Australiana, Vol 41 no 3, August 2019

This two-height cabinet (plate 1) has a capped, ogee-shaped cornice above, two glazed, veneer-bordered upper doors and two veneered panel doors below flanked by columns (plate 2), standing on a plinth. Its known provenance, as reported to me, is that it was found in Strathfield, Sydney, in the 1970s. Antique dealer David Cloonan bought it, believing it was Huon Pine and sent it to a Hobart dealer, David Pryor, where keen collector John Avery purchased it. The current owners bought it in 1984 and returned it to Sydney. The display case was one factor that changed the course of the owners’ collecting, but that is a story for another time.

When you are dealing with precious metals, you want to know that what you have is what it is claimed to be. European countries instituted hallmarking systems to verify this, some of them operating for over 700 years. Silver expert Jolyon Warwick James discusses how Australia had its own hallmarking system, but it lasted for less than two decades.

Gold Rush craftsmen and artists brought their European traditions with them in the mid-19th century, just as George de Nemes (György Nemes) brought his techniques, Hungarian folk art tradition, conceptions of what art should be, fantasies and recollections of totalitarian regimes under the Fascists and Communists in the mid- 20th century. Here he was accepted by artists in Melbourne, where he developed his own style of flamboyant, primitive art that drew on his international experiences, as well as making pottery. Rob La Nauze gives us the first account of his struggle to be an artist and outlines his contribution to Australian art.

Sydney stained glass artists Lyon Cottier & Co. carried out many commissions in public, private and religious buildings in their 50 years of activity from 1873 to 1924. Prominent architects chose their work for Sydney’s GPO, Government House and Parliament House. Religious services were an important and frequent part of 19th-century spiritual and social life. Dr Andrew Montana examines Lyon Cottier's decoration in city and country churches and the Great Synagogue.

The November 2018 issue featured the carved furniture of a young woman, Alice Maud Golley (1884–1961) who lived an isolated life with her immediate family on remote Wedge Island in the Spencer Gulf of South Australia. Golley’s furniture is a virtuoso display of skill and grace, yet she was untrained. Among the objects that came to light during her research before publication, Jodie was unable to locate Father Kelly’s chair; tantalisingly, only a black and white photo existed. Then, without any knowledge of the article, the owner serendipitously contacted the Port Lincoln History Group and they were magically in touch within minutes. This magnificent chair turned out to be just 20 km from Jodie’s home in the Clare Valley and had a strong Clare Valley connection to boot.