Submitted by aarAdmin on Fri, 05/29/2020 - 00:00
An 87 per cent by value result for Gibson’s Autumn Auction Series sale in Melbourne on Monday May 25 was a fantastic achievement even if the auction had been conducted under normal conditions.
It was twice as valuable given the heavy trading restrictions imposed by Australia’s current coronavirus pandemic and the auction house was more than a little pleased with its online success.
An impressive William IV mahogany breakfront library bookcase (lot 218) was the top selling item changing hands for $17,080 (including buyer’s premium) – while jewellery made its presence felt early in the price stakes when a sapphire and diamond ballerina cluster ring (lot 514) sold for $14,640.
Another strong attraction for buyers were gentlemen’s watches, with a 1964 gold Patek Phillipe wristwatch (lot 572) selling for $11,346, a Rolex gold Datejust version with 27 jewels (lot 579) changing hands for $8235, a Rolex two-tone stainless (lot 578) for $7930 and an IWC titanium ingenieur chronograph (lot 581) for $6710.
Two Chinese mounted fan leaves featuring an old man in an emerald mountain and the riverside before approaching rain and bearing the signatures of famous artists Zhu Mei-Cun (1911-1993) and Gu Rong Mu (lot 416) were something out of the auction box when they sold for $10,370 – 17 times their lower catalogue estimate.
Almost as surprising was lot 20, a brass and chrome geometric design occasional table, that changed hands for $9465 on a $1200 low estimate.
Another interesting item was a large and impressive 19th century Qing dynasty famille-rose ‘dragon and phoenix’ ovoid vase (lot 374) that brought $7930, while lot 141 – a taxidermied Panthera Pardus (leopard) skin rug sold for $6710.
