Lot 701: Pot Lid. Gustavus Gabriel, Hobart Town. Porcelain. (Tasmania)

Excellent. (8). Super lid, this is the one and only example known, as featured in the Pot Lids of Australia book by Robert Keil. This is a porcelain pot lid with overglaze print, which is mostly good, but the words Collins Street have some wear in the middle, and the rt of Hobart is worn, the Town is a bit faded too. A few minor scratches and marks. An extremely significant and early lid, Gabriel was only at this address for around a decade from the mid 1850s to the early to mid 1860s. That makes this one of Australia's earliest pot lids, comparable to the L. L. Smith age wise from Melbourne. As stated earlier, this is the example shown in Keil's book, which was sold at auction approximately 20 years ago. When sold, it had no base, whilst pictured with a base in the Keil book, this must have been misplaced prior to it going to auction. The previous sale price was $20,000 plus commission when it last sold. Gabriel began operating in 1853 in Hobart at 29 Murray Street until about 1855, then he was at 106 Collins Street to at least 1863, then in 1866 through to the early 1870s in St John Street, opposite the Quadrant in Launceston. He advertises bringing all the latest dentistry goods from Gabriel & Sons in London and Liverpool, hence those lids being found in Tasmania too. He then went to the mainland due to a lack of customers and purportedly made a fortune over there, where he was at York Street, Sydney until his passing in the later 1800s.. Estimate: $15000-20000. Reserve: $15,000.