JEWELLERY, DECORATIVE & FINE ARTS AUCTION Tuesday, 5 November 2024 - 10:00 AM start
A rare New Zealand historical 1871 presentation silver whaling themed brooch,
Lot Details
made by Karl Duffner of Auckland. Engraved to the front with two whaling ships, a whaling long boat with crew chasing a large whale, a smaller whale an island in the distance. The frame with applied repeating fern leaves. The reverse presentation engraved to Captain Thomas of the barque Albion in November 1871. 'Presented To Captain Thomas "Albion" 22nd November 1871'. Stamped with maker's name and marks. 57 x 43mm. 23.5gms. Note: The Albion was built at Fairhaven, Massachusetts in 1816; registered at Gibraltar, 1865-1871; in late 1871 it was sold to Louis Nathan and Andrew Wardrop for the sum of £2600. At the time of the sale, Albion was engaged in whaling in the South Pacific, sailing out of the Bay of Islands with one season’s haul of 900 barrels of whale oil alone. Possible that this brooch was commissioned to recognise the sale or to show appreciation for Captain Thomas’ years of service. Captain Albert A Thomas is described as a “whaling master” and had served on several vessels. Papers of the time suggest that he had planned to settle in Aotearoa with his wife and family. Karl Duffner was based in Queen Street, Auckland and may have at one stage been in partnership with Adolph Kohn and likely to have been a contemporary and certainly a rival of Anton Teutenberg.
