Category Archives: DecorativeArts

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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The Spring Cycle

Posted on August 18, 2018 by

[Above: Spring Cycle by Wen Jun (mixed media) 2013]. This colourful artwork is in the form of a pedicab, which was once commonly used as transport in Chinese cities. Painted in the traditional Spring Festival style, the eight paintings on … 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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You Must Be An Angel | I Can See It In Your Eyes

Posted on June 27, 2018 by

Deborah Halpern (born in Melbourne in 1957) is a public art sculptor, mosaicist and ceramic artist. Halpern lectures and conducts workshops in ceramics in Melbourne. Her parents Sylvia and Arthur Halpern, were ceramists and artists and two of the founding … Continue reading →

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Hard to surpass the class of this glass

Posted on May 9, 2018 by

French glass artist Émile Gallé was born in Nancy, 8 May 1846 and is considered to be one of the major forces in the French Art Nouveau movement. Gallé was the son of a faience and furniture manufacturer and studied … Continue reading →

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Dare To Wear Ogilvie’s Jumpsuit With Flair

Posted on April 18, 2018 by

FLAIR – From Salon to Boutique, Australian Fashion Labels Through the ’60s (The Ian Potter Centre, National Gallery of Victoria Australia, 2013) This exhibition rekindled some of the magic of the psychedelic ’60s era. Named after the fashion magazine Flair, the … 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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No Idea On Kohei Nawa Red Deer

Posted on March 17, 2018 by

Kohei Nawa was born in 1975. He is one of Japan’s new generation of high-flying young artists. Over the last several years he has exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery, London, the Joan Miro Foundation, Barcelona, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, and in … Continue reading →

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Grainger’s Toweling Fashion Changer – Has a Dry Sense of Humour

Posted on February 21, 2018 by

Percy Grainger & Ella Grainger: Towelling Tunic shirt, leggings, belt, shoes worn by Percy Grainger c. 1934 (Cotton bath towels, plastic, leather and metal) Dr Kaare K, Nygaard  (1902-1989) Percy Grainger, 1955 (Bronze) Grainger Museum of Melbourne, University of Melbourne. Towelling … Continue reading →

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Enter the Dragon – How Clawsome

Posted on February 2, 2018 by

Melbourne’s Dai Loong (Big Dragon) has particular significance in the history of dragon making from China. Processional dragons are handmade out of silk, bamboo and wire. Historically it is a folk craft which originated in Foshan, in the Guangdong Province … 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

It’s a Great Illustration – But No Cigar!

Posted on November 17, 2017 by

Above: Inside of cigar box illustrated by Eirene Mort containing wood working tools belonging to Nora Weston ca. 1920. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Eirene Mort’s death at the age of 98, a fitting time to consider her … Continue reading →

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The Fate of the Owl My Dear is Ever So Clear to Hear, Due to the Verse and Cheer My Love, From the One and Only Edward Lear

Posted on November 3, 2017 by

The Owl & The Pussycat (1990) wood engraving 4 x 5.5 cm The Owl and the Pussy-Cat [Verse I] by Edward Lear The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat, They took some honey, and … Continue reading →

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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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Truly “Chihuly”: The Beauty is in the Eye of the Glass Beholder

Posted on September 29, 2017 by

Both images featured are from an untitled group from the Macchia Series (1982). Dale Chihuly (Born September 20, 1941 in Tacoma, Washington) is an American glass sculptor. In 1960, Chihuly was studying interior design at the University of Washington, Seattle, … Continue reading →

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