Our own Paul Meszaros is a passionate collector (among other things) and has not stopped metaphorically salivating since the fabulous objects owned by flamboyant West Australian collector Warren Anderson were recently unveiled during Warren's divorce proceedings.  Professor Paul shares with us the Anderson story ... 

....speaking of rhino horn and stuffed monkeys....

Some of our readers may have noticed an interesting article in a recent weekend edition of the Sydney Morning Herald (April 24-25, 2010, p. 5).

Apparently, the well-known WA-Inc millionaire, Warren Anderson, is embroiled in divorce proceedings which will involve the sale of his vast and eclectic collection of antiques and collectables.

Amidst all the more conventional “treasure” is a lovely range of “objets” of considerable significance in terms of natural history.  Among the hundreds of stuffed animals in this collection are numerous examples of extinct species including the North American Passenger Pigeon, last seen alive in 1920 and a pair of Huia Birds, late of New Zealand.

There are several rhinoceros heads which are expected to attract keen bidding from traditional Chinese medical practitioners who will be looking to grind up the rare and increasingly unavailable rhino horn for their exotic nostrums. As these Victorian specimens dating from the 1880s represent animals which clearly had died before the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) came into being in 1973, they can be sold legally.

Warren Anderson is also well known, if not notorious, as being the one-time owner of Tipperary Station in the Northern Territory and the private zoo of exotic animals housed on that vast estate.

Anderson built a huge menagerie of up to 2000 African animals including pygmy hippopotamus, rhinoceros and a herd of 300 scimitar-horned oryx (a species that is extinct in the wild).

Never far from scandal, Anderson was accused by the NT Government and others firstly, of mistreatment of his animal tenants (charges later withdrawn and apologies tendered) and then of shooting or allowing to be shot by hunting parties, a large number of his animals.

Anderson denied the latter accusations pointing out that the oryx had been transferred to another property where they were prospering and that many others would be sent to the Mareeba Wild Animal Park in North Queensland.  A problem in credibility arose in that the oryx ended up in Mary River Australian Safaris where the HUNTING of oryx ostensibly was necessary to “sustainably” support the oryx breeding and conservation program!

Photo by: Edwina Pickles

Photo Caption: The antique specialist Tim Squires, from Bonhams, has flown from London for the Auction.
 

The Mareeba deal collapsed when Australian Federal Police, Queensland Natural Resources and the RSPCA raided the establishment to investigate serious animal trafficking issues and the owner fled Australian jurisdiction.

After years of financial difficulties Anderson sold Tipperary and some animals seem to have been left to their own devices with a pig-shooter “accidentally” bagging a pygmy hippo while spot-lighting in 2009! (www.news.com.au/national/endangered-tipperary-animals-sold-to-nt-safari-huntin-park/story. [Nov 22 2009]) 

The sale of the collection Anderson assembled over a period of 30 years is being described as “the most glamorous and exciting single owner sale anywhere in the world this year” and will comprise 1400 lots.

The wonderful range of antiquities can be glimpsed in the accompanying photograph. One of the finest lots is a set of 12 cabinets used by Sir Joseph Banks which appear to be made of Australian timbers of the early 1800s and were probably used to send plant specimens to Sir Joseph in England. The estimated price for these cabinets at auction is more than $A250,000!

Considerably less “tasteful” than Georgian timber cabinets is the strange diorama of clothed, stuffed monkeys and kittens in a charming family tableaux which is boldly estimated to achieve $A12,000 at auction!  (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/too-strange-to-be-sold/story-e6frg8n6-1225858124673?from=public_rss)

(General Reference:  Davies, A., 2010, Epic divorce serves up a warehouse of treasure, Sydney Morning Herald, 24-25 April, p.5.

Auction to be held: Overseas Passenger Terminal, Circular Quay, Sydney, June 25-26, 2010.)