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00:00Music
00:30Welcome to Antiques Down Under.
00:34We're on the search for incredible antiques and collectibles.
00:37From private collections, historic homes, backyard sheds, museums and galleries.
00:43We'll be talking to the experts, the custodians and the passionate collectors.
00:47Coming up on this episode of Antiques Down Under,
00:50we visit the highlights of Potts Point and some of its history.
00:54Claudia and I discover the world of George Jensen.
00:57Claudia visits an exciting vintage shop, Potts Point Vintage.
01:04And the bells are ringing in an interview with Leo Schofield.
01:17Antiques Down Under uncovers the vintage soul of Potts Point in Sydney,
01:21where art deco gems dazzle, boutiques brim with history and Cold War secrets.
01:28Still linger.
01:36This is Kaor.
01:37Now this is a 1940 art deco apartment building.
01:41One of the greats, but it's got some interesting stories.
01:44Very sinful stories, I believe.
01:46It's to do with the KGB, that story?
01:49That's the Petrov affair.
01:50That's right.
01:51That's right.
01:511954.
01:53This is where, on the third floor, Vladimir Petrov said, OK, that's it.
01:58I give in.
01:59I'm defecting to Australia.
02:00He was a Russian spy along with his wife, Evdokia.
02:04I remember that quite clearly.
02:05And yet I was only five years old.
02:07It was a big deal.
02:08And this was it.
02:09Because we were fighting communism then.
02:11It's a Cold War.
02:12It was really a big deal.
02:14Australians were at the airport protesting because they didn't want her to be taken away,
02:19Mrs Petrov, because she hadn't defected at that stage.
02:22And they were very, very interested.
02:24And it was like good triumphing over evil when Petrov stayed in Australia.
02:28Unbelievable, isn't it?
02:30On the third floor.
02:31On the third floor.
02:32SEO next door, listening to everything he was saying.
02:34I know, they had listening devices.
02:41He used to go next door with a bloke called Dr. Michael Bilgoski, who was a Polish-Russian-speaking fellow,
02:49who was a part-time ASEO operative.
02:52And he was given the job of making Petrov defect.
02:56So they had a room where they would have women and whiskey and oysters.
03:00And ASEO are going, ooh, what's going on next door?
03:02And they would rush into the room when Mr Petrov had passed out from drinking too much,
03:07and they would photograph the contents of his briefcase.
03:09Incredible story.
03:11A beautiful part of Australia's history, though, isn't it?
03:13It is.
03:14I love Potts Point.
03:15It's got so many neat stories.
03:16You never know what's going on upstairs.
03:27Claudia, what are you going to show me in Potts Point now?
03:29I think you might have noticed we're here at the Metro Theatre.
03:321939, designed by architect Bruce Dellert in the streamlined modern Art Deco style.
03:38I just love it.
03:39It's the jewel in the crown of Potts Point.
03:46Originally the Minerva Theatre, it was home to both live performance and cinema,
03:50and became the Metro in 1952.
03:53Save from developers, this Art Deco treasure still stands as a symbol of Potts Point's rich cultural past.
04:00It's a beautiful building, but it's right up your alley, isn't it?
04:04Isn't it famous for something else?
04:06Well, there was the controversial staging of the rock opera Hair, which I went to in 1969.
04:12Oh, did you?
04:13And it was fantastic.
04:15Then there was the controversial nude scene.
04:17They were afraid they were going to be shut down.
04:19Well, it didn't.
04:20It didn't let me see anything.
04:22It was all backlit.
04:24And Claudia, look what I found.
04:26This is the original Australian cast recording of Hair.
04:28How funny is that?
04:29Exactly.
04:30I think it was only yesterday.
04:31So you're going to go home and listen to it?
04:34I can't.
04:35I haven't got a record player anymore.
04:44Well, we're in Potts Point.
04:45I'm sure we'll find something here.
04:47Come on.
04:47Today I'm with Bruce at the Wentworth Park Antiques and Collectibles Market, and Bruce
05:05is going to try and identify this little object.
05:08Bruce?
05:09My mum would call it a wigwam for a goose's bridle.
05:13It's obviously from Victoria Rail.
05:19I'm going to say it's some form of, oh, trinket for Guinness beer.
05:27Guinness beer?
05:27Yeah.
05:28Yeah, okay.
05:28Well, it's got Guinness written on it, hasn't it?
05:30Yeah, yeah.
05:30Of course, I have a VR on as well.
05:33I'm with Marty.
05:34He's going to try and guess what this is.
05:39I think it's like a printing template for branding.
05:43The Guinness beer.
05:44The Guinness?
05:45Yeah.
05:45Well, we all like Guinness, don't we?
05:48Do you want to guess the mystery object?
05:51Head to our Facebook and Instagram pages to enter.
05:58I'm meeting up with a collector of vintage fashion, where every piece has a past and every
06:03look tells a story.
06:04I'm with Arnie at Potts Point Vintage.
06:13Arnie, this is like an Aladdin's cave.
06:16I love it in here.
06:17Thanks.
06:18I've been collecting for years and I just sort of put it all together and made my own thing.
06:23Fantastic.
06:24Now, I need to talk about what you're wearing first.
06:27This is the, I don't know, is this the I've been everywhere man jacket?
06:31What are you wearing?
06:32Oh, well, you know, it's my sort of Australiana theme.
06:35Bit of everything, you know.
06:37But it's a rotary jacket.
06:38Yeah, yeah.
06:39And they're all the places that this jacket's been.
06:42So it's got quite a journey.
06:44And when I put it on, it makes me sort of feel special.
06:46We've got New South Wales on your hat, the Bong Bong Picnic Race hat.
06:50They still owe me money from those races.
06:53So how did you get into vintage?
06:55Oh, well, look, I started my journey doing some antiques.
06:59And, you know, from there, I just would come across a lot of vintage pieces.
07:03And I just fell in love with it slowly.
07:05Realised, you know, how good the fabrics were, the quality.
07:10And it was a little bit eccentric, but not over the top, which sort of just suits me fine.
07:14So are you saying you're eccentric?
07:17A little bit, just a little bit.
07:20So what were you doing before you got into vintage?
07:26What was your day job?
07:27Oh, well, I was, you know, I was an auditor for some time.
07:30I was bored.
07:31Life just took me down this path.
07:33So you did have some sense of business then?
07:35Yeah, no, I did.
07:37I did.
07:37And, you know, I worked with a lot of knowledgeable people.
07:40You need that sort of business sense because, you know, you can be arty and crafty.
07:45But if you haven't got the business now, then you're going to end up in that 80% that don't survive.
07:50Yeah, that's true.
07:51And how long have you been here?
07:52Ten years here in Potts Point.
07:54So you're a survivor?
07:55Yeah, yeah.
07:57Well, you've got to love what you do.
07:58I think that's the secret.
07:59If you love what you do, you're off to a great start.
08:02So looking around here, what eras and fashion are we looking at?
08:06Well, I mean, I've got a couple of pieces from the 1880s, France, but most stuff really from the 1920s to the 80s.
08:14That's what people want.
08:18You've got a lot of wedding gowns.
08:20Well, that's what I specialise in.
08:22So, you know, I sort of buy the nice designed wedding gowns, 60s and that era.
08:29People like that sort of thing.
08:31The problem, though, like a lot of people would get their wedding dress back then, and then after using it for their wedding, they'd have it altered into a cocktail dress.
08:39So, you know, there's a lot of those around which I try to avoid.
08:42I just try to get an original piece, but, you know, it can be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
08:52I love all of this.
08:53Look at these prints, prints, prints.
08:55Oh, my goodness.
08:57I think we found something for Gregory here.
09:00Got Gregory's name on it.
09:01Everyone loves a bit of 70s countdown, don't they?
09:03Oh, absolutely.
09:04It looks like it's a test pattern, isn't it?
09:05Oh, exactly, exactly.
09:07At midnight, that's it.
09:09That's what you saw at midnight.
09:10Yeah, then the little kangaroo comes out and goes to sleep.
09:12Yeah, gee.
09:14And, oh, my goodness, me, 70s.
09:17Is this 70s?
09:19Oh, that's a 70s, yeah.
09:2170s jumpsuit.
09:22Very Charlie's Angels with the big bell bottoms.
09:25Look at these.
09:26I used to love wearing a jumpsuit in the 80s.
09:29Bit of a tricky thing when you had to go to the ladies' room.
09:36Have you got any designer?
09:37I've got a John Paul Gaultier jacket.
09:39Ooh, male or female?
09:40Male.
09:41Oh, that's no good to me.
09:46So, looking at this jacket, we've got Bay City Rollers, Neil Young and Status Quo.
09:51It's a bit mixed.
09:53Three different types of music.
09:55I'll say Bay City Rollers.
09:57Hello, Derek.
09:58Hello, Eric.
10:06Arnie, have you ever had a piece that you found had the most amazing provenance?
10:12Yes, I have.
10:13This hat here was a presidential gift from President Lyndon Johnson to the New South Wales Transport
10:20Minister, MP Philip Morton.
10:23Goodness me.
10:24Doesn't look like it's ever been worn.
10:25He's never worn it because he preferred his top hats and his dapper suits.
10:29And I got that from the family who wanted me to have it.
10:32My job's to be there to get that, put it in the shop.
10:36And, you know, the customers love it around here.
10:38This is the cool spot of Sydney.
10:40In our crawl through Potts Point, Antiques Down Under has discovered this incredible shop,
11:07Antiques, Art and Design.
11:10And the owner, Christopher Becker, is with me now.
11:12And he has a passion for George Jensen.
11:14Christopher, welcome to Antiques Down Under.
11:16Welcome, Gregory.
11:17It's great to have you here.
11:18And your passion, where did it start?
11:20So, I grew up on a farm in the middle of central Queensland.
11:23And I used to feed 13 cattle dogs a day to fuel a collection of cups and saucers.
11:35What led you into George Jensen?
11:37So, look, it's the simplicity and the elegance, the timelessness of the design.
11:42The thing that's so wonderful is it's still contemporary today, even though some of it was designed 50, 60, 70 years ago.
11:48Now, Christopher, what have you got here in this beautiful cabinet?
11:56Well, let's start with a cocktail, Gregory.
11:58What's your favourite cocktail?
11:59Oh, I don't know.
12:00It's been so long since I've had one.
12:02Well, this is a really beautiful cocktail shaker from Jensen.
12:06You can see that it reflects his interest in flowers and nature with these sort of tendril-style handles, the cactus flower, a little knob on the top.
12:19These, as far as table items go, is particularly rare because, obviously, if you think about it, if you bought the cutlery and the candlesticks and the napkin rings and whatever else,
12:30the cocktail shaker's right at the very end of that wish list, so, you know, to find these, these are particularly rare.
12:37And what about the champagne bucket?
12:39Well, I don't have one of those at the moment, Gregory, but I'm always on the lookout.
12:43But this one is from about 1930, and it has the early marks, which is always great to see.
12:50And that, of course, in the 1930s was famous for a cocktail time.
12:53Yes, exactly.
12:54And we're living again now, aren't we?
13:00What else can you show us in the collection?
13:01Well, down here, this bowl, which dates from the 50s, is quite a rare piece for Jensen.
13:09Most people looking at this wouldn't think of this as Jensen because of the decorative enamel overlay that it has.
13:16It's by a designer called Inga Hammann, who was commissioned by Jensen to produce these one-off pieces.
13:24She was a master enamelist.
13:25Wonderful.
13:26We've seen a whole ray from the 1930s to the 1960s.
13:30Now we'd better let Claudia have a go at the jewellery, wouldn't we?
13:33Oh, indeed.
13:38Christopher, I have to thank you for the loan of the earrings.
13:42They're a loan, aren't they?
13:43I'm afraid so, Claudia.
13:45Oh, dearie me.
13:46How many carats are these diamonds?
13:47Two and a half in those earrings.
13:50Yeah.
13:50And they're Belle Epoque, so from about 1900.
13:54Just my time.
13:55They look gorgeous.
13:55And seeing we're talking about Jensen, I did wear my Viviana watch in honour of you.
14:00Oh, thank you.
14:01So I think we all go together very nicely here.
14:04They do.
14:05And there's an interesting story with this watch, is that it was originally designed actually as an art sculpture.
14:11So it was designed without a minute hand or an hour hand and just a second hand.
14:18And the idea was that when you looked in the watch, you could see time passing, but yourself within that.
14:24You can see from her pieces, these are all torn here.
14:30And you can see that they've got that elegance and refinement to them, but still very modern and contemporary at the same time.
14:38So tell me about this piece that we have.
14:40Is it rock crystal?
14:41So rock crystal and onyx.
14:43And it's a 1967 design, so one of the first designs that she did for Jensen.
14:50But this is one of the rarer pieces.
14:51Why is it so rare these days?
14:54Did she not do very many because it was the beginning of her career?
14:58Look, I think there was a couple of reasons.
14:59I think these were very time consuming to produce.
15:03And so it was sort of the upper end of the price bracket.
15:05Most people would be familiar with this.
15:07This is part of the Mobius collection.
15:10And Mobius was a range that went right from rings, earrings, brooches, pendants.
15:15And it's still produced, or some of it's still produced by Jensen today.
15:18Well, that'll just have to come home with me too.
15:21I just, I don't know, I'll rattle as I come out of here.
15:24Christopher, thank you so much.
15:26It's been such a pleasure playing dress-ups with you.
15:28Not a problem.
15:29I'll start wrapping.
15:31Excuse me, guys, but you've got the diamonds.
15:34I've got the tiara.
15:37Today I'm here in Antique Decorative Arts in Potts Point
16:06with a well-known Sydney identity, Leo Schofield.
16:10Morning, Leia.
16:11Good morning.
16:12How are you?
16:13You've got an incredible career in the arts community.
16:17Tell us a little bit about it.
16:18Well, I guess it kicked off when I was a kid.
16:22And I was always interested in the decorative arts generally.
16:27And when I went to London, my ex-wife and I were absolutely swept away by the offerings
16:35that they would have at all levels of cultural activity.
16:38As a teenager, I began to collect small objects, but nothing.
16:43Everything was portable and affordable.
16:45So today, the bells are ringing for Leo Schofield, aren't they?
16:49Well, they're not ringing very much because they weren't made to be rung.
16:56You've got this beautiful bell collection here in Ian's shop.
17:00What inspired you to do an exhibition of your collection?
17:03Well, Ian inspired me to do the exhibition.
17:06But what got me started was a purchase when I was 18, which is a long time ago because
17:12I'm heading up to 90.
17:13I bought a bell from a very well-known Sydney dealer called Stanley Lipscomb.
17:18He was the premier dealer in Sydney.
17:20And I paid 12 and sixpence for it, which is about half my salary.
17:24And over the years, I added to it.
17:26And in more recent years, as I've downsized from larger houses, I've found it a more interesting
17:33collection to pursue or a collecting habit to pursue.
17:41The history of bells, what can you tell me about it?
17:44At the end of the day, when the master glassblowers had gone home, the kids had their own other
17:51place because they kept the furnaces going all night rather than stoke them up every day.
17:54So they were able to melt the glass and experiment with it and practice their craft.
17:59And all of the techniques of working glass, the looping of decoration, the applying of rims
18:08of a different colour, even a little on the top of the thing, a little nipple of a different
18:13colour because they might have a bit of it to use, and they'd pop it on.
18:17They were also served in fairs, local fairs, at a coconut shire or a shooting range or whatever
18:22they were had going. They were a prize as it could be won for skills.
18:26They also had a life, one understands, as wedding bells, and they were given in pairs
18:32to be put on a mantelpiece. It's more like a folk art in a way.
18:36The different colours.
18:43Well, they're all achieved differently with different chemical additions. The most famous
18:47one, of course, is the Bristol blue. And there's a bowl shelf of them there. But they're made
18:52that colour. The colour carries the name with the addition of cobalt. I suspect that all the
18:59handles were made independently. I think the bowl of the bell was possibly made in a mould.
19:05So, how you get a little perfect bell-like shape. But the handles, sometimes, are works
19:11of art unto themselves. And they contain, often, twists of colour up the middle of the
19:17stem.
19:18We'll go on and we'll have a look at some of the important pieces in your collection.
19:21Sure.
19:22And it's been great having a chat about bells, because a lot of people don't relate to them
19:27very well these days.
19:30I think there aren't too many nutters who collect them.
19:37Now, Leo, you've got some special ones up here. Tell us about them.
19:41Yes, they're probably the pride and joy of the collection, because they demonstrate a
19:44lot of the techniques. First of all, they're a beautiful colour, a sort of teal blue. And
19:51then they have these remarkable air twists in the stem, which you often see in Georgian
19:56drinking glasses, but rarely here. The coloured ones are particularly rare. They have a nice
20:01band of white, and those little nipples on the top, little beehive-shaped nipples of opaque
20:07turquoise glass. So, a lot of colours mixed up, but a very creative expression. And these
20:13two were probably given as wedding bells. And now down here. These again illustrate the
20:20quirkiness of the whole thing. First of all, they have this Latticinio decoration, which
20:24dates back to ancient Roman times. The glass actually has the colour worked in it, and then
20:29a nail was used to draw up the, draw up that into loops.
20:45Hi, Bonnie. It's great to have you on the show today. Now, you're going to tell me all
20:50about this. I am. Now, this is a piece of petrified wood that was found inside a gum tree. And you
20:59can see the lines of the wood actually in there, and it's very heavy, actually. Can't
21:05see that through the television. No, you can't, but it's extremely old. Just
21:09that shape that throws you through someone's window. Maybe not today. No, exactly. Well,
21:17thanks, Bonnie. Thanks for telling us what it is. No problem. Great. Now that was tricky.
21:22Did you get it right? Don't forget, you can guess this week's What Is It? by heading to
21:26our Facebook and Instagram pages.
21:33Next time on Antiques Down Under, the history of gay rights in Australia, as Gregory visits
21:38Cutopia in Sydney. I play with the monkeys. The monkeys of Melbourne ceramics, that is.
21:47And Elizabeth and Gregory discover the world of recycling and upcycling.
21:52Have a great day.
21:59Stay tuned for it.
22:03I'll see you next time.
22:04Bye.
22:06Bye.
22:14Bye.
22:16Bye.
22:17Bye.
22:18Bye.
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