Decorative object made by Ernest Leviny probably to sell in his jewellers and watchmakers shop in Market Square Castlemaine.Silver mounted emu egg goblet with gold-wash interior and cast emu figure on lid. Silver stem has elaborate scrolled ribbon design and cast decoration topped by four heads of the god Pan. Filigree silver design of grapes and vine leaves above base. 'Egg' rests in 'cup' of filigree feathers/shell and acanthus leaves. Lost wax casting method used.Noneernest leviny, silversmithing, colonial silverware, decorative arts, natural history specimens, ornithology

Decorative object made by silversmith Ernest Leviny.Silver mounted emu egg goblet with detachable silver lid decorated with a kneeling Aboriginal figure holding weapons (spear is missing). Emu egg is mounted on a silver base with filigree acanthus leaf designwork on the stem, leading to four sprays on the egg surface with a rose, thistle and shamrock design. The inner egg is lined with a gold wash.Noneernest leviny, silversmithing, colonial silverware, castlemaine, emu egg goblet, buda, c 1859

This tablespoon was recovered from an unknown shipwreck in the coastal waters of Victoria in the late 1960s to early 1970s. The shipwrecks in the area range from around the 1840s to the early 1930s, and this particular spoon dates from about 1866 to 1932. It is part of the John Chance Collection. This spoon has the embossed names of Pompton and Silver and appears to have other marks that have worn off. The Pompton brand was used on silver flatware made by Cooper Brothers & Sons. Ltd of Sheffield. In Australia the Pompton Silver cutlery was advertised for sale in Sydney in the mid-1920s. The spoon is likely to be plated silver or silver plate, which is a base metal such as nickel or nickel alloy with copper and/or zinc that has been plated or coated with a thin layer of silver. Wear on the metal will cause the base metals to appear through the silver plating. Some manufacturers gave a warranty that the cutlery was ‘white throughout’ but didn’t necessarily say it was solid silver. Cooper Brothers was established in 1866 by brothers Thomas and John William Cooper in High Street, Sheffield. They bought Don Plate Works in 1872. By 1876 they were at Bridge Street and in 1885 they purchased the works at 44 Arundel St Sheffield. In 1895 the firm became Cooper Brothers & Sons Ltd. By 1914 they had branches in London, Sydney, Melbourne and Montreal, advertising as silversmiths, silver cutlers, electroplaters, Britannia Metal smiths and cutlers, particularly spoons and forks. The firm also used the trademarks of DON SILVER, POMPTON SILVER and a logo of a Cooper (barrel maker) in different formats. Cooper Brothers & Sons had a reputation for producing good quality silver and silver plate. In 1900 they registered their Maker’s Mark of the letters ‘CB&s’ within a shield. They also used the Sheffield Assay Hallmark of a Crown. A diagram on a Copper Brothers & Sons, Don Plate Works, advertisement showed three styles of cutlery; No. 393, Old English, and Fiddle. They announced that they were the ‘sole makers of the celebrated “Don” brand of nickel silver spoons and forks’. A burglary in NSW in 1929 listed a stolen flatware set as ‘all Sheffield Silver plate and branded Pompton Silver Works A.1.’. It was ‘guaranteed to wear white throughout’ and was a ‘good, medium quality, nickel silver line’. Cooper Brothers & Sons Ltd. was acquired in 1983 by Frank Cobb & Co. Ltd. Although the spoon is not linked to a particular shipwreck, it is recognised as being historically significant as an example of cutlery either as part of the ship’s flatware service or imported for use in Colonial Victoria in the 19th to early 20th century. The spoon is significant for its association with renowned makers Cooper Brothers of Sheffield, makers of silverware from the 1860s to the 1980s and exporters into the Colonies. The spoon is also significant as it was recovered by John Chance, a diver in Victoria’s coastal waters in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Items that come from several wrecks have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. Spoon; plated silver tablespoon with brown base metal. Handle is Old English design and is embossed - some marks are worn and unidentifiable. Branded Pompton Silver.Embossed within two rectangular shapes “POMPTON” and “SILVER” (other marks have worn off)flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, john chance, cutlery, flatware silver, silver plate, antique flatware, old english flatware pattern, eating utensils, spoon, tablespoon, silverware, dining utensil, cooper brothers, don plate works, pompton silver, sheffield silver

Wilfred Clarence Busse, born in Chiltern in 1898, His family moved to the region during the gold rush and continued to reside in the area, purchasing land adjacent the Murray River. Busse completed his secondary education at Wesley College in Melbourne then studied law at the University of Melbourne. Busse went on to become a barrister, often in the chambers of Sir Leo Finn Bernard Cussen (1859-1933) a judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria. He worked most of his life in Chiltern as a Barrister and Solicitor and gained the unofficial title of historian of Chiltern, leaving behind several manuscript histories and a scrap book. Busse was an avid fictional writer and in 1930 he published two novels. Time spent on a Victorian station in his early twenties, as well as careful documentary research, informed the writing of his historical novels of bush life. "The Blue Beyond; A Romance of the Early Days in South Eastern Australia” and "The Golden Plague: A Romance of the Early Fifties." "The Golden Plague” won the T. E. Role gold medal for the best historical novel which went on to become a best seller. Busse often drew inspiration for his novels from his younger years living Chiltern. His passion for the region lead him to write “The History of Chiltern” which was published in a serial form in the Chiltern Federal Standard from 1922-1923. Wilfred Clarence Busse was a member of Chiltern Athenaeum (where this object is now held) up until his death in 1960, he is buried in the Barnawartha Cemetery. The leaf shaped motif of this particular spoon appears to be stylised in a simple form of decorative arts and craft or even Art Nouveau style favoured in Europe between 1880-1920 and less representational than examples of Australiana flora captured in silversmithing from the 1850's onwards. According to Christine Erratt, due to the goldrush in the 1850's, there was increased wealth in the colony and an influx of immigrants from Europe to Australia who brought with them silversmithing skills which began ‘the golden age’ of Australian silver', Erratt says that 'Australia's unique flora has been portrayed in the decorative arts since the early colonial times of the last decade of the 18th century. The use of Australian flora to decorate silverware is of particular interest and diversity'. It is likely that those producing silverware at the time would be drawing on the decorative arts movement while incorporating elements of the natural beauty in the flora of their newfound environment into the silverware they produced. There are no discerning maker hallmarks to place where it was produced or ascertain the material accurately.Wilfred Clarence Busse was of social significance to Chiltern, he helped to document the cultural story of the area in his published works "The Golden Plague" and "The Beyond Blue" by recounting his own upbringing in a bush lifestyle. He was a respected Barrister and was the unofficial historian of the Chiltern Athenaeum for many years. This spoon represents a window into the domestic life of this person who was well loved in the area, and it continues its relationship to Busse as well as Chiltern by being held within the very collection he helped to maintain in his life. Domestic objects tell us the story about how people lived, objects of daily use hold particular meaning in that they can tell us the story of an individual, we feel closer to their life and habits, it humanises and connects us across time. A tarnished small silver teaspoon with leaf-shaped head and slim handlesilverware, wilfred clarence busse, busse, chiltern, chiltern athenaeum, federal standard, t. e. role, "the blue beyond, a romance of the early days in south eastern australia”, "the golden plague: a romance of the early fifties.", "the golden plague”, wesley college, university of melbourne, sir leo finn bernard cussen, supreme court of victoria, gold rush, murray river, “the history of chiltern”, silversmithing, spoon, decorative arts, floral, flora, australiana, australian flora, arts and craft movement, australian silver, cussen