Inside Toorak billionaire’s art and homewares sell-off

It may be Toorak taste but Chemist Warehouse billionaire Sam Gance’s art and homewares sell-off includes some wild items.

Senior specialist decorative arts Dennice Collett poses with a Chinese ceramic carp in the dining room of Sam Gance’s former Toorak mansion. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

The extravagant Renaissance Revival Ormolu Chandelier, cast with demi-figures, masks and foliate motifs, with wax candles, screams opulence, even in a Toorak mansion filled with exquisite objets d’ art.

But the chandelier, one of 200 items for sale at Chemist Warehouse mogul Sam Gance’s former Toorak mansion, has a wild side.

The fancy light fitting, which hangs over a 12-seat dining table, regularly pooped hot wax from above on dinner party, as the candles burned and meals progressed.

THAT chandelier. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Sam Gance is selling auctioning 200 items from his Toorak mansion, including a competition mahogany billiard table. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Unruly chandeliers aside, Gance is “emotional” about selling off the luxury contents of his Struan St home.

The billionaire owned the Struan St home for 30 years. “The items represent 30 years of memories,” Dennice Collett, decorative arts specialist at Gibson’s Auctions, said.

The key items include an Imants Tillers painting, and a Japanese gilt and polychrome painted screen, and quirky offerings, a mounted deer with gazelle horns, and a novelty metal pelican sculpture “in a snappy purple suit.” Eyeing the well dressed bird, Ms Collett added: “It’s art with a sense of humour.”

Other items include furniture, carpets, ceramics, mirrors, paintings, bronze bird bath, a competition size billiards table, fitness equipment and wrought iron gates.

Novelty metal pelican sculpture ‘in a snappy purple suit’. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Shoulder mounted deer with gazelle horns. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Gance bought a new Toorak home on Lansell Rd for about $43m in 2021.

His partner, former Real Housewives of Melbourne star Janet Roach, with the house already furnished, said she was sad about the sell-off. “A lot of it makes you cry when it goes to auction,” she said.

Gibson’s is hosting more viewings at the weekend before everything goes under the hammer on Sunday.