Prestige Items

The White Stone – The Story of a Boy From the Bush – Herbert MacIlwaine – Illustrated by Rowlandson – First Edition c1900

A very good copy of a scarce and impressive book but much published MacIlwaine. Published by Wells Gardner etc, London c1900. Large octavo, pictorial cloth cover, images to spine and rear. Top edge gilt. 408 pages, illustrated throughout by Gardner who was much known for his paintings of horse.

White Stone is a symbol for optimism and that underlined the contents, albeit given the period narrative there are a few tears, and hugs, along the way.

Australian Bush Stories from 1900 in a super presentation

$90.00

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The Pilgrim’s Progress – John Bunyan – Nister Edition, Illustrated by Walter Paget – c1900

The Pilgrim’s Progress; From This World to That Which is To Come; Delivered under the Similitude of a Dream.

This edition was published by Ernest Nister, London circa 1900. Large octavo, 348 pages, striking coloured images to front board and spine, gilt titles … rich colours. Illustrated by the great Walter Paget with 12 full page black and white and five full page coloured plates.

“As I walked through the Wilderness of this World, I lighted on a certain Place, where was a Den, and laid me down in that Place to sleep: And as I slept, I dreamed a Dream”

Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress Beautifully Presented

$90.00

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Original 19thC Watercolour – Australian Squadron, HMS Opal off the New Hebrides [Vanuatu] 1886 – D. F. Gillett

D.F. Gillett was an active British naïve marine artist in the late 19th early 20th Century. This painting is of an event in 1888, and we take that to be the year of the painting.

A nice size, 38cm by 22cm in frame 65cm by 88cm. the wooden frame of unusual and pleasing design. The painting in very good condition, strong colours no fading or foxing.

HMS Opal was an Emerald Class Corvette. Despite having steam power, she was fully rigged Barque. Built in Sunderland, England in 1875 she made her way to the Australian fleet and served between 1885-1890, mainly in the Pacific.

Price $890.00 framed as in image

A rare subject, HMS Opal in the Pacific off the New Hebrides [Vanuatu].

$890.00

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Stylish Deco Lady with Fawn and Borzoi – Designed by Peter Manfredi – Made by Pompeian Bronze, New York – 1920’s.

Simply the most stunning set of original bookends we have had. Exceedingly rare – not included in the key reference by Kuritsky and De Costa.

Based in Brooklyn New York the business registered thirty copyrights for bookends – the last in 1930. Peter Manfredi was their top designer.

Most bookends pairs are either identical or a reflection; rare as with this set to have a different subject for each. Clearly a pair because of the consistent and striking colouring and uniform patina.

Original Pompeian Bronze label to the base of one.

Very intricate designs hard to give them justice in the images. A trifle sign of age, overall in super condition for circa 100 years old.

Large by usual standards – 23 cm high – circa 25 cm in length, hefty 2.7 kg the pair. Dependent on location there will likely be a postage supplement as they pack big for safety.

Extremely Rare design by Peter Manfredi – 1920’s

$840.00

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Tek Sing Shipwreck Treasure – Dish decorated in Lotus, Lingzhi and Peach – 1822

Qing Dynasty decorated dish recovered by Mike Hatcher from the Tek Sing shipwreck of 1822. Nice condition.

Beautifully decorated with bands of lotus flower around a central spiral and set in alternate designs of lingzhi fungus and fruiting peach. Similar decorations to external rim, potters mark at bottom. Bright and clean. 15cm in diameter 6cm high, weighs 220gm. Retains Nagel auction sticker.

Price $240.00

Bright well decorated treasure from the Tek Sing
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The Tek Sing Shipwreck – Background

The Tek Sing (Chinese for “Bright Star”’) was a large Chinese Junk which sank in 1822 in the South China Sea at the Belvidere Shoals. She was 50 meters long, 10 metres wide and weighed a thousand tons. Manned by a crew of 200. The great loss of life has led to the Tek Sing being referred to as the “Titanic of the East”.

Sailing from the port of Amoy (now Xiamen), the Tek Sing was bound for Jakarta, with a cargo of porcelain goods and 1,600 Chinese immigrants. After a month of sailing, Captain Lo Tauko took a shortcut through the Gaspar Straits and ran aground on a reef and sank in 100 feet of water.

The next morning and English East Indiaman captained by James Pearl sailing from Indonesia to Borneo passed through the Gaspar Straits. He found debris from the sunken Chinese vessel and survivors. They managed to rescue 190 people.

In 1999, marine salvor Mike Hatcher discovered the wreck. His crew raised what has been described as the largest cache of Chinese porcelain ever recovered. It was auctioned by Nagle in Stuttgart, Germany the following year

$160.00

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The Thinker Bookends by Armor Bronze New York – 1920’s

A solid and delightful pair of bookends by Armor Bronze who had a showroom on Fourth and then Fifth Avenue, New York during the 1920’s.

The company’s origins are not clear with some sources saying 1890’s – for sure they existed in 1910 as the National Metalizing Company changing their name to Armor Bronze circa 1920.

Collectors and Bibliophiles bookends based on “Le Penseur” by Rodin. Some age as expected, still in good to better condition. Stand 20cm high and weighing in at a hefty, book securing 3.0 kg the pair.

Heavy items may require a postage supplement if Overseas …

Period Thinker Bookends – Don’t think too long

$360.00

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The White Stone – The Story of a Boy From the Bush – Herbert MacIlwaine – Illustrated by Rowlandson – First Edition c1900

The Pilgrim’s Progress – John Bunyan – Nister Edition, Illustrated by Walter Paget – c1900

Original 19thC Watercolour – Australian Squadron, HMS Opal off the New Hebrides [Vanuatu] 1886 – D. F. Gillett

Stylish Deco Lady with Fawn and Borzoi – Designed by Peter Manfredi – Made by Pompeian Bronze, New York – 1920’s.

Tek Sing Shipwreck Treasure – Dish decorated in Lotus, Lingzhi and Peach – 1822

The Thinker Bookends by Armor Bronze New York – 1920’s

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