Collectables
JOHN MCPHEE EVALUATES READERS’ PRECIOUS OBJECTS AND CURIOS.
I BOUGHT THIS
papier-mâché drinks tray at an op shop in Trentham, Victoria. I don’t know much about it, but was told it was a promotional item for an alcohol brand. I think JP was a whisky brand from the 1930s or ’40s. I’m sure it’s not worth much but would love to know the story behind the penguin or the promotion. Tahlia Anderson, Erskineville, NSW
Whisky or smoking? I cannot find a whisky distillery that used a penguin for advertising. However, from the 1930s to the 1950s Kool cigarettes used a penguin and I suspect this guy might have begun life as a promotional gimmick for them. But the bad news is that reproduction trays, reputedly made in Thailand, are available, some featuring different companies or products. I can find no truly vintage examples. The popularity of vintage advertising material as home decoration has meant that the copyists have been busy in recent years. I fear your tray is a fake.
THIS SÈVRES VASE
has been in my family for about 100 years. I believe it to be bisque porcelain which has been overlaid with filigree silver. A hairline crack is apparent throughout the piece. I know nothing of its provenance and seek your opinion. Margaret Lyons, Berwick, Victoria
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many European potteries copied works from the famous Sèvres porcelain pottery. That your Sèvres-inspired decorative jug is also marked ‘Sèvres’ suggests it was made at a pottery in the area, but it is not from the famous manufacturer. Your jug was probably made in about 1900 when displays of skill were greatly valued. The painted decoration, featuring a couple, putti and musical instruments, suggests that the jug may have been a wedding gift. Sadly the crack impacts the value.
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.