Antique Road Show
The Lamm Jewish Library of Australia was transformed into an “Antiques Roadshow” as the community came together for the Zionist Council of Victoria’s inaugural event.
Mossgreen Managing Director, Charles Leski discussing the orgins of some pieces
There were books, lace, bric-a-brac, paintings, silver, jewellery and Judaica galore as the community embraced the opportunity to learn about their family pieces and have them appraised by the specialists from Mossgreen Auctions.
The experts included Mossgreen Managing Director Charles Leski, decorative arts specialists Harry Glenn and Sandy Bruce and jewellery expert Patti Sedgwick were not disappointed.
Chanukiahs, samovars, tapestries, Llandro and silver candlesticks were brought to the various experts for appraisal and information. The stories behind the items were incredible and the experts were astounded that so many of these pieces survived the passage of time.
Faberge set
We heard about a candelabra from Cracow that survived, after being hidden during the war, a Chanukiah from the 1850’s that was saved from the pogroms and items that were discovered after the war which had been hidden in a cupboard in Slovakia and returned to the rightful owners and heirs. These finds were even more astounding and miraculous as neither the Nazis nor the Russians had discovered their hiding place.
Each piece had its own unique story to tell and there were some treasures among the items as well. These included an original Chagall watercolour painting and a museum quality Faberge Kiddush cup.
The day was a huge success from people wanting to be part of this activity and learn about the history of their heirlooms.
