Grants Awarded
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Conservation of the Hamilton Inn Sofa This important piece was made between 1820 and 1850 and may be one of the earliest examples of Tasmanian-made colonial furniture in existence. Designed in the neoclassical Greek-revival style, the frame is made of Australian Cedar, Tasmanian Blackwood and brass. A Copland Foundation grant has enabled the Hamilton Inn Sofa to be conserved, providing vital documentary evidence of original techniques and finishes, as well as preserving it for future generations.
Read more about the history of the Hamilton Inn Sofa here.
Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, Vaucluse House
Conservation of the Wentworth Dining Chairs These dining chairs (c. 1855-60) are part of the original furniture of Vaucluse House, home of William Wentworth, one of the most influential men in the colony of New South Wales. While this provenance is significant, it is the survival of the richly tooled leather on the padded seats, backs and armrests that makes these oak chairs truly important. A Copland Foundation Grant has enabled these chairs to be fully conserved. The Vaucluse House dining room is furnished with predominantly Wentworth-provenanced items and the conservation of the dining chairs will spectacularly enhance the room.
Acquisition of a 'Grand Tour' bronze The Copland Foundation has provided a partial grant for the acquisition of a bronze sculpture of Marcus Aurelius. This represents the first step toward rebuilding the sculpture collection at Vaucluse House as an ongoing part of recreating the cultural and intellectual world of William Charles Wentworth.
National Trust of Australia (Victoria)
Conservation of furniture, Mulberry Hill Mulberry Hill was the Mornington Peninsula home of the Lindsays, one of Australia’s most artistic and creative families. From 1924 until 1984, the house was the centre of activities for artist and arts administrator Sir Daryl Lindsay, and his wife Joan Lindsay, artist and author of Picnic at Hanging Rock. While Mulberry Hill is important architecturally, its cultural legacy is of even greater significance. An initial grant from the Copland Foundation enabled the National Trust to commission an assessment and commence conservation of the furniture at Mulberry Hill. Since then, a subsequent Copland Foundation grant has financed several stages of a room-by-room conservation programme at Mulberry Hill.
Eryldene Historic House and Garden
Conservation of furniture and collection review Eryldene, located in Ku-ring-gai is one of the finest examples of the work of visionary artist and architect William Hardy Wilson. The house was completed in 1914 as a family home for Professor E.G. Waterhouse, his wife Janet and their four sons. The firm of Wilson, Neave and Berry then went on to design the garden study and walled fountain (1921), tool shed and pigeon house (1922), tea house (1927), and lattice screen and garage (1936). The spectacular gardens are a tribute to Professor Waterhouse’s passion for camellias. A Copland Foundation Grant has enabled the Eryldene Trust to commission a full review and condition report of the Eryldene collection, as well as conserving several items of particular significance: • The Professor’s easy chair • Two Swedish chairs. Furniture chosen by E.G. Waterhouse specifically for the garden study. • A garden seat designed specifically for Eryldene by Hardy Wilson. One of three such seats made for the front garden. Subsequent grants from the Copland Foundation have enabled the Eryldene Trust to undertake conservation of numerous other items including: • two bronze moon vases • brass candlesticks and fire poker • conical bronze Ikebana hanging vase • cane armchair • Chinese Dragon Drum of painted skin • Two upholstered armchairs in the house study • Oriental art work on paper • Esse stove: coke fired painted iron fixture in the dining room.
Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales
Acquisition of the watercolour, Anglo-Indian Interior This painting (c. 1860) is a rare and detailed nineteenth-century watercolour of a colonial domestic interior. It traces its provenance to the descendants of Cordelia Ellen Thomas who lived in India with her husband and daughter between 1854 and 1857. Following the siege at Lucknow, her infant daughter (Caroline) was evacuated to Australia. Caroline returned to India as an adult, moving back to Sydney later in life. The watercolour has the capacity to significantly contribute to the understanding of English colonial life, and the history of interior design and furnishing. It also provides information on the relationship between colonial Indian and the Australian colonies in the nineteenth century. The painting was acquired for the Caroline Simpson Library and Research Collection, which focuses on the history of house and garden design and interior furnishing in New South Wales.
National Trust of Australia (Tasmania)
Presentation and Furnishing Plan, Clarendon Clarendon was built in 1838 on the banks of the South Esk River, Tasmania. It was the heart of James Cox' vast pastoral empire and today is widely considered to be one of Australia's best Georgian-era houses. A Copland Foundation grant has financed the development of a complete presentation and furnishing plan. Dr James Broadbent carried out a detailed assessment of Clarendon's interiors, and the recommendations of his subsequent report were adopted by the Board of the National Trust. A number of these recommendations have since been implemented, and the National Trust (Tasmania) is continuing with Clarendon Rediscovered, which aims to continue the conservation and restoration of the mansion's interiors. Conservation of a pair of couches, Clarendon This extremely rare matching pair of 1840s Anglo Chinese were manufactured in China for the export market and can be unscrewed and dismantled for transport. It is thought that they were brought to Tasmanian by Lieutenant-Colonel Rooke in 1854-55. Acquired by the National Trust (Tasmania) in 1983, the couches will be an important part of the National Trust's ambitious programme of redecorating the interior of Clarendon in a mid-nineteenth century manner. Conservation of both couches has been funded by a Copland Foundation grant.
Buda Historic Home and Garden
Water tank installation Buda was built in Castlemaine, Victoria in 1861 and from 1863, was home to Ernest Leviny and his family. The house is situated in 1.2 hectares of historic gardens, and in light of recent drought years, the management committee were keen to ensure that the gardens could continue to be preserved and maintained. A water tank was funded by a grant from the Copland Foundation and installed with the assistance of local professional and volunteer organisations. The resulting water reserve will not only assist the ongoing management of this unique heritage garden, but will also act as a vital back-up during bushfire season. Garage restoration A Copland Foundation grant has funded the restoration of the garage at Buda, a structure which had its beginnings in the 1880s but evolved over time as the needs of the family changed. Contextually, the garage is important as part of one of the most significant surviving large 19th century gardens in Victoria.
Woolmers Estate
Conservation of a Prie Dieu The Woolmers Estate, located near Longford, Tasmania, comprises more than 18 buildings and structures spread over 13 hectares, including the National Rose Garden. The Estate was established in 1817, and in 1843 the homestead was modified with a two-storey Italianate addition. Woolmers is not only significant for its architectural heritage and the window it provides into Tasmania's convict past, but also for the historical collections and objects acquired by six generations of the one family over 150 years. The restoration of one of these items, a blackwood Prie Dieu, was funded by a Copland Foundation grant.
National Trust of Australia (NSW)
Acquisition of two whatnots, Old Government House Parramatta This significant pair of Australian cedar whatnots with barley-twist columns and single drawers feature imported rosewood veneers. They are attributed to Andrew Lenehan’s workshop, Sydney, c.1845. They epitomize the increased sophistication and romanticism of the decorative arts in NSW in the 1840s, and as such, represent an aspect of decorative arts previously absent from the National Trust’s (NSW) colonial furniture collection.
