Provenance
Powerhouse has identified a group of objects requiring further research into their provenance. The museum welcomes any information that may help fill in gaps such as those caused by incomplete chain of titles or missing evidence of provenance details. Details may be refined and updated as research progresses.
Transport Collection
Model of a British line of battleship
Loan No. L489
Object Statement
Model of a British line of battle ship, wood / metal / string period, c.1705
Credit Line
Lent by Mr S L Beeston, Kensington, Australia, 1936
Notes
1936
Lent by S L Beeston (Deceased, 1985)
1985
Miss Breckenridge acts as executor of Mr Beeston’s Estate
Middle East Collection
Sufi vases from Persia
Loan No. L934
Object Statement
Sufi vases, cast, hand chased and pierced, brass, Isfahan / Shiraz, Persia (Iran), Qajar era, 1900s
Credit Line
Lent by Mr Fairness, Persia, 1958
Notes
1958
Lent by Mr Fairness, Persia
Unknown date – 1958
Owned by Mr Fairness, Persia
Earthenware oil lamp from Middle East
Loan No. L936-1
Object Statement
Oil lamp, earthenware, maker unknown, Middle East, 900s → 1200s
Credit Line
Lent by P J Grundfest, 1959
Notes
1959
Lent by P J Grundfest on behalf of Mr Bernard Havinden of Junee
Earthenware oil lamp from Middle East
Loan No. L936-2
Object Statement
Oil lamp, earthenware, maker unknown, Middle East, 900s → 1200s
Credit Line
Lent by P J Grundfest, 1959
Notes
1959
Lent by P J Grundfest on behalf of Mr Bernard Havinden of Junee
Earthenware oil lamp from Middle East
Loan No. L936-3
Object Statement
Oil lamp, earthenware, maker unknown, Middle East, 900s → 1200s
Credit Line
Lent by P J Grundfest
Date
1959
Notes
Lent by P J Grundfest on behalf of Mr Bernard Havinden of Junee
Asian Collection
Figure of Kubera on a dragon
Accession No. 2014/132/31
Object Statement
Figure, of Kubera (Jambhala/Vaisravana) on a dragon, silver / turquoise, Tibet / China, 1700s
Credit Line
Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Alastair Morrison
Notes
2005
Acquired into the Powerhouse Collection through the Cultural Gifts Program
Unknown date – 2005
Owned by Alastair Morrison, ACT, Australia
June 2002
Sold through Parkham Place Gallery, Surry Hills, Australia
Prior to 2002
Alex Biancardi
Tibetan vajra
Accession No. 2014/132/28
Object Statement
Bell, five-metal bronze alloy, Tibet, 1700s → 1800s
Credit Line
Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Alastair Morrison
Notes
2005
Acquired into the Powerhouse Collection through the Cultural Gifts Program
Unknown date – 2005
Owned by Alastair Morrison, ACT, Australia
June 2002
Sold through Parkham Place Gallery, Surry Hills, Australia
Prior to 2002
Alex Biancardi
Ritual bell from Tibet
Accession No. 2014/132/29
Object Statement
Bell, five-metal bronze alloy, Tibet, 1700s → 1800s
Credit Line
Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Alastair Morrison
Notes
2005
Acquired into the Powerhouse Collection through the Cultural Gifts Program
Unknown date – 2005
Owned by Alastair Morrison, ACT, Australia
June 2002
Sold through Parkham Place Gallery, Surry Hills, Australia
Prior to 2002
Alex Biancardi
Standing Buddha figure from Nepal
Accession No. 2014/132/34
Object Statement
Figure, of Buddha Sakyamuni, copper / stone / textile, Nepal, 800s → 900s, base is of unknown later date
Credit line
Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Alastair Morrison
Notes
2005
Acquired into the Powerhouse Collection through the Cultural Gifts Program
Unknown date – 2005
Owned by Alastair Morrison, ACT, Australia
June 2002
Sold through Parkham Place Gallery, Surry Hills, Australia
Prior to 2002
Alex Biancardi
Padmapani figure from Java
Accession No. 2014/132/38
Object Statement
Figure, of Padmapani, bronze, Java, Indonesia, 800s → 900s
Credit Line
Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Alastair Morrison
Notes
2005
Acquired into the Powerhouse Collection through the Cultural Gifts Program
Unknown date – 2005
Owned by Alastair Morrison, ACT, Australia
June 2002
Sold through Parkham Place Gallery, Surry Hills, Australia
Prior to 2002
Alex Biancardi
Shakyamuni Buddha figure from India
Accession No. 2014/132/42
Object Statement
Figure, of Gautama Buddha, bronze, India, 1000s → 1100s
Credit Line
Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Alastair Morrison
Notes
2005
Acquired into the Powerhouse Collection through the Cultural Gifts Program
Unknown date – 2005
Owned by Alastair Morrison, ACT, Australia
June 2002
Sold through Parkham Place Gallery, Surry Hills, Australia
Prior to 2002
Alex Biancardi
Dhyani Buddha Vairochana figure from Indonesia
Accession No. 2014/132/27
Object Statement
Figure, of Dhynibuddha Vairochana, bronze, Java, Indonesia, 800s → 900s
Credit Line
Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Alastair Morrison
Notes
2005
Acquired into the Powerhouse Collection through the Cultural Gifts Program
Unknown date – 2005
Owned by Alastair Morrison, ACT, Australia
June 2002
Sold through Parkham Place Gallery, Surry Hills, Australia
Prior to 2002
Alex Biancardi
Kadampa Chorten (stupa) sculpture from Tibet
Accession No. 2014/132/26
Object Statement
Sculpture, of Kadampa Chorten (stupa), bronze, Tibet, 1200s
Credit Line
Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Alastair Morrison
Notes
2005
Acquired into the Powerhouse Collection through the Cultural Gifts Program
Unknown date – 2005
Owned by Alastair Morrison, ACT, Australia
June 2002
Sold through Parkham Place Gallery, Surry Hills, Australia
Prior to 2002
Alex Biancardi
Bronze figure of seated Buddha from Cambodia
Accession No. 2014/132/36
Object Statement
Figure, of seated Buddha, bronze, Cambodia (Khmer), 1000s
Credit Line
Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Alastair Morrison
Notes
2005
Acquired into the Powerhouse Collection through the Cultural Gifts Program
Unknown date – 2005
Owned by Alastair Morrison, ACT, Australia
June 2002
Sold through Parkham Place Gallery, Surry Hills, Australia
Prior to 2002
Alex Biancardi
Bronze figure of Buddha Muchalinda from Cambodia
Accession No. 2014/132/35
Object Statement
Figure, of Buddha Muchalinda, bronze, Cambodia (Khmer), 1100s
Credit Line
Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Alastair Morrison
Notes
2005
Acquired into the Powerhouse Collection through the Cultural Gifts Program
Unknown date – 2005
Owned by Alastair Morrison, ACT, Australia
June 2002
Sold through Parkham Place Gallery, Surry Hills, Australia
Prior to 2002
Alex Biancardi
Temple bell from China
Accession No. H7752
Object Statement
Cast bronze, maker unknown, Tartar City, Beijing, China, 1438 (Ming dynasty). Transferred to Powerhouse Museum from the Australian Museum in 1942
Notes
February 1902–1942
Australian Museum Accession no. H541.
Donated to the Australian Museum by Hon. John See (Premier of NSW and Colonial Secretary)
June 1901
On display at the Children’s Industrial Exhibition, Moore Park
May 1901
Brought back from Beijing. It was at the China Navigation Co’s Wharf, Miller’s Point, Sydney (according to a letter to the Colonial secretary (John See) dated 13 May 1901 from A Gillespie, Captain commanding NSW Naval Contingent)
1900
The bell was acquired by a party of NSW China contingent who were serving with the British troops in China and found it half buried in the ground of a ruined Buddhist temple in the ‘Tartar city’ of Beijing
Standing mirror from China
Accession No. H7751
Object Statement
Cheval mirror, blackwood / glass / lacquer / metal, unknown maker, possibly used in the Wanshou si (Temple of Longevity), Beijing, China, 1900s. Transferred to Powerhouse Museum from the Australian Museum in 1942
Notes
February 1902–1942
Australian Museum Accession no. H541.
Donated to the Australian Museum by Hon. John See (Premier of NSW and Colonial Secretary)
May 1901
Brought back from Beijing. It was at the China Navigation Co’s Wharf, Miller’s Point, Sydney (according to a letter to the Colonial secretary (John See) dated 13 May 1901 from A Gillespie, Captain commanding NSW Naval Contingent)
1900
The mirror was acquired from the Imperial ‘Temple of Thousand Ages’, near the Summer Palace by a party of NSW China contingent who were serving with the British troops in China.
Umbrella from China
Accession No. A7025
Object Statement
Umbrella, Chinese yellow silk, cotton and bamboo, Beijing, China, 1900s. Transferred to Powerhouse Museum from the Australian Museum in 1942
Notes
February 1902–1942
Australian Museum Accession no. H535.
Donated to the Australian Museum by Hon. John See (Premier of NSW and Colonial Secretary)
June 1901
On display at the Children’s Industrial Exhibition, Moore Park
May 1901
Brought back from Beijing. It was at the China Navigation Co’s Wharf, Miller’s Point, Sydney (according to a letter to the Colonial secretary (John See) dated 13 May 1901 from A Gillespie, Captain commanding NSW Naval Contingent)
1900
The umbrella was given to the NSW China contingent by the Prize Committee in Beijing and brought back by a party from this contingent who were serving with the British troops in China
About Provenance Research Project
Powerhouse Museum is a major cultural institution that collects, preserves, documents and displays Australian material culture and its global impact. The Powerhouse Collection spans a broad range of media and materials across the applied arts and sciences. The museum conforms to appropriate policy and guidelines to ensure the objects it brings into the collection or borrows for exhibitions have clear title and history of ownership (provenance) and it follows legislation relevant to movable cultural heritage.