Category Archives: Collectibles

These Tins Really Take the Biscuit!

Posted on May 23, 2019 by

From Melbourne Open House -“Cabinets of Wonder” ephemera collection at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. entitled – ”The Welcome Guest”. These biscuit tins belong to the personal collection of “TG” [Occupation: Driver]. In reference to his collection, TG says: … Continue reading →

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Diamonds Are Forever

Posted on December 5, 2018 by

[Above: The Schomberg Diamond Ring (ca 1855) contains a Brazilian cut diamond (sometimes called cushion cut or old mine cut) of just under 1 carat, set in high carat yellow gold (not hallmarked). It is set in four claws within … Continue reading →

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Take Potluck or be Thunderstruck

Posted on November 14, 2018 by

[Above: Two issues of Pluck and Luck: Complete Stories of Adventure] Left: Issue No. 76  November 15, 1899. “The Rocket or Adventures in the Air” by Allyn Draper. Frustrated pursuers stand agape as their quarry lifts off for a trip … Continue reading →

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Rucker’s Musical Ruckus

Posted on August 29, 2018 by

[Two-manual harpsichord by Andreas Ruckers, Antwerp (ca 1628) inscribed Joannes Ruckers] The Ruckers family were harpsichord and virginal makers from Antwerp in the 16th and 17th Centuries. Their influence stretched well into the 18th C and to the harpsichord revival … Continue reading →

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Soup de Jour? | Can Do

Posted on July 24, 2018 by

Warhol proved you can make Souper-Art – but why Broth-er? Pop art is the art movement that emerged in the mid-1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States. Pop art presented a challenge to traditions of … Continue reading →

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Cereal Collectors? – Not as Corny as it Might Seem

Posted on July 4, 2018 by

Cereal boxes – from 2016 Open House “Cabinets of Wonder” ephemera collection at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. This collection is entitled ‘Breakfast is Good for You’. The collector is identified as ‘IS’ and their occupation: Cleaner. IS claims: … Continue reading →

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A Bit of Hanky Panky

Posted on June 30, 2018 by

“Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases – So Trap Them in Your Handkerchief.” A handkerchief also called a handkercher or hanky, is a form of a kerchief, typically a hemmed square and made from thin fabric that can be carried in the … Continue reading →

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May Your Cup Runneth Over and Be Squashed

Posted on May 19, 2018 by

Left: Paper cup and straw by Jasper Jacobsen, Time’s Black Arrow (2014). Jasper Jacobsen is a Melbourne-based artist currently completing a Master of Contemporary Art degree at the Victorian College of the Arts. Centre: This paper cup was found in … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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