The 350 lots of antiques and decorative arts are supplemented by 83 pictures, including a crop of Crookes, a brace of Bunnys, several Judy Cassabs, a mass of marine paintings, and portraits galore.
All this goes under the hammer at Hobart’s waterfront Henry Jones Art Hotel on Sunday, March 27, at a sale conducted by Melbourne-based auctioneer Mossgreen. The only thing in the catalogue not for sale is the home itself, a two-storey gabled Federation house in stucco, timber and slate, and Cassab’s fine portraits of the owners, the late Olga and Len Nettlefold, whose prosperous car sales outlets allowed them to indulge themselves art, travel and charity. And the Nettlefolds’ taste was highly refined, as demonstrated by the genteel interiors of the home and its furnishings.
Top billing goes to Ray Crooke’s Early Morning Cairns Suburb, (Lot 262 ), a large oil on board dating from the early 1960s, with an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It seems the picture was exhibited in Hobart in 1962 at the 6th Tasmanian Art Gallery Exhibition. Mossgreen’s Paul Sumner rates it as the best Crooke yet to hit the auction market. Top price at auction for a work by Crooke is $74,000 hammer for Islander Scene, sold by Sotheby’s in Sydney in November last year.
Other Crookes from the collection include Mornington Island Mission Interior (Lot 261 ) and an untitled study of an islander gathering flowers.
There are also two Rupert Bunnys including Lot 131, an untitled but typically lush Belle Epoque oil of three women including the artist’s wife Jeanne, estimated at $15,000 to $25,000.
Marines include, Haughton Forrest’s Sailing Ships in an Estuary (Lot 132 ) estimated at $8000 to $12,000 and, British artist Thomas Luny’s Ship Cato Passing Stockton (Lot 133 ) estimated at $12,000 to $18,000, while, In Full Cry, (Lot 130 ) a large hunting scene, is attributed to John Frederick Herring Snr ($15,000 to $20,000).
Another highlight is an important English silver salver with an engraved inscription to a friend, by the great botanist Joseph Banks. The salver, (lot 219), is by Philip Rundell, London 1819. It bears the arms of Sir Jonathan Pollack, the London lawyer to whom it was gifted by Banks in the last weeks before his death. Estimate is $10,000 to $15,000 and institutional interest is likely.
Among other Australiana is, an early cedar library bookcase (Lot 206), 228 cm wide with a breakfront upper section with four glazed doors and a lower section with four short and two long drawers flanked by cupboards with spiral carved pilasters, estimate $20,000 to $40,000.
It is cautiously catalogued as circa 1835 and later, but there is a possibility the upper section may be as early as the lower.
There is also an Australian market ironstone tureen and cover on stand (Lot 52 ) made for Hobart’s Union Club by Minton & Boyle circa 1840 and decorated with a kangaroo and emu crest, estimate $1000 to $2000.
Among the English furniture is a Regency mahogany metamorphic library chair/steps in the manner of Morgan & Sanders, (Lot 88 ), featuring scrolled arms and rush seat, estimate $8000 to $12,000, and an imposing English late 17th century burr walnut and feather banded escritoire or writing desk, (Lot 90) estimated at $15,000 to $20,000, with a fall front concealing a fitted interior and a lower section with three drawers, all raised on bun feet.
Stars of the Continental furniture offering include, a French ormolu mounted sideboard, (Lot 404) early 19th century, estimate $20,000 to $30,000, featuring a grey marble top and two doors with swagged roundels showing classical scenes, and, a lacquer and gilt bronze mounted secretaire a abbatant or writing desk circa 1800 (Lot 316) estimated at $10,000 to $15,000 .
Paul Sumner also expects considerable interest in, a pair of Chinese lacquer cabinets (Lot 289) 105 cm wide, inlaid with hardstone and ivory, carrying an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.
Even the gardens have yielded a treasure – a pair of French life-size cast iron hunting dogs, after Albert Jacquemart, (Lot 438), also estimated $20,000 to $30,000.
As for the Nettlefold house, it has already been sold. Ironically, the family went to some trouble to subdivide the large landholding on which it stood, but in the event the house went to a young English buyer who quickly set about reassembling the original holding and plans to live on the acreage.
