With a dazzling natural blue hue and weighing an impressive 45.52cts, the Hope diamond is unrivalled as a rare natural wonder. With impressive provenance and owners including Louis XVI, Pierre Cartier and Harry Winston, stories surrounding the stone have associated it with tragedy and misfortune – a supposed ‘curse’ of the blue diamond. Originally known […]
Following the success of our first collection of works by Wes Walters in 2020, we are pleased to present ‘A Collection of Works by Wes Walters: Part II’ within our forthcoming Auction Salon on Thursday 28 January. Known for his near-realistic portraits and abstract landscapes, Wes Walters was arguably one of the most talented artists […]
We are thrilled to announce that on the 8th of December 2020 in Sydney, the highly anticipated Important Jewels auction became our most successful sale to date, realising a total of $2,337,250 IBP across 99 lots. The collection was curated by Hamish Sharma, our recently appointed Head of Important Jewels, and included a diverse selection […]
To many people I’m sure, Leonard Joel’s association with IFAW, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, is a curious one. Typically, auction houses align with causes that in one way or another relate to the arts (we do that too with our meaningful association with Arts Project Australia) but the IFAW association is unique in […]
A true gentleman’s accessory and testament to chic style and masculinity, the Hermès Haut à Courroies is a true ‘must have’ bag for the fashion-conscious male. It was originally created by Émile-Maurice Hermès, who modelled it after the tote bags used by the Argentinian cowboys he saw whilst on a trip to South America. It has been part […]
Looking back on 2020, we featured many amazing, diverse, and interesting pieces within the Prints and Multiples auctions. I have selected a handful of my personal favourites to share with you. In April we saw ‘The Larry Rawling Collection’; Larry Rawling being a screen printer to many recognised Australian artists. Alongside this, we featured a […]
Audacious and unapologetic, Mr Brainwash presents the viewer with a collision of street art and pop art. He liberates the space of ‘high-art’, breaking codes and conventions to create instantly accessible imagery for all. But the results are carefully orchestrated. He appropriates iconic images of two twentieth-century stars, Pablo Picasso and Kate Moss. The juxtaposition […]
As we know from centuries of archaeological findings, Ancient Egyptian funerary rituals were extensive and well planned. Well preserved mummies have given us a clear vision of Egyptian civilization 3000 years ago. Mummy masks and coffins were traditionally made from wood or cartonnage (paint, plaster, linen). The rare example within our upcoming auction is crafted […]
Apart from a brief exploration with abstraction in the 1950s, Herbert Badham remained first and foremost a realist painter. His subject was the everyday. With influences coming from England, Badham gave great importance to form, tone, and light from an early age. Rather than following the Heidelberg School’s favouritism of pastoral landscapes, Badham and his […]
Leonard Joel is honoured to be handling the Rothschild Collection in December. Comprising over 700 lots, we will be offering the collection in capsule format across our suite of auctions commencing with Fine Jewels & Timepieces and Fine Art, The Thursday Auctions and finishing with Decorative Arts. Bernard and Rose Rothschild were married for over […]