A 128-year-old Italian violin that Russell Crowe learned to play in a few months before he starred in the 19th century war drama "Master and Commander" stole the show among movie memorabilia on offer at the Oscar-winning actor's auction on Saturday.
The rare instrument by Leandro Bislach sold for 135,000 Australian dollars (Dh380,000), the highest price for movie-related offerings among 227 lots up for sale in Sydney as part of the Australia-based New Zealander's divorce settlement.
More surprisingly, a costume that Crowe wore in the same 2003 movie wasn't far behind, raking in AU$115,000.
While the violin was close to the top of Sotheby Australia's valuation, the winning bid for character Captain Jack Aubrey's dress uniform exceeded the auctioneer's hopes by AU$80,000.
The violin's price was only exceeded by a painting from Crowe's extensive collection by Australian artist Brett Whiteley, "Moreton Bay Fig and Palms," which sold for AU$190,000.
The auction, titled "The Art of Divorce," took place on the actor's 54th birthday and the anniversary of his wedding to singer Danielle Spencer in 2003.
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A cheerful Mr Crowe made an appearance after Sydney actress-singer Alisa Nasteski sang Happy Birthday and the crowd of bidders and spectators — some in formal wear, others wearing sports team-colored beanies — gave him three cheers
"G'day folks, how're you doing?" Crowe said to the crowd. "Are you having a little bit of fun? It's exciting, isn't it? So it's been a lot of fun putting it together for you."
Immediately afterward, the violin— which Mr Crowe described as "a lot very dear to my heart" — became the 31st item to go under the hammer.
Before the auction, Sotheby's predicted the eclectic offerings, covering movies, guitars, art, watches, sporting memorabilia and Mr Crowe's jewellery gifts to Spencer, would bring between AU$2.6 million and AU$3.7 million.
Mr Crowe tweeted after the five-hour auction that he had earned AU$3.7 million, with potential sales worth AU$350,000 still under negotiation.
"A bunch of stuff I didn't really want to sell coming home ... not a bad hourly rate for a 5 hour shift," he tweeted.
Bidders' interest had been expected to focus on the violin and paraphernalia from "Gladiator," the 2000 blockbuster that earned Crowe his Academy Award for Best Actor. Demand for movie memorabilia often overwhelmed expectations.
Mr Crowe's torso armor, expected to fetch up to AU$30,000, sold for AU$125,000.
A replica Roman chariot, thought to be worth up to AU$10,000, was sold for AU$65,000.
A leather boxer’s protector, worn by the actor when he played heavyweight champion James J. Braddock in the 2005 movie “Cinderella Man,” estimated to bring between AU$500 and AU$600, sold for AU$7,000 after intense bidding.
Sotheby's was closer to the mark in valuing the maroon Doc Martens boots Crowe wore as the skinhead Hando in the 1992 movie "Romper Stomper." The pair sold for AU$10,000, while Sotheby's had anticipated between AU$10,000 and AU$15,000.
But some lots failed to reach reserve, including a 2008 custom motorcycle built by California's Orange County Choppers that was turned in on a bid for AU$35,000. It's painted a distinctive green and red, the colours of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the Australian Rugby League team that the actor part-owns.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Day 2, stumps
Pakistan 482
Australia 30/0 (13 ov)
Australia trail by 452 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the innings
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
SHALASH%20THE%20IRAQI
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Shalash%3Cbr%3ETranslator%3A%20Luke%20Leafgren%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20352%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20And%20Other%20Stories%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Scores
Bournemouth 0-4 Liverpool
Arsenal 1-0 Huddersfield Town
Burnley 1-0 Brighton
Manchester United 4-1 Fulham
West Ham 3-2 Crystal Palace
Saturday fixtures:
Chelsea v Manchester City, 9.30pm (UAE)
Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur, 11.45pm (UAE)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
