We’re excited to be kicking off our Sydney calendar this year with The Collector’s Auction in March, which combines decorative arts and fine art.
Leading the offering is a group of animal sculptures by national and international artists that provide compelling buying opportunities. Drawing on the 19th century animalier tradition of Antoine-Louis Barye, Zimbabwaen born Llewellyn Davies imbues his bronze elephant with power, strength and authority. Davies’ talent for conveying motion and the dynamics of movement gives his work a depth, which affords lasting interest. Susie Dureau’s Gate of Ivory from Horn 2011 exemplifies her creative practice, capturing the light and atmosphere of nature. Living on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Dureau draws inspiration from her rugged surrounds and atmospheric conditions, aiming to define that moment when, as humans, we feel at one with our surrounds.
The auction also features an impressive regulator clock by Reid& Sons, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Manufactured between 1840and 1860, the restrained mahogany casing and silvered dial is an example of some of the finest horological techniques of the19th century. No compromise has been made to the construction of the movement, with focus placed on the large outer track of the dial, which is solely devoted to minutes – with the hour hand unusually sitting within its own subsidiary dial. The precision of the movement, which is protected by three brass dust covers, is best exhibited by the use of a jar of mercury suspended in the pendulum, acting as a weight to counteract against changes in temperature that would reduce accuracy. The mechanical accuracy of these class of clocks was unrivalled and highly coveted, with only the invention of the quartz clock in 1927 rivaling their accuracy.
Hamish Clark
Head of Sydney Office
2019