Little Parndon, the East Melbourne gem sells as Eugene von Guerard painting set for auction from Reg and Joy Grundy collection
Little Parndon, the East Melbourne house built for colonial artist Eugene von Guerard fetched $1.75 million at its weekend auction.
Four bidders sought the heritage-listed Georgian property at 159 Gipps Street, which was built in 1862.
Jellis Craig Bennison Mackinnon agents Iain Carmichael and Nathan Waterson announced it on the market at $1.47 million with two remaining bidders seeking the terrace. The plain face red brickwork Little Parndon features three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a self-contained studio apartment.
Little Parndon had been the townhouse of former governor-general Lord Casey and Lady Casey. Since Lady Casey's 1983 death Little Parndon had been periodically occupied by visiting artists, according to the East Melbourne Historical Society.
Lady Casey, the editor and co-writer of Early Melbourne Architecture, which was published in 1953, helped Melbourne's emerging conservation movement.
The 180-square-metre terrace, Little Parndon was constructed by Ravenscroft and Oldfield for von Guerard who was born in 1811 in Vienna and died in 1901 in London.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2013/05/may27eastmelbourne]}
After emigrating to Australia from Austria, von Guerard was one of Australia’s most renowned landscape artists and was influential to the Australian romantic landscape painting.
Von Guerard added a rooftop studio to the house in 1866 having often painted the country properties of the rich for earnings to build his house.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2013/05/may27eastmelbournetwo]}
After Von Guerard moved back to Europe in 1882, Robert Sparrow Smyth, an entrepreneur and manager of musicians was the next owner, followed by John H. Daley.
The property was then home to Australia’s 16th Governor General Lord Casey and Lady Casey from 1939.
Meanwhile one of von Guerard's paintings, The farm of Mr Perry on the Yarra goes to June 26 Bonhams auction as part of the Grundy Collection sale with $900,000 plus hopes. It was painted in 1855. The Perry family's farm Fulham Grange at Alphington on the Yarra River, is unique amongst von Guerard's works as it was the artist's first commission in the colony and it depicts not just an early homestead (a genre von Guerard would later make his own) but one that was also a working farm, vineyard and nursery.
The land was still untamed bush when Englishman Richard Perry and his wife Elizabeth first took it up in the early 1850s, creating a farm, market garden, vineyard and after a time, a tree nursery, eventually known as Perry's Nursery Garden and Orchard.
The Southern Highlands, NSW-based Grundy's say they have too many paintings in storage and they wish for others to get to enjoy their ownership.
Little Parndon was listed by the Casey estate through Jellis Craig Bennison Mackinnion Armadale with an initial price guide of $1.4 million, which was around its reserve price.
The median house price in East Melbourne is $1,950,000, according to RP Data.
