Acquiring paintings from the Australian Indigenous Irruntja community – including an early significant work by Tommy Watson – turned Sydney property developer Trevor Chappell into an enthusiastic art collector.

Co-founder of Austcorp Group Limited in 1991 and now a well-known collector, Trevor then extended his art collection to include works by emerging and established Australian and international contemporary artists.

Reminders of the famous English author Charles Dickens will be on show at E.J. Ainger’s forthcoming weekly auction when a Victorian mahogany Charles Dickens desk goes under the hammer from 9.30am Tuesday September 26 at 433 Bridge Road, Richmond.

A writer and social critic, Dickens lived from 1812 to 1870 and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. 

His notable works include The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations.

A superfine Isfahan pure Persian Caspian silk ground rug is a major highlight of Leonard Joel’s forthcoming Specialist Rugs auction from 2pm Thursday September 21 at 333 Malvern Road, South Yarra.

The rug, which features the traditional “tree of life” design, is a master weaver Hossain Mohammadi Atelier creation of 700,000 knots per square metre and carries a catalogue estimate of $7000-$8000.

Other rugs of note in the auction include a superfine Bidjar Tekkab Kork wool pile – a rare and collectable superfine weave of approximately 600,000 knots per square metre.

One of Britain’s most significant collectors has entrusted Australian auction house Mossgreen to auction his international contemporary art collection from 6.30pm Sunday September 17 at 926-930 High Street, Armadale. 

Although highly likely to attract interest from international collectors, the sale entitled A Contemporary Vision also will give Australian art lovers the rare chance to see first hand some of the more significant names in international contemporary art.