Melbourne design auction gives everyone a go

With many of Gibson’s Auctions Melbourne-based 20^th Century Designs auction pieces carrying catalogue estimates under $1000, auction goers are presented with the perfect opportunity to purchase quality items that will not only adorn their homes but provide many hours of viewing delight.

The auction will be held from 2pm Sunday September 22 at Level 1, 885-889 High Street, Armadale.

One item not in this price category – and that no doubt will have massive collector appeal – is Claire-Jeanne Roberte Colinet’s (1880-1950) Theban Dancer circa 1920 (lot 58), a gilt bronze and ivory sculpture on a marble base that carries a catalogue estimate of $20,000-$30,000.

The sculpture was acquired circa 1950 by the current vendor’s grandparents and has remained in the family ever since.

Born in Belgium, Colinet was a French sculptor whose best known works were art deco Arab dancers.

Her models included odalisques, exotic dancers, jugglers and cabaret artists and her female sculptures are known for their beauty, energy and dramatic form.

Colinet was a frequent exhibitor at the Salon des Artistes Francais and Salon des Independents art exhibitions in Paris and, after her death, her work was exhibited at the Paris Salon for 30 years.

Collectors now find her works highly desirable and they increasingly sell for exorbitant sums.

A French furniture setting of particular appeal is lot 39, a circa 1900 gilt bronze mounted mahogany and burr elm art nouveau dining room suite comprising an extension dining table, six chairs, a buffet a deux corps and a marble top servery, which carries a catalogue estimate of $4000-$6000.

The suite was purchased in December 2000 from Sydney’s Copeland & De Soos at Queen Street, Woollahra.

A French art nouveau mirror attributed to Eugene Gaillard (lot 40) is another strong auction attraction.

Among the auction items are several attractive glass vases including three circa 1900 Loetz pieces (lots 2 to 4) – one a Dunkalgrun art nouveau specimen with a gilded copper overlay, one a Steingrun tri-form creation and the third an opalescent Blattgrun dimpled ‘Jack in the Pulpit’ work.

Also among the glassware is lot 146, an ‘Aalto Vase’ by Finnish designer Alvar Alto (1898-1976) and his wife Aino that has become an iconic international piece.

The Aalto vase is also known as the Savoy Vase because it was among  a range of custom furnishings and fittings they created for Helsinki’s luxury Savoy Restaurant that opened in 1937.

A 20^th century West African Mossi Kaya chameleon headdress from Burkina Fasso (lot 87) is an interesting item, while three African polychrome painted tribal masks (lot 125) will provide further impetus for collectors who seek items from tribal societies.

The auction contains a range of jewellery by New York designer Iradji Moini who during the 1980s designed for Oscar de la Renta before branching out on his own.

Moini has exhibited in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre where he now has three pieces on permanent display.

Typical of his colourful works are lots 162 and 163 – a large ‘elephant’ brooch and a large ‘shrimp’ brooch.