Welcome to our ‘Fresh Stock’ update – these items are fresh to our stock , and fresh to this website. With Valentines day just around the corner, we hope you love our latest additions…
Today, some fine 18th century enamels, elaborate flower encrusted marvels, and even some Sterling Silver teddybears……. these fun pieces were made right at the start of the ‘Teddy’ era, when Teddy Roosevelt was President of the USA – and a popular cartoon showed him refusing to shoot a bear cub on a shoot, labelling him ‘a big teddy-bear’…. from this, the first of our much-loved toys were made, and these rare silver pieces followed the trend.
SOLD! rare Stirling ‘Teddy Bear’ salt & pepper, 1909
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Some real characters Fresh at Moorabool – Staffordshire Figures of the mid-19th century
Welcome to our ‘Fresh Stock’ update – these items are fresh to our stock , and fresh to this website.
Today it’s time for some Fresh Staffordshire! We enjoy our Staffordshire for the stories they tell. This was their purpose – to represent an individual, a famous character, or an event. The equivalent of Facebook & Instagram in the 19th century!
Jenny Jones & Edward Morgan
This is an interesting theatrical group – based on a pop song of the time: Jenny Jones. That’s her, slicing up a bit of cheese & bread for her sailor, Edward Morgon, who has returned after 20 years sailing the world to his hometown, and his love. The last verse says it all:
I parted a lad from the vale of my fathers,
And left Jenny Jones then a cockit young lass :
But now I'm return'd a storm-beaten old mariner,
JENNY—from JONES, into MORGAN shall pass,
And we'll live on our cheese and our ale in contentment,
And long through our dear native vallies will rove ;
For indeed in our hearts we both love that Llangollen,
And sweet Jenny Morgan, with truth will I love.
Staffordshire group of Jenny Jones & Edward Morgan, c. 1855
The Ballad of Edward Morgan and Jenny Jones
Cover from the music ‘Jenny Jones’ c.1850
Wellington & Napoleon – Staffordshire Figures, mid-19th century
Napoleon’s Eagle
You’ll recognize these two characters: Napoleon, instantly recognizable in his costume, with his arm characteristically tucked into his waistcoat. He was a surprisingly popular figure amongst the English, who would have had recent memories of the turmoil he caused across Europe. The appeal was as a ‘Villain’ figure, alongside the various Highwaymen, Murderers, and Politicians that were made in large quantities. This particular representation of Napoleon is a scarce one, as he is depicted with a friendly Eagle – representing ‘Empire’, as-in the Roman Empire (with its Eagle symbol) has been re-created by Napoleon…. With ambitions like that, the figure of the Duke of Wellington was necessary to keep him in check at the other end of the cottage mantel piece – although this figure shows him in his political capacity, some years after ‘The War’.
Staffordshire ‘Scottish’ Clock Group, mid 19th century
Lastly, this curiously tall figure is ‘one with the lot’ – there’s dancing highlanders, a charming lion lurking beneath the red-brick bridge that forms the base, who has recently been ‘cuddling’ a deer (‘he’s just sleeping, kids!”) – and an eagle perched on top for good measure! The purpose of the whole piece is to give the impression to anyone peering through a cottage window that the house had a clock – and was therefore well off – although looking closer, you’ll notice it’s painted on!
You’ll find these listed in the ‘Fresh Stock’ below. There’s also good number of other Staffordshire figures to browse below, along with a fair few interesting pottery pieces.
Enjoy.
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Fresh to Moorabool are a series of scenic plates. Dating to the earlier 19th century, they are stunning examples of quality china-painting, worthy of a ‘fine-art’ title.
Scenic dessert service, with superb hand-painted Parisstreet scenes, by Feuillet c.1830
The first is a ‘dessert service’ – not that it would be used for food! It is particularly flamboyant, with scenes of Paris (and one of the port of Marseilles) within flower wreaths, with panels of flowers on a green ground enhanced with raised gilt flowers…. evoking the luxury of the Royal French factory, Sevres. Clearly, this was made for someone to take a piece of France home with them – in a way, a superior souvenir! It features large hand-painted scenes to the base of each, including: The Pantheon, Versailles, The Gardens of Versailles, Palais Royal, Porte Saint-Denis, and a view of the harbour at Marseilles.
The Pantheon, Paris, painted on a plate by Feuillet c.1830
Versailles
Colonnade dans le Parc de Versailles, on a plate by Feuillet c.1830
Palais Royal, on a plate by Feuillet c.1830
Port de Saint-Denis, on a plate by Feuillet c.1830
Paris Porcelain Scenic service, Marseilles harbour, by Feuillet c.1830
They are each titled with the identity of the view to the back, and are also all nicely marked – which is a terrific feature of Paris Porcelain of this period. The artists usually marked their products, especially those who had the better quality output. The idea seems to have been ‘advertising’ – a clear name and address stamped & fired onto the back allowed an Englishman, for example, to trace their source to the workshop – in order to buy his own souvenir of Paris! At this period (late 18th – 19th century_ there were more ‘decorating studios’ than manufacturers of porcelain in Paris, decorating blank porcelain with their own patterns. The porcelain therefore is not necessarily the defining factor in identification of a piece. Thankfully, they made it simple for us with their marks.
Feuillet’s hand painted mark, Paris Porcelain c. 1830
This service is the product of Jean-Pierre Feuillet, the son of a pastry chef to the the Prince de Condé. He learnt to paint in Chantilly, at a school funded by the Prince. He must have really appreciated his father’s pastries, as when Jean-Pierre showed ambition to open a decorating studio in Paris, he did so under the Prince’s protection, in 1814. This establishment on the Rue de la Paix became renown for the highest quality decoration, a ‘supplier to the aristocracy’. As such, his styles were the absolute latest, featuring all the Neo-Classical lavishness of the Restoration period. Each piece is usually hand-marked ‘Feuillet’. He took on a partner, Boyer, who continued at the same address after Feuillet’s death in 1834, mantained the creation of fine quality porcelains, and proudly marked marked ‘Boyer, successor to Feuillet’.
Alongside this service is the following scenic plate with a rich ‘Empire’ gilt border.
View of Kelso, Roxburgh, Scotland, on a Paris Porcelain plate by Honoré circa 1825
This magnificent plate is the product of Edouard Honoré, a familiar name in the Empire period porcelains of Paris. His Uncle François was in partnership with the Dagoty brothers, and had produced some of the most stunning high quality Paris products of the earlier 19th century. In 1820 they parted, and Edouard Honoré seems to have set up his own studio & showroom on Petite Rue Neuve Saint-Gilles. His Uncle, François Honoré, had actually begun his business there in 1807, partnering with an earlier studio which he took over. When François Honoré and Dagoty parted in 1820, their studio and salesroom at 4 Boulevard Poissonière was superior to Saint-Gilles, and Edouard Honoré was established there by 1824. Uncle François remained in the background as a silent partner. This plate has the mark for this latter half of the 1820’s, with the Boulevard Poissonière address – but is interesting in that it doesn’t appear exactly in any of the reference books, being almost the mark referring the ‘Ancienne Maison Dagoty’, but leaving out that reference to the previous proprietor of the address, and being set as a straight line text rather than the curved version of the before mentioned. (ref. de Guillebon, ‘ Paris Porcelain’ 1972 , p332 #74 for the closest variation, as mentioned)
Our variation of Edouard Honoré’s mark, c. 1825. A variation to those illustrated in the literature.
The scene is, like the Feuillet plates mentioned above, inscribed on the back. However, there’s a rather odd problem!
Kelso dans le Ronburgshire
The title to the back reads ‘Kelso dans le Ronburgshire’ – so we’re looking for a town called Kelso, in Ronburgshire. Sounds almost German – but a quick search reveals there is only one Kelso that is appropriate, and it is in the Scottish borderlands! And therefore, the ‘Ronburgshire’ is meant to be ‘Roxburghshire’, ie the Shire of Roxburgh, Scotland. This spelling is found in German language texts of the time, perhaps giving a clue to the origin of the scene depicted on the plate.
Kelso, depicted in an 1833 copy from ‘Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border’
As with the Feuillet service, the scenes depicted were copied from books of engravings. Sometimes the original can be found – nothing definite for theses examples yet. However, a German publication would be a great place to start researching this beautiful depiction of Kelso. The bridge over the River Tweed depicted was constructed around 1800, and the towers are that of the ruined 12th century Kelso Abbey.
English scenes like this are not common in Paris products of this period – no doubt, it was also part of a magnificent large service, each plate depicting a British scene. A perfect souvenir for a homesick Scot in Paris in the 1820’s!
Visit the page for the pieces mentioned in this article by clicking on their image below.
Welcome to our ‘Fresh Stock’ update – these items are fresh to our stock , and fresh to this website.
It’s nearly Christmas! Moorabool has been bustling with people sourcing special presents – the online aspect is no longer ‘Christmas’ valid, due to the postal time restrictions – but locals who can pop in are keeping us busy.
Celtic – Bronze Age – clasp, circa 800BC
We have also been putting a variety of Fresh items online, including some fascinating Antiquities and some fine porcelains, silver & glass. There’s a lot awaiting a photo opportunity or description to be published – so keep your eye on the ‘Latest Additions’ gallery.
Handsome Old Sheffield Plate ‘Cake Basket’, circa 1820, Fresh to Stock today
Now that Christmas is almost over, we have also started to progress with the new website setup. We didn’t want to risk any down-time while our valued customers were on the site securing special Christmas presents! In the New Year, you’ll see our New Website: an easier way to grasp the quantity & variety that makes up the stock at Moorabool Antiques.
New Years Day is the launch date for a fine selection of early porcelains, including Dr Wall Worcester, Sevres, and a selection of Bow and Derby figures.
Remember, we post world-wide at the most reasonable rates – ask for a quote.
We’ve been busy uploading a stash of fantastic Ancient Artifacts.
Roman Bronze Fittings & brooches
Many of these items were only ‘re-discovered’ during the recent months of lockdown, where we investigated the deepest storage rooms at Moorabool Antiques: here we found Paul’s accumulations of interesting artifacts, collected while in the UK as a student in the 1990’s. This was a time when metal detectors were becoming common, and every farmers field was apparently littered with delightful little bronze pieces from antiquity.
The Thames River in London was another prime hunting ground; after being used as a dump since prehistory, there was something from every period of history to be found there with a little effort.
Ancient Bronzes, and a rare Silver ‘Celtic’ Penannular Brooch
Paul was actively buying these small finds from the finders; anything they unearthed was their own to do with as they pleased, and while most would have a collection of their own, multiples or lesser pieces were happily sold off – and happily bought by Paul! Bundled up & shipped to Australia, with the intention of selling, they were forgotten about after the ‘big move’ of 2000, when we moved into our new premises. It was quite a pleasant shock to unearth a small crate, at the back of a store room, full of fascinating artifacts. Now the challenge is to catalogue, mount & present them online. We’re doing ‘spins’ of them as well, so plenty to see & enjoy if you like ancient items…
Remember, we post world-wide at the most reasonable rates – ask for a quote.
International postage is particularly unpredictable at the moment. We can use a superior service, such as UPS, which can have a UK/US shipment delivered within a few days – but the cost is considerably more, please ask for a quote if interested. Australian deliveries can also be sent express, for slightly more, please ask.
Welcome to our ‘Fresh Stock’ update – these items are fresh to our stock , and fresh to this website.
Fresh Delights @ Moorabool
Today we have a wide range of interesting potential Christmas Gifts – something for everyone!
There’s a small group of fine quality French bronzes, some delicate small pieces of ‘virtu’, and that gorgeous ‘doggy box’ with its googly eyes peering at you… how can you say ‘no’?
Chess, anyone?
There’s a handsome chess set – Jaques, London, mid-19th century – and an incredible luxury boxed set of .950 standard Solid Silver teaspoons with very special sugar tongs, dating to circa 1900.
Luxury French Silver by Alphonse Debain
You’ll also find some really in-expensive pieces, the ‘extra presents’ we’re always looking for – such as a selection of Victorian pewter drinking tankards, many under $100. I use one on my desk here to keep the pens in.
Pewter Tankards
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Note: while we can post worldwide at reasonable rates, please aware delivery may be delayed due to covid shipping chaos.
We are expert at packing for a safe delivery of all our precious items…..
This handsome large piece of early Oak furniture is sometimes called a ‘Court Cupboard’, although this should really refer to a more open version intended to display the wealth of a household for all to see. With its enclosed doors, this example fits the definition of ‘cwpwrdd deuddarn‘, meaning ‘cupboard two-piece’. This literally describes their construction, in two parts, a feature that was not necessary in a construction sense, but certainly a help when being moved – speaking from practical experience!
They have their origins in the Medieval period, where a large, solid cupboard would act as a safe place to stash your valuables. Housed in the main chamber. they were the equivalent of a sideboard. You could keep all your pottery platters, mugs, the pewter – and in wealthier households, any silver plate that was needed to impress guests. The tops would surely have made a fine display space for status symbols such as nicely polished brassware and blue & white delft.
The Deuddarn presently at Moorabool Antiques, Geelong
What makes this example particularly appealing is the colour; it has a lovely honey tone, with an excellent patination. Some can appear ‘black’, and on closer examination, there is a layer of dark varnish over the oak. This varnish was a favorite of the Victorians who believed anything old, large & heavy had to be blackened to look authentic….
The date is original; it is wise to view such dates with scepticism, as they were also a favorite alteration of genuine pieces undertaken by the Victorians; however, the patination is consistent and the carving harmonious .
The initials are another part of the story; the represent a marriage, with the family name in the center starting with ‘F’. Their names were ‘W’ and ‘M’ – let’s call them ‘Wmffre & Megan Fluellen’. This lavish piece of furniture was commissioned for the well-to-do couple in 1694, quite possibly as a marriage piece.
In the wonderful 2-volume book on ‘Welsh Furniture’ by Richard Bebb, it was a pleasant surprise to discover a remarkably similar example. Page 325 bears several deuddarn examples from different regions, but no. 567 stands out: when viewed next to our example, we see the same principal construction methods, the same details such as the pendants or ‘droppers’ on the upper corners, but most of all, the doors have the same carving. This elaborate series of scrollwork is almost Celtic in appearance, and this is no coincidence; a strong association with the distant past was always present amongst the Welsh, and their ancient pagan memories of ritual spirals representing eternal truths were surely echoed in these designs.
#567: possibly Breconshire
The book places the origin of this piece as ‘possibly Breconshire’, a region of central Wales. Such opinions of regional styles are formed by furniture connoisseurs over a lifetime, depending on examining pieces that are in situ in undisturbed family farmhouses , and especially in the small local parish churches. What is fascinating is the dates found on both these very similar pieces. Our example is dated 1694; theirs is 8 years later, 1702. There are differences in the layout of the doors, and the doors on ours are all carved vs, just the top 3 of the illustrated. However, the similarities allow us to attribute this magnificent piece to ‘possibly Breconshire’, and isn’t it great to have an actual date – 1694 – rather than having to take a ‘Circa’ guess!
Welcome to our ‘Fresh Stock’ update – these items are fresh to our stock , and fresh to this website.
The cwpwrdd deuddarn at Moorabool Antiques
Today, we have a fine group of Oak furniture, including the sensational Welsh ‘cwpwrdd deuddarn’ dated 1692, another dated 1655, an oak bureau, and several other Georgian oak pieces.
16th Century Nuremberg Alms Dish
There’s an early ‘Alms’ dish, made in Nuremberg in the 16th century.
Dated pieces are always of particular interest, as they give us a reference point for dating other similar pieces. There’s another dated piece released today, an English Oak cupboard dated 1655. They are rare, and to have these significant pieces in stock is a great pleasure.
We have a fine selection of very pretty 18th century porcelain, including Meissen and Royal Copenhagen tablewares, and a fine selection of figures – keep an eye on these ‘Fresh Stock’ posts, or join our email list to be notified when it is online.
Remember, we post world-wide at the most reasonable rates – ask for a quote.
LAST POSTAGE FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY: Victoria – 10th December NSW / QLD / SA – 3rd December International – ASAP – overseas postage at normal rates is particularly unpredictable at the moment. We can use a superior service, such as UPS, which can have a UK/US shipment delivered within a few days – but the cost is considerably more, please ask for a quote if interested. Australian deliveries can also be sent express, for slightly more, please ask.
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 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.
Welcome to our ‘Fresh Stock’ update – these items are fresh to our stock , and fresh to this website.
French ‘Sphinx’ deskset, circa 1880
Christmas is upon us! With December clicking over on the calendar, it’s time to get serious about those presents…. Moorabool is here to help, feel free to send a ‘request’, outline the sort of thing you’re after and the price – range, and we can come up with some possibilities to consider. While there’s a lot on our website, there’s just as much again not yet catalogued for us to look through for you.
Highlights posted today include a Dutch small hanging cupboard, a delightful watercolour by Bertha Rhodes titled ‘Haymaking’, a music stool & stunning beaded footstool, and an absolutely splendid Egyptian Revival desk set featuring a sphinx.
Bertha Rhodes ‘Haymaking’ , dated 1908
There’s a scattering of Antiquities, small Jewellery pieces, nice Victorian ceramics, all very good Christmas presents.
Remember, we post world-wide at the most reasonable rates – ask for a quote.
LAST POSTAGE FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY: Victoria – 10th December NSW / QLD / SA – 3rd December International – ASAP – overseas postage at normal rates is particularly unpredictable at the moment. We can use a superior service, such as UPS, which can have a UK/US shipment delivered within a few days – but the cost is considerably more, please ask for a quote if interested. Australian deliveries can also be sent express, for slightly more, please ask.
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