We visited pianist, composer, natural history enthusiast, and internationally renowned shell collector Jason Earle-Sprague at his Melbourne home, where he spends his time when he’s not working on a musical project in London. A Leonard Joel client since our St Kilda days, Sprague also collects early Chinese ceramics, antiquarian books, fine art, and European furniture. […]
In these gender fluid times, starting off as one thing and ending up as something else is less of a headline, but the story of how this spectacular pair of commodes were part of a scandal that rocked the antique market in the late 1990s and early 2000s in a court case embroiling one […]
There are many printmaking methods available to artists, and as a collector, it helps to know a little about how your piece was created. Each process uses specific printing techniques that artists make their own, depending on the desired effect. The most popular methods of printmaking today are screen printing, lithography, etching, and linocut printing. […]
It is hard to believe that our Luxury department is in its tenth year. A lot has changed since we first began with a large collection of designer items that were presented to us by a single vendor. The department has grown immensely since that first auction in April 2011. What a varied auction it […]
“If people understand, there’s no need to explain. If they don’t, there’s no use explaining.” Jean Prouvé Rejecting the elegant tubular steel of Le Corbusier and Marcel Breuer’s furniture, Jean Prouvé became the first designer to adapt for domestic purposes the industrial machines that folded, bent, and stamped sheet metal. His career spanned more than […]
What is Photorealism? Photorealism is an art term and movement that describes art which aims to appear ‘photographic’, often with fine detail, high clarity, and a focus on realism. Originally beginning in the 1960s, the Photorealist movement involved masterful technical execution, often on a large scale, bringing together the photographic and painting mediums to reflect […]
We are thrilled to welcome Patricia Kontos, formerly of Sotheby’s Melbourne, to Leonard Joel’s Fine Jewels & Timepieces team. Keep on reading to get to know our new Senior Specialist… — Tell us a bit about yourself and your background in auctions and jewellery. I have had a lifelong interest in art and design and began in […]
Why are people drawn to collections and collecting? Whether born out of curiosity, aesthetic appreciation or financial investment, every collection ultimately reflects a story which is inextricably enmeshed with each collector’s unique identity. In the world of jewellery collecting, the most personal of collecting spheres, the genesis that gives rise to any captivating, enlightening, inspiring […]
Elsa Peretti “not only created a model for style and elegance that defined contemporary life, she changed forever the way people think about jewellery and incorporating fine taste in their lives.” William R. Chaney, company chairman at Tiffany & Co. The Italian-born jewellery designer, Elsa Peretti, is widely recognized as one of the most important […]
At present, I would have a handful of clients wondering whether now is a good time to sell? The question is not an uncommon one, most pronounced after a significant and impactful event on either a national or international scale or, simply, with reference to a period in the calendar. Prior to this global pandemic, […]