An exciting selection of Fresh items have just been posted on moorabool.com. We have a wide variety of quality items this release, everything from an 18th century fan painted with Roman Ruins, to a Melbourne Silversmith’s presentation trowel for a Camberwell church, made by the President of the Carlton Football Club – who was also a rarely-identified colonial silversmith!
Fans
Are you a Fan fan? They were once a social necessity, not for keeping cool, but for hiding behind in social encounters…. at least in a European context. Those Europeans who headed to warmer climates must have been very glad of them though, as they were a handy way of keeping cooler in the hot colonial climates.
We have a fine selection, some of which come from the collection of the late Lorraine Rosenberg. She was the driving force behind Moorabool Antiques from the beginning in the 1960’s, and an avid collector of textiles & fans.
The key piece in today’s release is a French ‘Grand Tour’ fan from the late 18th century: the detail on this is stunning, with hand-painted views of Roman ruins and very finely carved sticks. The lines that make up the background are almost as fine as a hair!
It is conveniently housed in a custom made ‘fan box’, designed to hang on the wall.
None of the others have this mounting – they are all foldable & unmounted – but we are able to provide a fan shadow-box on request, please ask for a quote.
Antique Fans at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong 
Chinese white feather fan, fine Birds & Flowers painting, intricate carved ivory ends, c. 1820 
Chinese Export brisé black lacquer fan, fine gilt scenes, Canton c. 1840 
Chinese Export feathers & painted bird fan, mid 19th century 
Chinese Export Lacquer & Painted Fan c. 1850 
Japanese paper & bamboo, c. 1900 
Japanese silk & ivory, c. 1900 
Chinese embroidered, c. 1920 
French silk & ivory, c. 1880 
Brussels Lace Fan c. 1860
The Chinese Export fan below features applied silk costumes to the inhabitants, and ivory faces beautifully detailed.
In this gent’s hand is a fan – of course!
Dates to circa 1850.
See the fans here…. with more to come shortly.
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Brussels lace fan with silk tassel, ivory sticks, c. 1880$480.00 AUD -
Exceptional “Grand Tour” fan, scenes of Rome, Pompeii fresco, Rococo carved scenic sticks, c. 1785$4,650.00 AUD -
Chinese Export lacquer fan, ivory faces to numerous figures, c. 1850$1,250.00 AUD -
Chinese Export brisé black lacquer fan, fine gilt scenes, Canton c. 1840Sold -
Chinese Export feather fan, unusual brown & black, painted with birds & flowers, carved bone ends, c. 1850Sold -
Chinese white feather fan, fine Birds & Flowers Canton painting, intricate carved ivory ends, c. 1820Sold -
Large Japanese ogi fan, watercolour of sparrows, lotus blooms, carved & gilt mons to ivory ends, c. 1870$840.00 AUD -
Small Chinese embroidered fan, ivory sticks, c. 1920$125.00 AUD -
Large French silk fan, beautiful hand-painted flowers, c. 1870$395.00 AUD
A Camberwell Rarity
The Melbourne-made presentation trowel in today’s ‘Fresh Stock’ is a terrific piece of Australiana. It has a fiddleback Blackwood handle, and a silver-plate blade, beautifully inscribed:
“CAMBERWELL BAPTIST CHURCH / Mrs Westmore G Stephens / ON LAYING / THE MEMORIAL STONE / 12.9.1903. / J.F. Gibbins Archt. / Fraser & Currie Contrs.”
It turns out this was a building built in 1903 on the site of the present building, a brick church constructed in 1940. We tried to find the stone that this trowel was used to ‘lay’ – but no luck, perhaps a Melbourne local may know…. email us if you’re familiar with the church, located right near the Camberwell Junction.
The maker of this trowel is also not very well documented. Robert Robertson came to Melbourne in 1852, and operated as a jeweller throughout the goldfish years, using a rarely seen hallmark ‘RR’. When his son joined the firm, it was ‘Robert Robertson & Son’ – try saying that fast! This piece bears another rarely seen mark, not in the literature – ‘R&S ROBERTSON’.
Research into his career as a silversmith revealed very little documentation – he was a wholesale silversmith, meaning he made pieces for retail jewellers, and they often put their own hallmarks on the pieces they sold. However, he is well documented for a very ‘Melbourne’ reason: Australia Rules Football!
He took up the ‘new’ sport very early, possibly playing in an 1869 match for the Carlton Football Club. He twice captained the team in 1871, was the Carlton Vice President 1871-73, and then from 1874-84 was the Carlton Football Club President!
Beautiful Buckles
These exquisite items were used by the fashionable Victorian lady to clasp their thin belts they wore at their waist. The Art-Nouveau example in particular is a very fine example.
Coffee Cans
For all Coffee Can Collectors – here’s a gorgeous group of miniature masterpieces, including a selection of landscapes…. plus other early 19th century makers, including Pinxton, Machin, Spode, Derby, Coalport, Flight Worcester, Derby, Coalport, and two fine French examples.
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Derby coffee can, by Thomas Soar, Duesbury period, c. 1790$225.00 AUD -
Flamboyant Paris Porcelain coffee can, attractive. Nast, Paris, c. 1790$295.00 AUD -
Coalport – Anstice, Horton & Rose – coffee can, Brosley ‘Pagoda’ pattern in blue, c. 1810$175.00 AUD -
Newhall coffee can, bright flower & leaf border on orange, pat. 672, c. 1800Sold -
Newhall coffee can, bat-printed pattern 984, country scenes, c. 1810$245.00 AUD -
Newhall coffee can, bat-print coloured landscape panels, pat. 1053 c. 1810$145.00 AUD -
Newhall coffee can, bat-printed pattern 984, country scenes, c. 1810$225.00 AUD -
Machin coffee can, coloured bat-print landscape, pattern 189 c. 1815$135.00 AUD -
Pinxton coffee can, landscape probably by Cutts, c. 1810Sold -
Fine English Porcelain coffee can, landscape painted, attr. Davenport, 1810$235.00 AUD -
Flight Worcester coffee can, spiral fluted, brown flower sprig pattern, c. 1805$145.00 AUD -
Coalport coffee can, rich roses & gilt decoration, c.1810$295.00 AUD
Fresh to Stock
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Staffordshire porcelain figure of a girl with sheep, rare mark, c. 1830Sold -
Raffaele Moretti – The Card Game – watercolour, Rome, c. 1880$1,850.00 AUD -
Conductor’s baton, Ebony with silver tone mounts, c. 1900$275.00 AUD -
Australian presentation trowel, Camberwell Baptist Church 1903, Robertson Silver mounts$1,450.00 AUD -
Bach bronzed finish plaster Bust, 20th century$45.00 AUD -
Victorian silver-handled extra long button hook, 1892$95.00 AUD -
English George III sterling silver spoon, hallmarked London 1822$95.00 AUD -
Pair of milk glass vases painted with roses, c. 1880$45.00 AUD -
Victorian cast iron umbrella stand, foliage with face, c. 1870$595.00 AUD -
Victorian diamond cut glass covered jar, C. 1880$120.00 AUD -
Victorian cut glass covered jar. C. 1880$65.00 AUD -
Victorian ale glass with amethyst tone, late 19th century$45.00 AUD -
Victorian cut glass covered jar, c. 1880$95.00 AUD -
Pair of Whiskey Tumblers, 20th C.Sold -
Pair of Whiskey Tumblers, 20th c.Sold
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Pair of Silverplate telescopic candlesticks, c. 1900$295.00 AUD -
Georgian Mahogany large bowfront chest-of-drawers, c. 1820Sold -
Bow butter boat, flower head in underglaze blue, c. 1755$580.00 AUD -
Staffordshire figure of an egg-seller, C. 1850$140.00 AUD -
Staffordshire porcelain group of shepherd & sheep, c.1825$580.00 AUD -
Handsome Georgian rummer, C.1820Sold -
Set of 4 Ale late Georgian Glasses, C.1810Sold
Previews…..
We have some exciting pieces due to be released shortly – have a preview here: