May 05, 2012

The 2012 AAADA Antique Show, Australia

The AAADA Melbourne Antique Show ends today!




Set in the magnificence of Melbourne's Unique Royal Exhibition Buildings, the perfect setting for Australia's best Art & Antiques.
This is Moorabool's 'small' corner - we have over 1,000 pieces on display....
 Moorabool Antiques of Geelong stocks Australia's largest range of Antique Ceramics.
 Athena the warrior, with a rare Thomire portrait in the background......

May 01, 2012

The 2012 AAADA Melbourne Antique Fair is about to begin!

Moorabool will be coming to Melbourne for this special 'show' - and will display over 1,000 choice pieces.
Although not ceramic, I would like to share an amazing pair of andirons, also known as fire-dogs or chinets. Made from beautifully detailed bronze, they have a patinated figure seated on an ormolu scroll base. I am attracted to them because it is very easy to imagine them as a pair of Meissen - or Chelsea - porcelain figures, rather than gilt bronze!

The designs are pure Chinoiserie, and come from the wonderful imagination of Jean Pillemont (1728-1808), the French master designer of the rococo age. In his fanciful designs, Chinese figures parade through landscapes of scrollwork, often resting such as in this case. The umbrellas are a delightful feature, being organic leaf-forms very much in keeping with the rococo spirit of the pieces.
While much imitated in the 19th & 20th century, these remarkable pieces show all the signs of period ormolu, and date to the mid-18th century.


 
They are on show at the 2012 AAADA antique fair in Melbourne, and can also be seen on our website - here is their individual item page.