Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Golden Girl by Shirley Eaton.Forward by Mickey Spillane and signed by both Shirley Eaton and Mickey Spillane
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| Shirley Eaton starred alongside of James Bond -Sean Connery in Goldfinger and Mickey Spillane was the acknowledged King of Crime Noir Novels of the late 1940's through to 2006. |
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Late Anglo Saxon-Early Medieval Grog Tempered Pottery Sherds (c), 1001-1150 AD, Bury St Edmunds Ware, but found in Oxfordshire archaeological dig, ENGLAND
Provenance:Purchased via registered PAS antiquities dealer (UK). From an archaeological dig, Oxfordshire, England.
Age: (c) 900-1000 years old
Size: Various pieces
Bactrian Painted Red Ware Pottery Vessel with twin Lugs, Chalcolithic Period, Mundigak III-IV, (c) 3000-2500 BC, AFGHANISTAN
Provenance:Purchased in antiquities saleroom via private collection.
Age: (c) 4,500 to 5,000 years old.
Size: approx: 11.5cm
Turquoise Glazed Faience Amulet of the God Thoth, XXVI Dynasty 664-525 BC, (EGYPT)
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Item: |
TURQUOISE GLAZED FAIENCE AMULET OF THE GOD THOTH, |
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Date: |
664-525 BCE |
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Historical Period: |
XXVI DYNASTY |
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Description 1: |
Glazed Faience Amulet, Discovered broken and rejoined and attached a modern display stand |
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Location: |
EGYPT |
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Size: |
Height 32mm |
Clay Figurine of a Horse either a Toy or Votive Offering, Han Dynasty 202 BC-220AD, CHINA
Provenance:Purchased via auction at Antiquities Saleroom.
Age: (c) 2250-2000 years old
Size: approx: 5.2cm
Clay Figurine of a Lohan (monk), Tang Dynasty (c) 618-906AD, CHINA
Provenance:From a private collection. Purchased via antiquities sale room.
Age: (c) 1,500 years old
Size: approx: 7.2cm
Indus Valley Clay Head of a Goddess Figurine (c) 3300-3000 BC, Mehrgarh Culture, PAKISTAN
Provenance:From a private collection. Bought at auction sale room, Melbourne.
Age: (c) 5,000 - 5,500 years old
Size: approx: 10cm
Pale Green & Blue Glazed Ceramic Ginger Jar, (c) 16th Century AD, CHINA
Provenance:From a sale room auction, Melbourne. From a private collection
Age: (c) 300 years +
Size: approx: 12 cm
Wooden Figurine Crocodile Man Ancestor Figure, Sepik River, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Provenance:From a private collection. Collected in the early 1960's by a missionary stationed in the Sepik River Region.
Age: (c) 1965
Size: approx: 40cm
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Acheulian Hand Axe - (Acheulian Industries - Homo Erectus) Lower Paleolithic before 200,000 BC
Provenance: Found in a 1969 expedition and recently purchased from a private collection in the United Kingdom.
Age: 200,000 years old
Size: approx: 16cm
This is by far the oldest hand made object in my collection of pre-historic tools made by a Hominid in Africa before the rise of modern hominids - us.
This handaxe is a typical African Acheulian shape, bifacial worked into a sharp cleaver point on the distal end and a worked rounded base. Continuous retouches evidenced on the edges meaning that the tool was carried for some time before discarded. The handaxe shows a perfect typical brownish patina and wind polished surface. In mint, near perfect condition with no modern or old damage and intact.
This handaxe is a typical African Acheulian shape, bifacial worked into a sharp cleaver point on the distal end and a worked rounded base. Continuous retouches evidenced on the edges meaning that the tool was carried for some time before discarded. The handaxe shows a perfect typical brownish patina and wind polished surface. In mint, near perfect condition with no modern or old damage and intact.
The artefact was discovered in 1967 at Erg Belfelfoul, Algeria. Handaxes with exact site location are extremely rare.
Acheulean (pron.: /əˈʃuːliən/; also Acheulian) (from French acheuléen, a term based on the name Saint-Acheul, a suburb of Amiens, the capital of the Somme department in Picardy, where hand-axes of this period were found in 1859), is the name given to an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacture associated with early humans during the Lower Palaeolithic era across Africa and much of West Asia, South Asia, and Europe. Acheulean tools are typically found with Homo erectus remains. It is thought that they first developed out of the more primitive Oldowan technology as long ago as 1.76 million years ago, by Homo habilis.
It was the dominant technology for the vast majority of human history starting more than one million years ago. Their distinctive oval and pear-shaped handaxes have been found over a wide area and some examples attained a very high level of sophistication. Although it developed in Africa, the industry is named after the type site of Saint-Acheul, now a suburb of Amiens in northern France (not to be confused with the rural commune of Saint Acheul), where some of the first examples were identified in the 19th century.
Retro Red Glaze Lava Vase from former West Germany 1969 (HANDERBEIT 69/16)
Signed - ""HANDERBEIT 69/16"" meaning Hand made or hand worked in 1969 and 16 cm's tall.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Phoenician Clay Figurine Fragment of the Goddess Astarte, circa 500 BC, LEBANON
Provenance: Purchased in an antiquities auction (Christies)
Circa: 500 BC
Age: 2500 years old
Size: 5.0cm
Terracotta Head from a Figurine, Kushan Dynasty, circa 1st-2nd century AD, NORTH INDIA
Provenance: Purchased from an antiquities Auction
Circa: 1st - 2nd century AD
Age: approx. 2000 years old
Size: 5.2cm
Condition: Excellent and presented on a bespoke stand.
Large Black Ware Ceramic Ch'ing Dynasty Jar with Zoomorphic Handles circa 1800 AD, CHINA
Provenance: Purchased at Auction, Melbourne.
Circa: 1800 AD
Age: 200 years old
Size: 25.5cm
Condition: Excellent
Roman Clay Head possibly of a priest or deity circa 300AD Colchester ENGLAND
Provenance: Purchased in England from an old collection.
Circa: 300 AD
Age: 1700 years old
Size: 6.5cm
Condition: Excellent
Envelope from the Apollo 14 Recovery Ship USS Hawkins with Arthur C Clarke Autograph
Sci-Fi author and futurist Arthur C Clarke was on the Apollo 14 Mission Recovery Ship USS Hawkins stationed in the West Atlantic for a possible abortive splash-down there 9 February 1971. Clarke signed only about 10 of these envelopes.
Ballentine !st Edition: Young Frankenstein with Tip-in Autograph from Mel Brooks
These very fragile Ballentine Paperbacks do not survive well. or its fragility and its use (with no spine-crack) it is in excellent condition with the added bonus of Mel Brooks autograph with tip-in signature.
Mayan Clay Head circa 500 AD Central America
Provenance: Purchased at auction : Fine Australian & International Art & Antiquities featuring the collection of the late Henry Baxter.
Circa: 500 AD
Age: 1500 years old
Size: 5.5cm /4.8cm
Condition: Excellent with soil accretions
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Celadon Ware Bowl with a cloud motif in Brown Glaze, Sukhothai Period circa 13th-14th Century, THAILAND
Provenance: Purchased at auction in Bangkok's Antique District, River City.
Circa: 13th - 14th Century
Age: 750 years old
Size: 15.5cm diameter /Height 6.0cm
Condition: Excellent
During 1300-1500 A.D., Sukhothai – the capital of the first Thai Kingdom – was the production center of the greenish-glazed stoneware known as “Sangkhaloke” wares due to the mispronunciation of Sawankhaloke – the name of an important production site of the kingdom.
Westerners at the time called this kind of ceramic “Celadon” after a French term, but in fact Celadon originated in China whose products have always been easily identified with Chinese characters at the bottom of the vessels. But if a vessel bears Thai letters instead, it was certainly made in Thailand.
Sukhothai was the center of the continual production of Celadon for over 200 years as evidenced by hundreds of old kilns excavated at Tambon Ban Ko Noi and Tambon Payang in Sawankhaloke. In addition, fine specimens of Thai Celadon have also been found in different countries along the ancient shipping trade route in that era such as Java, Sumatra, Malacca, the Philippines, Japan.
At the end of Sukhothai period, the kingdom had been constantly weakened by warfare against the invasions of neighboring kingdoms, which eventually led to the southward-shifting of the capital to Ayutthaya, thus the halt of Celadon production at Sukhothai.
Japanese Blue & White Export Stone Ware circa 1850, JAPAN
Provenance: Purchased in 1985 at an Antiques Store, Braidwood, New South Wales
Circa: 1850
Age: Approx.+160 years old
Size: 16.5cm diameter
Condition: Very good
This was a remarkable find for me. In 1985 I took my (then) very young children for a drive through to Canberra via Nowra on the coast. We stopped at Braidwood for a picnic lunch and noticed an Antiques dealer open. He had a stack of old plates in the $1.00 basket and my eye spotted this beauty.
The Japanese were just getting into manufacturing export ware and I suspect that these items were destined for the gold fields.
One can always tell Japanese from Chinese by the claws on the dragon. Three claws = Japanese.
The marks you see on the plate are from props in the firing process that separated each plate as its being fired.
I had it appraised about 2 years after I purchased it and it was $500 in 1988. I had it appraised again in 2010 and its now worth $1,800.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Thematic Postcards: DOLMENS, STANDING STONES, STONE CIRCLES and HENGES
My postcard collection showing Henges, Dolmens, Capped Tombs, Standing Stones and Stone Circles can be found here:
PREHISTORIC STRUCTURES
PREHISTORIC STRUCTURES
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Sung Dynasty Glazed Ceramic Bowl, circa 960-1279 AD, CHINA
Provenance: ex Private collection and Melbourne Sales Rooms
Circa: 960 - 1279 AD
Age: Approx.750 years old
Size: 10.5cm diameter
Condition: Very good with slight chip to rim
An extraordinarily beautiful translucent almost blueish off-white glazed ceramic bowl. The glaze reminds me of an delicate eggshell. Simple yet elegant as the Sung glazed wares were.
Biami Tribe Casowarry Bone Dager, circa 1945-1960 PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Provenance: Brought back from Papua New Guinea by an Australian missionary in the early 1960's
Circa: 1945-1960
Age: Approx.65 -70 years old
Size: 30 cm long
Up to the mid to late 1960's and perhaps later, the Biami of the Western Province were still to some extent practicing cannibalism. Their country on the Papuan Plateau had been rarely touched or penetrated by white men with the exception of Christian Missionaries who were swarming all over PNG in the hopes of another convert.
Historically, the Hides-O’Malley patrol of 1935 passed through part of this area. But, because of its remoteness and scattered population, very little patrolling was conducted until 1961 when a station was established at Nomad River by Mal Lang.
Patrolling after that initial contact gradually alowed white influence to flow into the region with varying degrees of confrontation.
In 1967 the area was still restricted to a certain extent. A National Geographic journalist visited the area and typical of that organisation at the time (and our white arrogance) was unbelievably angry and incensed to find he was not permitted into the area without an escort.
At that time missionaries were also restricted to just one or two a year. Just prior to 1970 journalist James Anderson was permitted to accompany a patrol conducted by Jani Darris-Wells. The result of that patrol was a book titled Cannibal; photographically a good depiction of the area but a little sensationalist.
Whenever we whites envoke the word 'cannibalism' we are beset with horrors and outrage. Of course it totally denies the evidence that in Mesolithic times and previous what were we doing? Well, of course the rest is history.
The peoples of Papua New Guinea are a wonderful and friendly people in my encouters with them from very early childhood (1965) through to this day. It is one of the last 'arks' on earth were there are species that have yet to be discovered. They are a people caught at the crossroads of development and the issue of conservation.
Tenkyu Tru!!
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