Submitted by aarAdmin on Wed, 04/08/2015 - 08:00
A growing auction trend towards sterling silver saw 153 keen bidders battle it out for quality items at Philips Auctions late March sale.
Many of these items sold well above catalogue estimates with an 1840 large early Victorian sterling silver salver one of the leading contenders.
Complete with maker Henry Wilkinson’s mark, the salver changed hands for $2880 including buyer’s premium, its richly scrolled foliate border carrying a coat of arms bearing the Latin motto Spes Mea in Futuro Est (My Hope for the Future).
An interesting Victorian Hilliard and Thomason aesthetic movement sterling silver tankard dated 1881 from Birmingham sold for $540 – while a Hester Bateman 1776 George III neo-classical sterling silver cream jug changed hands for $1200.
A Samuel Taylor 1750 George II pedestal footed sterling silver tea caddy was another item to attract plenty of buyer interest, eventually going under the hammer for $1560.
Among the more contemporary sterling silver items was a 1982 Stuart Devlin parcel gilt potpourri bowl, which sold for $1440.
While sterling silver was of strong interest at the auction, other items also fared well including a Carlton Ware Mephistopheles or “Red Devil” vase designed in 1933 and attributed to Violet Elmer.
The piece sold for $3000 on a $1000-$2000 estimate and attracted several bidders.
Also of interest in the porcelain section was a Clarice Cliff ceramic wall mask, which had first come to prominence in the Melbourne Herald of November 28, 1935.
The mask was mentioned in an article about Dr and Mrs Cecil Raphael’s new home high on the hill in Glenferrie Road, Glenferrie – and referred to because it was reflected in an immense circular mirror that hung on the wall above the living room fireplace.
The porcelain creation had been sitting under a family member’s bed for about 30 years before recently once again seeing the light of day.
Among the paintings on offer were several Sidney Nolan lithographs. Three, including one entitled Convict Skeletons from For the Term of his Natural Life series, sold for $720 each. Others to sell from the same series included Flogging and Rufus Dawes picking up Sylvia’s Ball.
Proving that quality jewellery is proving ever popular, both for collection and investment purposes, the Monday night jewellery auction was hotly contested among the 97 bidders present – with 70 per cent selling by volume.
Standouts were a 100-year-old 2.6-carat old cut diamond white gold and platinum ring that sold for $13,000 and a 2.15-carat brilliant cut diamond ring for $15,000.
Interesting was a Georg Jensen 0.71-carat diamond set centenary ring with a recommended retail price of $16,700. Bidding began at a modest $1000 before auctioneer Tony Philips finally knocked the ring down for $7800.
