Stockists

JOHN MCPHEE EVALUATES READERS’ PRECIOUS OBJECTS.

I NEED

some help identifying this item I bought second hand recently. It looks like a perfume bottle, but I’m not sure what it is and how much it’s worth. Kasia Franc, BLACKBURN, VICTORIA

This is a very pretty perfume bottle that was probably made in Birmingham in the late 19th or early 20th century. It would originally have been part of a dressing table set, including a variety of silver-mounted glass bottles, jars and boxes for powders, perfumes, combs and even jewellery. An extensive set would include hairbrushes and a hand mirror. These sets were popular and every woman had, or aspired to, have one. Less expensive sets were made from porcelain and glass. The hallmarks on the silver will help you pinpoint an exact date, place of manufacture and perhaps who made the silver mount. The lid needs to be repaired and a silversmith who specialises in repairs could do this. Fully restored and cleaned, this perfume bottle will sparkle.

AN ELDERLY

relative bought this clock for me so I have little knowledge of its background. Can you tell me anything about it? I believe the clock was made around 1720. Di Durston, MOUNT NASURA, WA

Because my mother loved clocks and they were ticking, chiming and gonging all over the house, I’ve never taken an interest in them! This appears to be a good-quality bracket clock by John Latham of London. If it is, the value might be as high as $5000 to $10,000. These clocks were popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. At a time when clocks were expensive, households might only have one and it could be carried from room to room, and set on with gilded decorations and two small panels of tortoiseshell. However, there are some things about the style of this clock that concern me and I suggest that you have it inspected by a reputable antique dealer who knows more about clocks than I do. John Mcphee is an art historian who has worked in art museums for 30 years and was curator of Australian Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Australia. If you have a precious (or simply mysterious) object that puzzles you, send your inquiry, along with a colour print or high-resolution digital image, your suburb or town, and your daytime telephone number to austcountrystyle@bauer-media.com.au. The photographs must be clear and show the whole object against a white background. Photographs will not be returned, even if they are not published.