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
Remember, we post world-wide at the most reasonable rates – ask for a quote.
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.
Welcome to our ‘Fresh Stock’ update – these items are fresh to our stock , and fresh to this website.
Copley Fielding’s ‘View of Delphi’ at Moorabool Antiques, Australia
Today it’s a varied group – from small jewellery pieces to a pair of large Cantonese vases, alongside a Mason’s Ironstone large & bizarre ‘Chinese’ vase & cover. You’ll also find a little gem of a water colour by the highly respected Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding, a rare subject matter with a blog post to elaborate on it here >>
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.
Welcome to our ‘Fresh Stock’ update – these items are fresh to our stock , and fresh to this website.
Today it’s a fantastic group of Old Sheffield Plate, more Ancient objects, some Chinese pieces, and other ‘curios’. You’ll find some terrific inexpensive Christmas Gift ideas.
In other news… tomorrow’s the ‘Black Friday’ tradition, and we have a surprise for you…. this weekend only, check your email tomorrow!
Bendigo Talk
‘Go Figure!’
We’re heading off to Bendigo this Saturday, for an interesting event – Paul is giving a talk as part of Valentine Antique’s ‘Lecture Series’, in the beautiful gallery complex just down from the Bendigo Art Gallery.
There are still tickets available if you’re able to make it, a small fee which includes refreshments and an hour looking at figures with Paul Rosenberg.
Date: 27th November Time: 11am Place: 16-22 View Street, Bendigo (just down from the Art Gallery) Price: $20 per person Bookings are essential, contact Valentines, Bendigo, on 5443 7279 to secure your place.
Please note: our Geelong premises is closed this Saturday, 27th November.
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.
Welcome to our ‘Fresh Stock’ update – these items are fresh to our stock , and fresh to this website.
Today it’s a selection of Antiquities, mostly from a fascinating collection recently acquired in Melbourne, Australia. Most had old auction numbers & labels, suggesting it was put together last century, judging by the deterioration of the stickers and the typewritten labels. The last owner had the revered name ‘Rothschild’ – but it’s not that Rothschild Collection!
The figure of ‘Astarte’ is particularly interesting, with a provenance of the great ancient city of Tyre. The other pots shown above include Canannite pieces 3,500 years old, and an amazing early Israelite piece from the 9th century BC.
There’s also a selection of tiny little Ancient Egyptian amulets, mounted to make them display nicely.
Enjoy!
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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