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Tags – a Fresh way to browse our stock!

With over 10,000 items on moorabool.com, it’s always a struggle to find what you’re looking for.
For some time now, we’ve been adding ‘tags’ to every item – descriptive words that define the item.
We’re now pleased to launch our ‘Tag’ page…. a great way to see the variety we have in stock, and to find your particular areas of interest to browse.

Alphabetical List of Moorabool Stock ‘Tags’

Browse to find a topic of interest; click to see all items ‘tagged’ as that.

Artists Art Techniques Art Styles Stock Origin Technique Style Period Furniture Furniture Style Furniture Room Furniture Object Type Furniture Wood Furniture Country Vertu Ceramics Antiquities Art Prints Silver Glass Metalwares Boxes Books Sculpture Collections Textiles Natural History Tribal Lights Usable Antiques Extras Fresh Stock Premium
John Tallis 19th Century Art 20th Century Art Romantic Landscape Fresh Art 20th century 16th century 16th century art 17th Century Art 17th Century Chinese Ceramics 17th Century Furniture 17th Century Pottery 17th Century Prints 18thCentury 19thc 20th century 20th Century Ceramics 20th Century Chinese Ceramics 20th Century Furniture 18th century Furniture 19th Century Furniture 20th Century Furniture 18th century Furniture 19th Century Furniture 20th Century Furniture 18th Century English Pottery 18th Century European Porcelain 18th century European Pottery 18th Century Porcelain 18th Century Pottery 19th Century English porcelain 19thcenturyporcelain 20th Century Ceramics 20th Century Chinese Ceramics 19th Century Art 20th Century Art 18th century print 18th Century Prints 19th century print 19th Century Prints 20th Century Artist’s Prints 20th Century Prints .800 silver .900 silver .950 Silver 19th century Glass 20th Century Glass Corkscrew Fresh Art
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Très Français! French Celebration @ ‘The Heights’, Geelong, 28-29 Oct. 2023

Moorabool's Brocante at 'The Heights' Geelong October 2023

Bonjour!

Moorabool is pleased to be a part of the 2023 ‘Le Festival Français’, to be held on the last weekend of October 2023.

It’s a fabulous celebration of all things French – Food, Wine, Music – there’s even a ‘New Caledonia Tourism’ stand which is giving away a trip to that French Paradise in the Pacific….

New Caledonian figures @ MOORABOOL ANTIQUES
Some New Caledonian figures in stock

The location is a favourite of Moorabool’s: ‘The Heights’, one of Geleong’s historic National Trust properties. John & Lorraine Rosenberg were always involved with projects at this fascinating property, and their son Paul had his introduction to presenting the ‘world of Antiques’ to an appreciative audience here in the 1990’s with an exhibition & talk on ceramics.

THe Heights

This year, we have the privilege of providing something ‘Fresh’ for the interior of the historic house, installing a series of displays to set the theme of French Culture. Paul is to talk on this subject, 3.30 on the Saturday (bookings essential via Le Festival Website).
The house itself has an interesting story. It is actually Continental – not French, but not far off: it was imported from Germany in 1854 as a pre-fab, and has the distinction of being the largest prefab in Victoria.

Read more about ‘The Heights’ on the National Trust’s website:

Our display throughout the house, titled ‘Tres Français’, is a look at three main epochs of French History:

Three Ages of French History: Royalty, Revolution, and Napoleon.
Three Ages of French History: Royalty, Revolution, and Napoleon.
  • the Ancien Regime, with Royal objects of the 18th century
  • the Revolution, with some Revolutionary Rarities
  • the one & only Napoleon, with a series of period & later ‘Napoleonic’ items

Most of the items illustrated here & on display in ‘The Heights’ are shop stock, a few are from the Lorraine Rosenberg Reference Collection @ Moorabool Antiques, Geelong.

French Royalty, Sèvres Porcelain including portrait of Louis XV, 18th century
French Royalty, Sèvres Porcelain including portrait of Louis XV, 18th century
French Revolutionary items, 1790's
French Revolutionary items, 1790’s, including the ‘Head of Danton’
Napoleonic - including the 'original' Napoleon Bonaparte (central profile) and Napoleon III, Sèvres plate to the left.
Napoleonic – including the ‘original’ Napoleon Bonaparte (central profile) and Napoleon III, Sèvres plate to the left.

There is also an installation of a remarkable suite of Aubusson room furnishings, later 19th century, complete with carpet, wall panels, and upholstery for chairs. We’ve brought out our original 18th century Aubusson-clad Louis XV chair, and the collection of original designs, called ‘cartoons’, which were used by the Aubusson craftsmen to create their famous products in the 18th & 19th century.

Aubusson Tapestry, France: left is a 'cartoon' design, 19th century, right is a woven chair seat of the same period, unused.
Aubusson Tapestry, France: left is a ‘cartoon’ design, 19th century, right is a woven chair seat of the same period, unused.

As well, we are putting together a ‘Brocante’ – the French equivalent of a flea market – in the historic dovecot, next to the stables. Here you’ll find almost everything – from some special 18th century – and pricey – items, right down to $5 Irrésistible French Bargains.

Moorabool's Brocante at 'The Heights' Geelong October 2023
Moorabool’s Brocante at ‘The Heights’ Geelong October 2023
Moorabool's Brocante at 'The Heights' Geelong October 2023
Moorabool’s Brocante at ‘The Heights’ Geelong October 2023

A feature will be an extensive array of brand-new French-theme cushions, with a cover just $25, or a full cushion with eco-friendly Australian made inner, $35.

Come along and enjoy the Fabulous French Food & Wine, Music & Entertainment, and of course, the ‘Antiquités’!

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A Sensational Tudor Discovery

Christopher Columbus, Santa Maria c.1530

Remarkable objects turn up in Australia.

This early English needlework is an exceptional example.

At the Malvern Antique Fair in 1976, John & Lorraine Rosenberg of Moorabool Antiques purchased a framed needlework from another dealer. Placing it on their own stand for sale, it promptly sold to a local collector, who treasured it for the next 43 years.

She puzzled over its meaning and came to a remarkable conclusion: it depicts the events of the late 15th century, showing the fall of the Moors in Spain, and co-regents Isabella & Ferdinand II unifying the two kingdoms into the one Kingdom of ‘Spain’. It shows the three ships of Christopher Columbus….. and so much more, in a narrative of images, almost like a cartoon. Those familiar with the Bayeux Tapestry will understand the concept of telling a tale in thread. In 2019, it came back to Moorabool with the first elements deciphered above.

Since then, more and more of its remarkable tales have been untangled, and an exciting discovery can be revealed.
This is a 500 year old ‘comic book’ with immense significance for British, Spanish, and American history.

More to come shortly – in-depth analysis & expert opinion to follow.

Each detail in this textile is intentional, carefully sewn in incredible detail over a great length of time. It was a tale that the author had to tell… but what is the tale, and why?

Unravelling the story has been a fascinating journey; we invite you to join us as we explore these details in a series of interactive presentations.

Press Kits are also available.

Send us your details to be kept up-to-date.

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2022 Melbourne Antique Fair, Malvern Town Hall

Moorabool Antiques @ Malvern Town Hall

The 2022 AAADA Melbourne Antique Fair is ‘going back to where it began’ – the Malvern Town Hall.


It was here in 1959 that a young John Rosenberg attended, sharing a stand with Geelong antique dealer R G Hamilton, a good friend & influence on the young dealer. He was just 19 – still the youngest age for acceptance into what is now the AAADA.
Today, his son Paul continues the family business – with a stand in almost the same place in the majestically restored main hall.

Moorabool has attended every Association fair since – and 2019 would have been the 60th consecutive – but it was postponed, and 2020 – and 2021 – were victims of restrictions – so this year, 2022, marks Moorabool’s 60th fair.

We’ve had a fantastic few days, a lot of catching up with our Melbourne friends… thank- you for all who said ‘hi’.

We also received a special surprise – there is a new ‘prize’, a silver cup awarded to the ‘most popular’ stand in the fair – ted by the visitors.

We were very surprised to come second – thank-you to all who voted!

Brought to the Fair, Melbourne 2022

These items are a selection of our stock seen at the fair. Use the ‘see all’ button to view the total fair stock.

60/60 AAADA Fairs, Melbourne
From the first ever fair in 1959, Moorabool has not missed a single one! That’s 60/60 in 2022.
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A Fresh Discovery – 1751 Pastel by Perronneau, finest portraitist of his day.

Regarded by the leading expert Neil Jeffares as one of the two ‘best pastel portraitists’ of the 18th century, Jean-Baptiste Perronneau (1716-1783) is rarely seen outside collections. We were very excited to find a previously unrecorded portrait in Melbourne recently.

Close-up of Jeanne-Marie Mallès, aged 18.

It had an inscription on the back which gave us enough clues to find the original sitter, and we were delighted to discover the signature in the top right corner:

Pernooeau’s signature & the date 1751, signed in lead.

There was a modern label to the back covering, with a few details – probably copied from the previous covering. From this we can identify her: Jeanne-Marie Mallès, later Mme Tobie Clarke (1733–1821).

 Jeanne-Marie Mallès was from a seafaring family, her father being a Captain in the East Indies Company. However, he died in 1744; Jean-Marie was fatherless when this portrait was done in 1751, and it was 7 years later she was married to Toby Clarke (1733–1821), merchant of Nantes. They had several children, and a daughter, Marie, married François-Claude de Karuel de Merey, capitaine d’infanterie, who died in 1804 – the year Napoleon crowned himself Emperor – probably no coincidence, with the war with England and Spain raging.

Correspondence with Mr Jeffares has resulted in the authentication of the signature, making it a ‘signature piece’, and it is now added to the online ‘catalogue resonné’ of Perronneau, listing of every example authenticated, part of the amazing record freely accessible on Mr Jeffares site, www.pastellists.com/ .
You’ll find it as part of the following document:

http://www.pastellists.com/Articles/Perronneau0.pdf


An interesting note in Jeffares’ comments is that he sometimes dropped – or added – an ‘n’ to his name. Our example is the shortened version, Perroneau.
There are also several other examples of his sitters ‘as Dianna’ , obviously an interesting option to choose when having your portrait done. How fascinating, this beautiful young lady who had lost her father aged 11, had this portrait done showing her as the strong Goddess of the Hunt in 1751, and only married 7 years later. You can see her character in the twinkle of her eye..

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Happy 2022!

Another year has turned over- we would like to thank you for the support in 2021, and in 2022 we have so much more to enjoy. It’s an exciting time for Moorabool, with a number of projects all coming together – including a brand-new website.

We paused this over Christmas so it would not disrupt the necessary online shopping – but it’s full steam ahead now. You’ll start to notice some differences over the next little while.

Have you seen our display stands? We have a range of nice hand-made Chinese stands, all natural wood.

There’s also a scattering of Fresh items in the ‘Latest’ page, take a look here.

Fox head stirrup cup, early 19th century
Fox head stirrup cup, early 19th century

Have have a Safe & Prosperous New Year!

from Paul & Glenys Rosenberg,

Mathew Bugg

Moorabool Antiques, January 1st 2022

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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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Curated Collections

Children's Mugs

We’re pleased to announce a new way of browsing our vast stock on moorabool.com:

Curated Collections.


These small groups of complimentary items will illustrate an idea, such as a maker, period or technique.
Or even just a group of pieces that go well together – as we say, they ‘speak the same language’….

Scottish Memorabilia - Badges & Medals
Scottish Memorabilia – Badges & Medals

These will appear on our home page, moorabool.com ( on the far right column, next to ‘news’) – and will only remain for a limited time, to be replaced by different collections. With over 10,000 items to choose from, the possibilities are endless!

In a way, these are ‘mini-exhibitions’. Pre-covid, we were putting together regular displays at Antique Fairs, either in Melbourne, Sydney or Canberra – with the occasional trip to Adelaide – and also in our Geelong premises. However, this excluded all of our keen overseas customers – so by utilising the website for these Curated Collections, we can offer many more pieces to many more people, at a fraction the cost!

See the latest ‘Curated Collections’ here – ‘3 Bowls’, with three lovely 18th century Continental small punchbowls, fresh to our stock this week, from Meissen, Neiderviller, and Furstenberg >>

Curated : adjective(of online content, merchandise, information, etc.) selected, organized, and presented using professional or expert knowledge……

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The Prince Rupert casket

The Prince Rupert Casket

A fascinating recent discovery was this stunning little casket, or tea caddy. It has a terrific tale to tell, and even has a link to a great name in English ceramics, John Dwight of Fulham.

Prince Rupert of the Rhine, by John Dwight of Fulham, c. 1678

Made from a golden toned oak, it has elaborate sterling silver mounts of 17th century design. Inside, it has been lined with a tin/lead foil, a method used in tea caddies to ensure fresh tea.

This is of course an anomaly; tea caddies do not appear like this in the 17th century. A casket for precious items or documents would be possible, but tea caddies were not yet invented in the 17th century: tea was stored in metal or glass. The ‘tea caddy’ this piece appears to be would be early 18th century at best, but it is also a bit too small compared to others.
The answer to this problem lies in the various documents that came with the box. The original hand-written note explains all:

So who was this Price Rupert of the Rhine? And what exactly was his ‘house’?

The mid 17th century was a time of great turmoil for England, and the English Civil War of 1642-51 involved the struggle for England between those supporting the Monarchy (the ‘Royalists’ or ‘Cavaliers’) and those against (the ‘Parliamentarians’ or ‘Roundheads’). Prince Rupert (1619-82) was a Royalist commander. In his day, and to those generations who remembered the Civil War afterwards, he became something of a celebrity, a dashing ‘Cavalier’.

As his name suggests, he was originally from present day Germany – where his father was Frederick V of the Palatine. His mother was Elizabeth, eldest child of James I – so his English connections were strong, where he had the title Duke of Cumberland. He had been a soldier from 14 in Europe, and when called on by the Royalists in England, rose to the occasion. He became a favorite of James I, rising to the most senior post of command.
In 1643, the Roundheads overran Liverpool, and based themselves in the castle. All across the town they dug a series of trenches three meters deep….. and waited. Prince Rupert arrived in early 1644, and promptly brought in his cannon: and so the bombardment began. (18 days later, and less 1500 casualties, he finally took town & castle back for the Royalists).
In order to coordinate the siege, he commandeered a house with a decent view over the town, on Everton Brow. It is this house that is described as the source of the wood for this box – a decent medieval merchant’s house rather than a ‘cottage’, having a stone two-story frontage with a large bay window – no doubt of great use as a viewpoint as Prince Rupert planned his attack.

An article in the Illustrated London News, 17 May 1845 illustrates the building, along with its history, noting it had just been demolished as ‘… the modern improvements in the locality …. rendered its removal a matter of necessity, not of taste’ .

This 1845 date of demolition is very interesting; at this time, ‘Antiquarian’ interest in things such as the Civil War and great people like Nelson and Prince Rupert led to a thriving trade in ‘relics’ made from parts of buildings – or in the case of Nelson, his flagship the ‘Victory’. These were often useful items, such as letter openers and snuff boxes. The tea caddy we are examining fits this scenario perfectly, and so we can attribute it to a very clever ‘curio’ creator of the early Victorian period, circa 1845. While the before mentioned relics were made in quantity, the bespoke nature of this piece – and the apparent re-use of original 17th century silver mounts – suggests this is a unique creation.

See this magnificent relic here >>

‘TeaCaddy – Wood from the beam in Prince Ruperts Cottage / …. mounted)

The other three documents that came with the casket add to the story; Alstons & Hallam goldsmiths & silversmiths, described it as ‘Antique’ and by John Wakelyn – no doubt going by the maker’s marks on the silver mounts, reading ‘IW’ – but this cannot be accurate, as John Wakelyn only registers a similar mark in the 1770’s.
This card was probably written close to the date on the other card, 1938 – when ‘Mother’, being Mrs W. G. Hamilton, of Highgate, London, gave it to her child – assumably a son – ‘with love from your father & mother, Christmas 1938’.
(‘Hamilton’ is of course an old local Western District surname, local to us in Geelong where this piece was found, and so a likely reason for this piece appearing in Australia).

Provenance
Provenance

What a fascinating character Prince Rupert was! The British Museum states that he was “….highly intellectual with artistic and scientific interests; played an important role in the development of mezzotint as well as experimenting with gunpowder, metallurgy, gunnery, glass manufacture etc.”

Bust of Prince Rupert
Bust of Prince Rupert, Stoneware, from the works of John Dwight of Fulham c.1678
© British Museum

He is a very familiar face for anyone who has studied the history of early English ceramics: he was a celebrity in the days of the fabulous John Dwight of Fulham and his sophisticated pottery works. He produced a massive almost life-size bust of the Prince in around 1680, in high-fired stoneware – an extraordinary feat that now resides in the British Museum.

Also the British Museum, there is a magnificent bracket clock that was apparently designed by him, and dozens of his engravings and lithographic prints. I’ve put a few in the gallery below. These are fascinating, showing his strong interest in the arts. A box such as this one is a fine tribute to him indeed!

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John Rosenberg, 1938-2020

John Rosenberg at the last AAADA Fair in Melbourne (2018)
John Rosenberg with his first ‘Antique’ – a Staffordshire spill, purchased around 1950!

With sadness we note the passing of John Rosenberg, founder of Moorabool Antiques, after a short illness on Friday 19th June.

He went to his first auction aged 7, with his Grandmother. This was at ‘Kerleys Auctions’, Geelong;
Aged 80, he was still buying, and went along to Kerley’s last-ever Auction before they closed down early 2020. This was also to be his last auction, as the sudden appearance of cancer took his strength.

We’ll have much more to share on this in the near future; if you have any memories of John (which we could share, anonymously) please feel free to email them to Paul.

A regular feature at our Antique Fairs!

He was dearly loved by many, a thorough gentleman of the old-school type, and passionate his whole lifetime about his chosen profession, Antiques. This passion radiated from him, and was catching to those fortunate enough to spend time in conversation with him!

Gone, but never forgotten…