis (lot 153) by French sculptor Marius...

Religious icons impact Melbourne auction sale

Religious icons and statuary collected by former Australian cartoonist, artist and creative advertising director the late Joe Greenberg featured prominently among the top 10 results achieving well above catalogue estimates at Leski Auctions May 9 sale in Melbourne.

The Orthodox and Catholic icons – including a circa 1800 rare and important Palestinian School Proskynetarion or Pilgrim’s Memento comprising images of the Holy Sepulchre within the City of Jerusalem and...

Art lovers pay record prices for Australian art despite COVID-19 pandemic hangover

COVID-19 does not seemed to have dented the confidence of art lovers and investors judging by the results of Deutscher and Hackett’s first major auction for 2021 when 80 works were earmarked to go under the hammer for an impressive $9,580,950 including buyers’ premium on Wednesday April 21 – led by a record auction price for the artist of $2.5 million ($3,068,182 IBP) for Arthur Streeton’s (1867-1943) The Grand Canal, 1908 (lot 21).

The Melbourne sale of...

Religious Rupert Bunny to the Australian auction fore

It is probably no surprise that Rupert Bunny’s (1864-1947) important circa 1899 religious painting St Veronica (lot 23) scooped the pool at Melbourne-based Gibson’s Auctions Australian & International Art sale on Sunday April 18 with a $26,840 (including buyer’s premium) result.

It is a powerful and timeless image that portrays the legend of Veronica witnessing Jesus carrying the cross for his crucifixion and offering her veil as a towel.

The image...

Archibald winner achieves his own artist auction record

Ben Quilty would be more than pleased with the results of Menzies Sydney art auction on March 31 given that his painting Beast 2 (lot 20) went under the hammer for $220,000 – an auction record for one of his works. 

Born in 1973 in Sydney, Quilty is recognised as one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists and has won several major prizes including the 2011 Archibald. 

In October that year he also was attached to the Australian Defence Forces to...

"Brown furniture" makes comeback amongst Galle glass and Clarice Cliff at Melbourne auction

Someone must have really desired the George III flame mahogany linen press (lot 7) at Gibson’s Auctions Melbourne Interiors March 28 sale because they were willing to pay $5368 including buyer’s premium when it was listed in the auction catalogue with a $500-$800 estimate.

A Gibson’s representative commented after the sale ‘it was good to see brown furniture finally making a bit of a comeback.

A circa 1790 English burr walnut chest of drawers (lot 12) wasn’t a...

Art auction prices climb - despite COVID-19

When historians sit down at some future date to examine the impact that COVID-19 had on the world, they hopefully might find time to make a fleeting reference to the art auction industry.

While the colossal number of cases and massive loss of life is tragic in anyone’s language, the value attached to works of art during this period, both in Australia and overseas, just continues to climb.

This despite the fact that buyers ability to physically attend auctions...

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