Submitted by aarAdmin on Wed, 10/30/2013 - 12:05
The National Museum of Australia has bought the historic Jackie Howe Mechanical Shears at Sotheby’s Australia’s October Fine Asian, Australian & European Arts & Design sale after a frenzied bidding war saw the price charge to $46,360 including buyers premium.
Sotheby's had placed a fairly conservative estimate of $15,000-$25,000 on the shears but with competitive bidding from both telephones and the room the price soon surpassed the upper figure.
Presented to Jackie Howe by the Wolseley Company in 1893 for his records in shearing sheep, Howe used the shears for many years - and they have remained in family hands until sold by Sotheby’s Australia.
Sotheby’s Australia recorded outstanding results at the evening sale. The auction achieved a total of $1,241,167 IBP, or 79.30% by volume and 124.13% by value.
The carefully selected collection comprised 256 lots of exquisite Chinese ceramics and works of art; designer furniture; European glass and silver; Australian and European paintings and works on paper.
"Sotheby’s Australia is delighted with the result of the Jackie Howe Mechanical Shears," said chairman Geoffrey Smith.
"This was an outstanding result for an item of historical and social significance. The overall results achieved are testament to the quality of works on offer by some of the leading practitioners of Asian, Australian & European arts & design."
Other encouraging results were the $51,420 paid for a Chinese Qing Dynasty Huanghuali 'Combback' spindle bench (on a $1500-$2500 estimate) and the $48,800 for a Chinese turquoise-ground 'famille rose' charger seal mark of Daoguang ($4000-$5000).
Othe Chinese items to fare well included a jadeite-inset gilt bronze ruyi sceptre mark of Daoguang, a Qianlong period yellow-ground 'famille rose' scraffiato bowl with seal mark and an iron-red decorated dragon vase that changed hands for $24,400 on a $1000-$1500 estimate.
