HIDDEN behind the walls of an imposing, recently built Gothic-inspired castle in the Adelaide foothills are some of the most unique items to ever be offered for auction.
Next weekend, buyers will be able to purchase rare bottles of Grange wine, which they could quaff in their replica suit of armour while sitting around their 17th century oak banquet table, being looked on by a taxidermied wolf.
They are among the more than 500 items that will go under the hammer in Adelaide next Saturday and Sunday in one of the rarest and most spectacular collections of historical and decorative antiques ever offered for auction in Australia.
What is being called the Castambul Castle Collection, it features 572 pieces collected by the owners of the seven-bedroom, five-bathroom Castambul Castle, located in Paracombe, which is 35 minutes from Adelaide’s CBD.
The collection — the contents of the house — ranges from Gothic furniture and 4500-year-old Chinese jade artefacts to weaponry, bronzes, Georgian sterling silver and porcelains.
Auctioneer Peter du Plessis from du Plessis Fine Art Auction House said he was “unbelievably excited” about the collection, and had previously not been aware that such an incredible collection existed in South Australia.
“It has given me a fresh perspective on what’s around this place,” he said.
“Of all the auctions that have taken place in the whole of Australia over the past 40 or so years, this one is, without a doubt, the second-best and second-largest.”
He said the best and largest collection ever offered for sale was the 4000-odd piece Owsten collection of property tycoon Warren Anderson, which was sold by Bonhams in Sydney in 2010, collectively fetching more than $13 million.
Mr du Plessis said the Castambul pieces were collected by the “absolutely fastidious” owners of the castle.
“They had absolutely impeccable taste,” he said.
“Every detail is out of this world.”
He said, many of the pieces were irreplaceable, but if an insurance value was put on them, it would collectively be between $4 million and $6 million.
He said the collection featured English and French furniture dating back to 1550, Chinese artefacts that dated over 4000 years, and gallery-sized artworks.
The oldest piece of furniture for sale dates between 1547 and 1559 and is a rare French vestibule sword and cloak stand that has intricate carved orival tracery that encloses the Crest of the House of Valois under Henri II.
Also on offer is a Zhou Dynasty archaic jade pouring vessel, carved into a birdlike creature with large eyes and protruding nose that dates between 1050 and 221 BCE.
The 17th century oak refectory banquet table that sits in the owners’ Baronial dining hall was brought to Australia in the 1980s and had previously graced Netherby Hall, Cumbria, in England and was owned by Sir Richard Graham and his descendants since the early 1600s.
“Reputedly, the British Thoroughbred Bloodstock records were kept on this table during its tenure at Netherby Hall,” Mr du Plessis said.
“It is also believed that Netherby Hall was the setting and inspiration for the epic poem Young Lochivar by Sir Walter Scott.”
There is also an “internationally important and spectacular” Cartel clock that currently sits in the master bedroom, that was made somewhere between 1700 and 1710 by French king Louis XIV’s official clock maker.
GALLERY: Inside Castambul Castle
Mr du Plessis said he had had expressions of interest in the items from overseas including the United Kingdom and the United States of America as well as from all over Australia.
He said aficionados, collectors and “perhaps the odd museum” were likely to bid on the items; none of which has a reserve price.
Castambul Castle, located at 1185 Gorge Rd at Paracombe, took 10 years to build, with construction starting in 2000 and is filled with unique features including curtains made from material reserved for Princess Diana, gold-trimmed handpainted ceilings, a home theatre, billiard room and the castle’s unique “CC” crest emblazoned in the marble entrance and on its carpeted stairs.
It was placed on the market in December last year by Toop and Toop Real Estate. Agent Troy Tyndall said the property was placed under contract last week, but would not disclose the price paid.
The auction will take place on site on Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10.
There will be a $20 fee on site for the catalogue and entry, with the proceeds raised going to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
For more information, including the auction’s rules and regulations, see www.castambulcastle.com.au.
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