Category Archives: Collectibles

Scusi, Venice the Next Vaporetto to Murano?

Posted on March 24, 2018 by

Murano Glass is a famous product of the Venetian island of Murano. Most Murano glass art is made using the lamp working technique, where the glass is made from silica, which becomes liquid at high temperatures. As the glass passes … Continue reading →

Posted in Collectibles, DecorativeArts, Glass | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Bathroom Blues? Let Freddie the Frog Come to the Rescue On Demand

Posted on February 14, 2018 by

Arkie by Brett Whiteley (1967) oil mixed media on canvas on board (Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria). Australian Avant-garde artist Brett Whiteley (born Sydney,  7 April 1939 – died 15 June 1992) is well represented in many Australian galleries and was … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Artists A-Z, Collectibles, Gallery Art, nostalgia, Paintings, QuestionableArt | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A tureen to help store your emotional cabbage?

Posted on January 10, 2018 by

Above: Cabbage Tureen by Paul-Antoine Hannong, from Hannong Factory Strasbourg, Alsace, France (ca 1754-1762) – Faience earthenware (tin-glazed), 21.2 × 34.6 × 33.1 cm (Collection of National Gallery of Victoria, International). Faience (tin-glazed earthenware) and porcelain were the principal products of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ceramics, Collectibles, DecorativeArts, Gallery Art, Porcelain | 1 Comment

There is Nothing Harder at Task for Haida the Mask

Posted on October 21, 2017 by

Among the Haida people from the Pacific Northwest of North America existed secret religious societies that performed dances in which they wore wooden masks or carried wooden puppets that represented gagid, or the spirits of the forest. A  gagid mask … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Carvings, Collectibles, DarkArt, DecorativeArts, Sculpture | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Callooh! Callay! for Calouste is Okay

Posted on June 2, 2017 by

Above: Dragonfly brooch once adorned by Sarah Bernhardt to whom it was lent by friend Calouste Gulbenkian. A corsage ornament which consists of dragonfly with griffon’s paws and green female torso whose face is supposed to be of Sarah herself. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Collectibles, DecorativeArts | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Whoop Oop De Boop

Posted on May 21, 2017 by

Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick. According to Wikipedia, the caricature of a Jazz Age flapper, Betty Boop was described in a 1934 court case as:”combining in appearance … Continue reading →

Posted in Collectibles, Illustrations | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

There’s a Bear Out There… and What The Steiff Would I Know!

Posted on April 10, 2017 by

Above: Teddy Bear by Steiff (ca 1912) 48cm. German designer  Richard Steiff  was born on February 7, 1877 in the German city of Giengen. In 1897 at the age of 20, Steiff joined his aunt Margarete’s toy making enterprise. While … Continue reading →

Posted in #Games&Toys, Collectibles, nostalgia | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Try Your Luck and Maybe Spend a Buck at the Fryerstown Antique Fair

Posted on January 26, 2017 by

Fryerstown Antique Fair will celebrate its 42nd anniversary in 2017. It is held on the surrounding days of the Australia Day holiday on January 25th each year. The popular annual event has grown from strength to strength each year and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bone China, Ceramics, CigaretteCards, Collectibles, Crystal, Glass, Hard Paste Porcelain, Marbles, Paperweights, Perfume Bottles, Porcelain, Postcards, Sculpture, Snowdomes, Soft paste Porcelain, Stained Glass, Stamps, SwapCards, Tea Towels | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Getting ready for a Christmas Barbie

Posted on December 23, 2016 by

It appears that this Christmas has seen a revival in ‘Ugly Sweaters‘ or ‘Ugly Jumpers‘ that are knitted and have Christmas overtones. Garish in colour and design, they feature the typical ‘Christmas colours’ of green/red/white and can feature snowflake patterns, … Continue reading →

Posted in #Games&Toys, Collectibles, Fabric, QuestionableArt, Sewing, StreetArt, Textiles | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Good Morning Vietnam!

Posted on May 27, 2016 by

On 25 April, 2016 Australia and New Zealand celebrated ANZAC Day joint war and conflict commemorations, with a special emphasis on the celebration of the Australian involvement in the Vietnam Veterans 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Collectibles | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Imagine Christmas Day afloat – 60 years ago today!

Posted on December 25, 2015 by

Looking for a classic authentic and vintage Christmas menu from the past? Then you might like to consider this offering which was offered 60 years ago and comes from the Shaw Savill Lines Christmas Day menu. Their ocean liner SS … Continue reading →

Posted in #Menus, Collectibles, Illustrations, StreetArt | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

An Annalisa enigma

Posted on June 4, 2015 by

I saw a show on TV a while ago where the presenters focussed on a private collector’s specialty – Decorative label surrounds for tinned tomatoes – especially those from Italy and Spain. Needless to say his collection was vast and … Continue reading →

Posted in Collectibles, Cover Art, Edible Art, Illustrations | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bring a plate

Posted on December 13, 2014 by

A tip for young players – “Bring a plate” is a term which is often used to party invitees. It’s a form of entertaining where costs and provisions are shared by all invited guests. You bring a plate of savoury … Continue reading →

Posted in Ceramics, Collectibles, Gallery Art, Porcelain | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Beware of the nightly Tengu

Posted on November 30, 2014 by

The Tengu – are Japanese mythological human sized, bird-like creatures who are alleged to be dangerous but not always ill-willed spirits of the wilderness, who fly mostly at night. There are two kinds of Tengu: Karasu-Tengu with a short thick bird’s … Continue reading →

Posted in #Menus, Collectibles, Cover Art, Illustrations, nostalgia, Oriental Art | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Prior evidence proves that early goldfield memorabilia is important

Posted on November 18, 2014 by

Ben Prior’s Open Air Museum is located in Bayley Street, Coolgardie, in the heart of the the goldfields district of Western Australia.  Coolgardie was the site of an initial gold rush in the early 1890s, prior to the Kalgoorlie-Boulder gold rush. This collection was … Continue reading →

Posted in Collectibles, nostalgia, QuestionableArt, StreetArt, StreetFurniture, TheGood | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment