1985 Foster's Melbourne Cup Trophy
The 1985 Foster's Melbourne Cup, 18ct gold, Fortuanato Rocca for Hardy Brothers, won by What A Nuisance, (3), modelled as a three handled loving cup supported on a tapering stem terminating in a stepped circular foot, resting on a turned blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) socle, inscribed 'Foster's / Melbourne Cup / 1985 / Won by / What A Nuisance' 'Owners / Mr. D. Gowing / and Mr. & Mrs.L.J. Williams' 'Jockey / P.Hyland - 52 \xBD Kg / Trainer J.F. Meagher / Time / 3.23', marked 'Rocca 18ct Supplied By Hardy Brothers Ltd.' to footrim, housed in the original bespoke panelled blackwood case, with velvet lined interior, surmounted by a brass handle, (3), 894 gms, 11.42 in. high, 14.25 in. (with base), the case 17.60 in. high, 10.83 in. wide, 11.89 in. deep. Provenance: Mr and Mrs Lloyd Williams and Mr Dennis Gowing, Melbourne, Mr Dennis Gowing, Melbourne, acquired from the above, Private Collection, Melbourne, by descent from the above, Exhibited, The Australian Racing Museum, Melbourne, on long-term loan from 2003-2010, The Australian Racing Museum at the National Sports Museum, Melbourne, on long-term loan from 2010-2016, Literature, Narelle Symes, Designs & Desires, The Changing Face of the Melbourne Cup Trophy, Mercedes Warratah Press, Melbourne, 2001, p. 33 (illustrated)
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- Blackwood - One of the best known and most widely used Australian timbers, blackwood (acacia melanoxylon), is a member of the Acacia (wattle) family and grows in eastern Australia from about Adelaide in South Australia, as far north as Cairns in Queensland.
The largest, straightest and tallest trees come from the wet forest and swamps of north-west Tasmania where it is grown commercially.
Blackwood timber colours range across a wide spectrum, from a very pale honey colour through to a dark chocolate with streaks of red tinge.
The hardwood timber has been commonly used in the production of furniture, flooring, and musical instruments in Australia from the late 19th century. However, the straight grain timber is not the most prized or valuable, that honour falls to blackwood with a wavy, fiddleback pattern, which is used both in the solid and as a veneer. Fiddleback was only used on the finest examples of furniture. - Socle - The short plinth, usually cylindrical, that serves as a pedestal for a sculpture or vase
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