Submitted by aarAdmin on Tue, 06/22/2021 - 00:00
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 built up over many years.
In 1972-73, Kennedy was founding editor of The National Times, became editor-in-chief of Packer’s Consolidated Press Holdings from 1981-86 and then its managing director until 1991.
A former business associate of former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, in 1997 Kennedy was appointed chairman of AWA Ltd and has served as a director on many Australian company boards, including Consolidated Press Holdings and Qantas.
A pair of bronze relief moulded rams heads (lot 198) by Hungarian sculptor and architect Andor Meszaros (1900-1972) almost doubled its upper estimate with a $20,130 return, while a late 19th century large colonial cedar open bookcase (lot 239) sold for $17,080 on a $4000 upper estimate.
In June 1939, Meszaros migrated to Melbourne to avoid the outbreak of World War II and was employed by two local architectural firms.
The following year he began to make a living as a sculptor with his early works appearing at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.
Unusually versatile, Meszaros was a dramatic narrative artist in an age where style mattered more than subject matter and his uncommissioned pieces embraced several timeless themes.
Among his larger commissioned works were religious works were religious sculptures for churches and a Sydney private school and, when these were lacking, he turned his hand to designing medallions, of which he produced more than 1000.
Richard Read Junior’s (1796-1852) Portrait of a Lady (lot 56) was another outstanding result, changing hands for $15,860 on an $8000 upper catalogue estimate.
Lot 47, an early 19th century colonial cedar and ebony bookcase in the style of the one built in 1666 for famous English diarist and naval administrator Samuel Pepys, sold for $14,460 – while a circa 1875 carved kerosene shale portrait bust by Sydney postman and amateur sculptor John Baird (lot 178) brought $9760.
Another interesting result was the European School painting titled Family and Interior and the Philosopher (lot 14) which sold for $6710 against a high estimate of $4000.
