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A new Spin on Antiques…

We’ve been busily working on a terrific new way of viewing our stock on Moorabool.com. You may have already noticed our photos are larger than before, and you can explore the pieces in greater detail by zooming in. While that’s a help, we have something even better to offer: Spins!

Spin Sample
Spin me – mouse or finger, both work well! And don’t forget you can zoom in….

As you’ll notice above, we can now take images from all sides and create a ‘spin’! This is perfect for turning something around to see the other side…. and you can zoom in also! The 18th century English enamel salt cellar above needs to be seen from every angle – and this new technique is perfect to show what it’s like in reality.

It does take a little time to set up, so we are doing fresh pieces and some older pieces, with more being added constantly.

If you just want to take a few pieces ‘for a spin’ – follow this link to the Tag ‘360’ – every item that has been done will appear in this gallery.

Have fun spinning!

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Fresh Stock – Clews, Paisley, and some Staffordshire Figures.

Staffordshire Dogs at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong

There’s some fascinating items in today’s varied ‘Fresh Stock’.
Let’s start with some porcelain: a part of an English service came in recently, instantly recognisable as a small factory only recently identified: Clews. This was exciting as it contains a documentary piece – the oval serving dish has a pattern number. Why is this exciting? none of the other pieces do, and it now allows us to identify this particular pattern as ‘Clews 169’.


Did you know…. if you hold your mouse over the word ‘Clews’ , it will pop-up a definition – click on it & it will take you to an in-depth page dedicated to Clews!

Paisley Cashmere Shawl , mid 19th century
Paisley Cashmere Shawl , mid 19th century

A fabulous piece is a very rare textile – rare because it is in almost pristine condition. It’s a Paisley Cashmere Wool shawl, dating to the mid-19th century when the Cashmere industry in the UK was at its peak. This example is superb, both in the fineness of the weave, the sophistication of the design – which is double-sided, not single as some are – and more rare, the brilliant unfaded condition.

How can we date it? When it came in from a local charity shop (on whose behalf we are selling it), it had a note, written with a fountain pen, stuck on with a 19th century pin, which read: “Came to Australia in 1861”.

It seems someone came to Australia with it in their luggage- and when they arrived, perhaps it was too precious to wear, so it’s been sitting in a drawer ever since!

Paisley Shawl at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong
Antique Paisley Shawl at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong

It was intended to be worn – the photo below is a beautiful Pre-Raphaelite painting, by William Holman Hunt, depicting his wife, Fanny – tragically she died before he finished the painting in 1868.
Having handled the same quality Paisley shawl as she is wearing, Hunt must have spent an age fussing with the super-fine detail of the repetitive pattern of the shawl in his painting: truly a toil of love….

STAFFORDSHIRE

There’s a group of interesting Staffordshire Figures, including some charismatic dogs.

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Fresh Stock at Moorabool

Today we have a varied selection for you to browse.

There’s a group of Georgian & Victorian furniture including an Australian Cedar desk and a George III Mahogany chest-of-drawers – both very useful and decorative at the same time.

There’s an interesting selection of ceramics, including a rare pair of Mason’s Ironstone vases, and a Mason’s table service that would be fun to use.

Whiskey Decanters

Always in demand & hard to find, we are pleased to have a selection of Whiskey decanters- or which ever spirit you choose to put in them! We always have plenty of round examples, but square decanters don’t stay in stock very long, they are in high demand.

Not quite as useful, but very decorative are several Ruby & a Blue flash decanters from the 1880’s. There’s also a rare perfect condition Ruby glass candlestick – rare because getting the candle stub out inevitably led to damage to the fragile glass.

Lots more to see, and many more exciting items in the next while, including quality Chinese & Asian, 18th Century British & Continental Ceramics, and a cheerful collection of Staffordshire Figures.

Enjoy!

The Latest Stock

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Fresh Asian Antiques @ Moorabool

Chinese & Japanese Antiques at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong

Welcome to the first of a series of Asian Specials.
We’re amazed at the Asian items that turn up in Australia. From Ming Bronzes to Japanese Cloisonné, there’s a wealth of fine Chinese, Japanese, Korean & other South-East Asian works to find. This is due to two things; we’re close to Asia, and Australians are great travellers. Naturally, they bring things back with them!

Chinese & Japanese Cloisonné at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong
Chinese & Japanese Cloisonné at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong

This week, we have a group of Japanese & Chinese Cloisonné – including a remarkable piece, an oversize Japanese vase notable for the pair of ferocious dragons dramatically writhing their way around the vase. This vase is giant – 61cm high! – and dates to the later 19th century. The bright enamel colours and glossy black background make it a dramatic display piece.

Antique Japanese CloisonnéDragon Vase
Dramatic Japanese Dragon…..
Antique Japanese Cloisonné Quail
Antique Japanese Cloisonné Quail




On the opposite extreme is a tiny – fits in the palm of your hand, so actually life-size – quail in cloisonné, also Japanese & super cute!

Cantonese Enamel dish set c.1900
Cantonese Enamel dish set c.1900
Japanese Horn dragonfly sculpture, Meiji Period
Life-size Japanese Horn dragonfly sculpture, Meiji Period 19th century

There’s also a selection of interesting Shipwreck items. We’re always looking for these, as they have the allure of being under the sea for hundred of years – and are therefore ‘guaranteed’ to be authentic. Compare this to items that just turn up out of nowhere without a rock-solid provenance like a shipwreck: they’re much harder to be certain about authenticity. We have a selection of pieces & shards from various known & dated shipwrecks as our pieces for direct comparison & learning.

Antique Chinese Ivory Children

Coming Soon!

Delightful band of Chinese Musical Children, late Qing Dynasty

Fresh Asian Stock

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Fresh Stock, 12th May 2023 Mother’s Day

Moorabool Antiques, Geelong Maternité sculpture
Swedish cabinet, Moorabool Antiques, Geelong
Swedish cabinet, late 19th century. $550
Maternité sculpture
Maternité sculpture, 64cm high. $760

Some Fresh items for you to enjoy…
Today, we have quite a variety – from a modernist sculpture to exquisite Japanese jewellery, and a couple of fresh pieces of furniture including a very useful cupboard with glazed doors, probably Swedish.
Don’t miss the scaled-down Victorian platform rocker – actually functional, coming from a family home where the grandkids were often using it!

With Mother’s Day approaching, there are endless ideas…. the Paul Serste sculpture is very appropriate. He was a Belgian sculptor, very active in the mid 20th century. While many of his works were highly stylized human figures, this work is one of his most realistic. The ingenious Z-form of the kneeling mother dynamically balances and supports the infant she has hoisted up high, and he reaches down with his hands towards the safety of his mother. Titled ‘Maternité’ beneath the base, it truly fulfils this name with the depiction of the bond between a mother and her baby.

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Fresh Stock -Royalty, Armorials, and a Coronation Spoon…

Coronation Spoon 12th century 1937 Sterling Silver version

The historic events of this weekend will be remembered forever in the history books, as King Charles III is coronated amongst the pomp & ceremony of the British Royalty.

We’re joining in, by releasing a splendid collection of ‘Armorials’, the table-items of the British aristocratic families which bear their coat-of-arms.

Royal Spoons - Sterling Silver - at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong
Royal comemmorative spoons – Sterling Silver, 1910 (left) & 1937 (right)
1910 Sterling Silver Prince-of-Wales
1910 Sterling Silver Prince-of-Wales

As well, there are two special ‘spoons’, both Sterling Silver with gilt wash.
The first is a perfect introduction to the process of Royal ascension. It bears the ‘Prince-of-Wales’ feathers to the end, and a finely detailed heraldic dragon, the symbol of Wales. This has been Prince Charles’s symbol for my entire lifetime; now, he has recently passed the title of ‘Prince-of-Wales’ to his heir apparent, Prince William.
Back in 1910 when this spoon was made, it would have signified the passing of the title from George V as he became King George V, with his son Edward becoming the Prince-of-Wales and heir apparent.

Unfortunately, Mrs Simpson came into the scene, and he never reached the stage of Coronation before his abdication in 1936.

Sterling Silver Coronation Spoon 1937
Sterling Silver Coronation Spoon 1937

The second piece we have – another spoon – would have been made with the Coronation of Edward VIII in mind, but was just as suitable for the sudden promotion of George VI to King, who simply took Edward’s place on the same date as planned, the 12th May 1937. This spoon would have been created in anticipation of Edward VIII’s event, but would have been just as suitable for George VI, as it doesn’t bear any names – unlike many other pieces, which were made in anticipation of the coronation that never happened!

1937 image of the Coronation Spoon
1937 image of the original British Royal Coronation Spoon, 12th century.

This is the Royal Coronation Spoon, a very important part of the coronation of King Charles III in 2023.

The Coronation Spoon is the oldest piece of British Royal regalia to have survived. Stylistically 12th century, it is thought to have been made in the Royal workshops for Henry II (1133-89) or Richard I (1157-99). It is first recorded in the Royal inventory in 1349, described as ‘antique’.

The divided form is unusual, indicating it was not made for eating with, but for ritual; the suggestion is it was for mixing wine and water in a church ritual. James I was the first monarch to use it as a coronation spoon in 1603, and it has been used in every subsequent coronation since.

Queen_Victoria_Receiving_the_Sacrament_at_her_Coronation ion the Royal Collection
Queen Victoria Receiving the Sacrament at her Coronation, 28 June 1838 by Charles Leslie, Royal Collection. source: WikiCommons

The Royal Collection website states the following about the spoon:

“The anointing is the most sacred part of the coronation ceremony, and takes place before the investiture and crowning. The Archbishop pours holy oil from the Ampulla (or vessel) into the spoon, and anoints the sovereign on the hands, breast and head. The tradition goes back to the Old Testament which describes the anointing of Solomon by Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet. Anointing was one of the medieval holy sacraments and it emphasised the spiritual status of the sovereign. Until the seventeenth century the sovereign was considered to be appointed directly by God and this was confirmed by the ceremony of anointing. Although the monarch is no longer considered divine in the same way, the ceremony of Coronation also confirms the monarch as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.”

This smaller version would have been a luxury ‘souvenir’ of the 1936 coronation of George VI.

Coronation Spoon 12th century 1937 Sterling Silver version
Coronation Spoon, a 1937 Sterling example after the 12th century original.

Armorials

We have accumulated a large collection of Armorials at Moorabool. They were all ‘bespoke’ products, created for the family whose crest they bear. And this is the reason we have so many waiting patiently to enter stock: the Research of the original owners takes time!

It’s well worth doing. A Royal piece is the ultimate, followed by the ‘Greats’ of British (or European – or Colonial) History, those who achieved something to be remembered by.

Queen Victoria plate, for Windsor Castle, by Minton 1877, at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong
Queen Victoria plate, for Windsor Castle, by Minton 1877, at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong

Others are just splendid works of art which remind us of the pomp of high-society in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Of course, there’s descendants of many of these families all over the world, and once in a while we are thrilled to sell a piece of an ancestral service to a descendent.

Flight Barr Barr Porcelain
Flight Barr Barr Porcelain
DUW DY RAS
DUW DY RAS
PER ARDUA STABILIS
PER ARDUA STABILIS

Here’s a few of our Armorials – with many more to come.

General ‘Fresh Stock’

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Fresh Stock at Moorabool Antiques

18th century enamel bird at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong

18th Century Enamels – Asian Silver – Antiquities & Fossils – plus more!
All fresh to stock, April 28th, 2023.

We have a good group of interesting items for you to browse, Fresh to our stock.
There’s some fine & rare early English Enamels – including a very ‘sweet’ Goldfinch. This little box had a purpose – to hold breath fresheners, essential in an age with minimal dental hygiene!

Vertu

Antiquities

A fresh group of Antiquities have been prepared for your viewing pleasure…. there’s a few more interesting Fossils & Minerals from our Natural History department, all recently mounted for display.

Antiquities include a fascinating group of four Chinese pottery ‘stoves’, small-scale models of the ‘latest’ luxury cooking apparatus, spanning 1,800 years, from the 2nd century BC Han Dynasty example through to the 16th century AD Ming Dynasty double-burner.

There’s a small collection of Pre-Columbian pottery figures – or rather, some heads absent their bodies, and two with most limbs intact. They come from South American cultures, 500-1500 years old. Once again, they are recently mounted for display.

And there’s many more curious ancient artefacts to browse, with more in preparation for release in the very near future.

General Fresh Stock

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April Fresh Stock: Lambeth Stoneware, Bronze bust, Georgian Engravings…

Large cast bronze Orientalist female bust, from a pair by Louis Hottot (1834-1905) known as 'Ottoman Couple",
Large cast bronze ‘Orientalist ‘Ottoman’ female bust, by Louis Hottot (1834-1905)

Welcome to our latest Stock Release.
You’ll find some special pieces, the most dramatic being a life-size bronze bust of a very exotic lady: this is a large cast bronze bust of an exotic beauty, from a pair by Louis Hottot (1834-1905) known as the ‘Ottoman Couple”. This is a dramatic 20th century version with excellent surface colouring, rather beautiful in real-life.

Doulton Lambeth Pottery
A Collection of Doulton Lambeth Pottery at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong

There’s some great Sterling Silver, a small but select collection of Doulton Lambeth Stoneware vases, and more Victorian Glass.

Lastly, there is a fine pair of 18th century circular engravings, or ‘Tondo’, with original colouring. These were published in London in 1787, engraved in London by Royal Academian Francesco Bartolozzi, after originals by his good friend & fellow Royal Academian, Giovanni Battisia Cipriani. Housed in turned wood & gesso period frames, they would make an elegant addition to someone’s wall……

Enjoy!

FRESH STOCK to MOORABOOL….

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Fresh Stock April 15th – Victorian Furniture, Glove stretchers + more!

Glove Stretchers & Button Hooks
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Macintosh Clan Silverware & etc.

Macintosh Clan Family Crest, on Sterling Silver at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong, Australia
Macintosh Clan Family Crest, on Sterling Silver at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong, Australia
The Macintosh Clan Family Crest, on Sterling Silver cutlery at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong, Australia

“Touch not the Cat bot aglove’

The Scottish Clans are a proud lot of Gentry. Of all the clans, Macintosh is a very familiar name – and part of that is the very memorable crest.

It’s a Wildcat, beautifully engraved to each piece. The motto when included reads ‘TOUCH NOT THE CAT BOT(without) A-GLOVE’ – in other words, don’t mess with these wild Scotsmen!

These fierce Scots supported Robert the Bruce in the 14th century; Mary Queen of Scotts in the 16th century; and Bonnie Prince Charlie in the 18th century.


Their crest is in keeping with this ‘prickly’ nature: A wild cat, ‘guardant’ – rising up with claws out to attack.

The silverware is lucky to be here, having been rescued from the ‘Scrap Merchant’ recently in rural Victoria. The knives were made to match in England, with Sterling Silver handles, in 2015!

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Fresh to Moorabool

We hope you’re having a nice relaxing – and healthy- Easter.

Here’s a selection of interesting items you may enjoy, Fresh to Moorabool & with interesting stories to tell.

Wellington Portrait

Duke of Wellington, early 19th Century portrait @ Moorabool Antiques, Australia
Duke of Wellington, earlier 19th Century portrait @ Moorabool Antiques, Australia

A small oil portrait of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) .
This well-painted miniature shows the famous Duke in his Major-General’s bright red dress uniform, with the Blue Sash & Order of the Garter star worn on his left breast. What’s interesting is the light tone of his wild hair – we’re used to a few famous depictions of him , all of which seem to show him with dark hair until he reaches old age, when it is obviously age-related white hair. The V& A Museum, London, has a portrait miniatures of Wellington with pale hair, the 1808 portrait by Richard Cosway. Another of a youthful Arthur Wellesley in the Stratfield Saye House collection is by John Hoppner, painted when Arthur was in his mid 20’s, circa 1795 – before he earned his place in the history books.

A youthful Arthur Wellesley, by John Hopner c.1795. source: wiki commons.

Wellington Shield Sketch

The Wellington Shield - Sketch at Moorabool Antiques

Related directly to the portrait above, this curious pen & wash sketch depicts the special thank-you presented to Wellington in 1821, commissioned by the Merchants and Bankers of London. It is a large gilt-silver work of art, They were obviously very, very grateful for Wellington’s part in keeping the trade routes freely flowing! This interesting small-scale ink & wash depiction has a story to tell – we’ve discovered the source the artist used.

The Macintosh Clan Silver

Macintosh Clan Family Crest, on Sterling Silver at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong, Australia
Macintosh Clan Family Crest, on Sterling Silver at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong, Australia

A recent find at Moorabool was a large quantity of luxury silver. Unsurprisingly, it has an aristocratic crest engraved on the handles – and one which we are already familiar with, as we have had ceramics with the same symbol.
This is the Wildcat of Clan Macintosh.

These fierce Scots supported Robert the Bruce in the 14th century; Mary Queen of Scotts in the 16th century; and Bonnie Prince Charlie in the 18th century.
Their crest is in keeping with this ‘prickly’ nature: A wild cat, ‘guardant’ – rising up with claws out to attack.
The motto when included reads ‘TOUCH NOT THE CAT BOT(without) A-GLOVE’ – in other words, don’t mess with these wild Scotsmen!

Macintosh Clan Crest on Sterling SIlver @ Moorabool ANtiques, Geelong
Macintosh Clan Crest on Sterling SIlver @ Moorabool Antiques, Geelong
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