Submitted by aarAdmin on Thu, 03/07/2019 - 00:00
A 1920 red Lalique “Escargot” vase, featured as an important and rare piece on the company’s website, sold this month at a Melbourne auction for $12,500.
The vase was the top selling piece at Leski Auctions Decorative Arts & Collectables sale, which featured a comprehensive range of items.
Not far behind ($12,000) was the Gillows of Lancaster 24-seat 1890s Chippendale mahogany banquet table, originally commissioned for Sir Robert Lucas-Tooth and believed to have been part of the original furnishings for his Sydney mansion “Swifts” in Darling Point.
The house, which at the time had a ballroom bigger than that at Government House, and table were sold in 1915 to Edmund Resch (the famous late 19th century and early 20th century New South Wales brewer) who died there in 1923.
Sydney’s Moran Health Group were the next owners and in 2008 the table was bequeathed under the Cultural Gifts Program to the Sir Henry Royce Foundation.
Another Lalique vase - this time a 1921 “Archers’ version in dark violet glass – brought $11,000, while an unusual car mascot called Sirene and designed in 1922 by George Colin sold for $7500.
The French mascot was originally distributed from 1922 to 1925 by Hermes and Colin’s design was awarded the 1922 Madaillee for design by L’Auto.
Also selling for $7500 was a mounted taxidermied 20th century male African lion – while two timber and cast bronze 19th/20th century garden benches changed hands for $6500 and $6000 respectively.
A Coalbrookdale Fern pattern garden seat went under the hammer for $5500, the same price as a 19th century mounted horn on shield board with silver plaque with the words “Finally Won by Battalion Senior Cadets Commanding”.
An 18th century Chinese porcelain punch bowl depicting an early view of the Hongs or factories at Canton (now Guangzhou) at $5000 was another strong seller.
