Category Archives: DecorativeArts

Tennyo “Magokoro” – The Goddess of Sincerity

Posted on August 10, 2017 by

Tennyo “Magokoro” (The Goddess of Sincerity) is a statue constructed by Gengen Sato, who spent more than 10 years at the task after it was commissioned by Mitsukoshi Ltd. Consisting principally of Japanese cypress “Hinoki” about 500 years old that … Continue reading →

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The Lady and the Unicorn

Posted on July 24, 2017 by

The Lady and the Unicorn is the modern title given to a series of six tapestries woven in Flanders from wool and silk, from designs drawn in Paris ca 1500. The tapestries were created in the style of mille-fleurs (meaning: … 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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Compare the Pair #15: Compare the Chair

Posted on April 7, 2017 by

Left: “Hollow“(2012) fibreglass & paint by Anish Kapoor,  National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. British-Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor was born on 12 March 1954, in Bombay. Kapoor lived and worked in London during the 1970s studying art at the Hornsey College of … Continue reading →

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Far from Ross River Fever

Posted on March 7, 2017 by

Stonemason and Tasmanian convict Daniel Herbert  was baptized on 17 February, 1802, in the Paul Street Independent Chapel, Taunton, Somerset, England; the son of Daniel Herbert, a Corporal in the 6th (Inniskillen) Dragoons. In March 1827, with James Camble and … Continue reading →

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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

On Armistice Day – Lest We Forget

Posted on November 14, 2016 by

Above is part of a collection of World War One (WW1) recruitment posters, (A gift by Horace H.J. Roberts). Over 200 Parliamentary Recruiting Committee and Parliamentary War Saving Committee posters were published before the introduction for conscription in January 1916. … Continue reading →

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Natalia Goncharova’s Kingdom Under the Sea

Posted on June 13, 2016 by

(Above: Ballet costume for a seahorse for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe production of Sadko, ca. 1916 by Natalia Goncharova. Costume: Silk-cotton satin lamé, paint, wire, wadding: cape, 166cm headdress 83 x60 x 25cm). Russian avant-garde artist, painter, costume designer, writer, … Continue reading →

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May the Mather Inlaid Layer Remain a Major Lasting Stayer

Posted on February 17, 2016 by

Scottish-born Australian plein-air painter and etcher John Mather was born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire in 1849. After studying art at the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts he migrated to Australia in 1878.  By 1880, Mather was partly responsible … Continue reading →

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Any port in a storm seems a far cry for Ambrogiani’s Le Port

Posted on January 24, 2016 by

French Expressionist painter, print-maker and sculptor Pierre Ambrogiani was born on January 16, 1907 in Ajaccio located on the west coast of the island of Corsica, 210 nautical miles (390 km) southeast of Marseille, France. Ambrogiani is known for his bright colors … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists A-Z, Gallery Art, OilPainting, Paintings, Sculpture, Stained Glass | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Joseph Coteau’s work is as regular as clock-work

Posted on December 28, 2015 by

Joseph Coteau (1740-1801) was a well-respected French enameller who worked on skeleton clocks during the revolutionary period from 1789-1799.  Image depicted (left) shows a gilt and enamelled bronze (chased) marble skeleton clock; (430x250x140cm) Foundation Napoleon Paris. (Donation Lapeyre inv.809). Although Joseph Coteau … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists A-Z, DecorativeArts, Furniture & Furnishings, Gallery Art, Porcelain | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Object of Orphism

Posted on November 20, 2015 by

Sonia Delaunay was a Jewish-French artist who, along with her husband Robert Delaunay and others, co-founded the Orphism art movement, noted for its use of strong colors and geometric shapes. Her work extends to painting, textile and stage set design. … Continue reading →

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From East to West – I’ve Goatcher Covered

Posted on July 16, 2015 by

Philip W. Goatcher was born on the 23rd November 1851, in London; the son of a scene painter. He left school in his early teens to work as a law clerk at Lincoln’s Inn. In his spare time he would visit … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists A-Z, DecorativeArts, Illustrations, Paintings, Performing Art, Textiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There’s nothing bleek about Belleek

Posted on July 8, 2015 by

Belleek Pottery  is a porcelain company that began trading in 1884 as the Belleek Pottery Works Company Ltd in Belleek, County Fermanagh, in Northern Ireland. The factory produces porcelain that is characterised by its thin and slightly iridescent surface and … Continue reading →

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