Tag Archives: Duke and Duchess of Windsor

BOOK REVIEW: On the Fringe

On the Fringe

A Life in Decorating

By Imogen Taylor

Pimpernel Press
9781910258774
£50.00

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This is a page-turner combination of autobiography and the author’s long and distinguished career at Colefax and Fowler. She was a fitting heir to both Nancy Lancaster and John Fowler’s decorating vision.  She started at the firm in 1949 and when John Fowler retired in 1971 he handed his clients, including HM The Queen, over to her. She was until her retirement (1999) the firm’s principal decorator alongside Tom Parr.

With clients in the Middle East, America and the United Kingdom we see through her work how the Colefax & Fowler country house style evolved to reflect the current day but throughout it all she never lost her ‘perfect taste’.

One meets famous clients such as the Windsors, Dolly Rothschild, Harry Hyams and John Aspinall as well as fellow colleagues, including a young Duchess of Cornwall.  We also learn about the techniques used in creating these highly liveable-in interiors including the legendary ‘twelve different whites’.

I was interested to read that the late celebrated violinist Iona Brown was a friend as I too had known her when I was briefly at the Academy of St Martin-in-the Fields. I was fortunate enough to meet Imogen Taylor recently at the Hatchards’ Christmas Evening and congratulated her on this delightful book that greatly adds to the history of Colefax and Fowler and the continuing story of interior decoration in this country.

http://www.pimpernelpress.com

BOOK REVIEW: Beautiful People of the Café Society

Beautiful People of the Café Society

Scrapbooks by the Baron de Cabrol

Written by Baron de Cabrol, Text by Thierry Coudert

Publisher: Flammarion
ISBN: 978-2-08-020271-0
£75

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The Baron de Cabrol’s legendary scrapbooks take us into an exciting era of glamour and style combined with extravagance and decadence.  It is the world of cosmopolitan café society from 1938 to the 60s amusingly brought to life by through collages, watercolours and archival documents, Daisy and Fred de Cabrol were one of the leading society couples of their era and knew everybody worth knowing.

Bal de Têtes” at the Cabrols, March 25, 1949. © Fred de Cabrol, from Beautiful People of the Café Society (Flammarion, 2016)

Bal de Têtes” at the Cabrols, March 25, 1949.
© Fred de Cabrol, from Beautiful People of the Café Society (Flammarion, 2016)

In this riveting social history we encounter the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Arturo Lopez-Willshaw and his wife Patricia, Pamela Harriman, Charles de Beistegui, Cecil Beaton, Diana and Duff Cooper, Mona Bismarck and many, many others. This is a wonderful trip into a vanished world – those were the days!

Bobsy Carvalho’s Venetian ball, given in 1948 at the Deligny swimming pool. To the left is Daisy de Cabrol, to the right, Fred de Cabrol and the Baroness de l’Espée, and in the center, Bobsy Carvalho. © Fred de Cabrol, from Beautiful People of the Café Society (Flammarion, 2016).

Bobsy Carvalho’s Venetian ball, given in 1948 at the Deligny swimming pool. To the left is Daisy de Cabrol, to the right, Fred de Cabrol and the Baroness de l’Espée, and in the center, Bobsy Carvalho.
© Fred de Cabrol, from Beautiful People of the Café Society (Flammarion, 2016).

http://editions.flammarion.com/

UN MOMENT DE PERFECTION

UN MOMENT DE PERFECTION, Christie’s King Street, London, 3rd December, 2014

The Hallway, showing to the left of the mirrored doors: Lot 53 Christina Robertson (1796-1854) Portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, née Princess Charlotte of Prussia, three-quarter length, in an ermine-lined red mantle, in a park landscape signed 'C. Robertson Pinxit' (lower right) oil on canvas 50 7/8 x 38 7/8 in. (129 x 98 cm.) Estimate £30,000 - 50,000 CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2014

The Hallway, showing to the left of the mirrored doors:
Lot 53
Christina Robertson (1796-1854)
Portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, née Princess Charlotte of Prussia, three-quarter length, in an ermine-lined red mantle, in a park landscape
signed ‘C. Robertson Pinxit’ (lower right)
oil on canvas
50 7/8 x 38 7/8 in. (129 x 98 cm.)
Estimate £30,000 – 50,000
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

There is really no other way in my mind to describe an interior by Maison Jansen, especially where it’s legendary director Stéphane Boudin and his successor Pierre Delbée were involved. The interiors from which this collection comes are a fine example of the firm’s work.

Interior View CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2014

Interior View
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

Jansen’s clients included the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the Wrightsmans, the Agnellis, C Z Guest and President and Mrs Kennedy. I was fortunate enough early in my writing career to write about Boudin and the work he did for Lady Baillie at Leeds Castle and her London house and it was a fascinating exercise. I totally understood why she chose him to create the background for her life.

Lot 20 ONE OF A PAIR OF LATE LOUIS XVI ORMOLU SIX-LIGHT CANDELABRA ATTRIBUTED TO PIERRE GOUTHIERE CIRCA 1785-1790, POSSIBLY RETAILED BY DOMINIQUE DAGUERRE Each surmounted by a bouquet of rose stems from a flower and fruit-filled basket on a sphere-capped baluster issuing six scrolling horn-shaped branches on a circular plinth with palmette-cast frieze, the three supports headed by satyr masks and enclosing a suspended amphora to the centre, the base with griffin supports on a concave-sided tripartite base centred by Medusa masks to each side on fluted toupie feet, the rose stems late 18th century and possibly later embellishments 46 ½ in. (118 cm.) high; 16 in. (40.5 cm.) deep Estimate £350,000 - 500,000 CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2014

Lot 20
ONE OF A PAIR OF LATE LOUIS XVI ORMOLU SIX-LIGHT CANDELABRA
ATTRIBUTED TO PIERRE GOUTHIERE CIRCA 1785-1790, POSSIBLY RETAILED BY DOMINIQUE DAGUERRE
Each surmounted by a bouquet of rose stems from a flower and fruit-filled basket on a sphere-capped baluster issuing six scrolling horn-shaped branches on a circular plinth with palmette-cast frieze, the three supports headed by satyr masks and enclosing a suspended amphora to the centre, the base with griffin supports on a concave-sided tripartite base centred by Medusa masks to each side on fluted toupie feet, the rose stems late 18th century and possibly later embellishments
46 ½ in. (118 cm.) high; 16 in. (40.5 cm.) deep
Estimate £350,000 – 500,000
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

Whatever the mise-en-scene Jansen were superb at incorporating their clients’ collections and advising them on suitable acquisitions. This sale contains some superb pieces of fine and decorative art, including two beautiful capricci of Rome by Hubert Robert, Italian commodes designed by Luigi Valadier and a superb pair of ormolu candelabra attributed to celebrated French ciseleur-doreur Pierre Gouthière.

Lot 30 ONE OF A PAIR OF ITALIAN NEOCLASSICAL ORMOLU-MOUNTED PADOUK, ROSEWOOD AND MARQUETRY COMMODES, ROME, CIRCA 1784-75, THE DESIGN AND MOUNTS BY LUIGI VALADIER Each with a green, grey and white striated marble top above an ormolu stiff-leaf moulded edge, above two drawers centred by classical mask handles within laurel wreaths within a guilloche border, the sides similarly inlaid and centred by a handle, on turned tapering fluted columnar legs and stiff-leaf sabots 37 ¼ in. (94.5 cm.) high; 52 ¾ in. (134 cm.) wide; 26 ¼ in. (66.5 cm.) deep, overall 36 in. (91 cm.) high; 52 in. (132 cm.) wide; 26 in. (66 cm.) deep. without marble Estimate £600,000 - 1,000,000 CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2014

Lot 30
ONE OF A PAIR OF ITALIAN NEOCLASSICAL ORMOLU-MOUNTED PADOUK, ROSEWOOD AND MARQUETRY COMMODES, ROME, CIRCA 1784-75, THE DESIGN AND MOUNTS BY LUIGI VALADIER
Each with a green, grey and white striated marble top above an ormolu stiff-leaf moulded edge, above two drawers centred by classical mask handles within laurel wreaths within a guilloche border, the sides similarly inlaid and centred by a handle, on turned tapering fluted columnar legs and stiff-leaf sabots
37 ¼ in. (94.5 cm.) high; 52 ¾ in. (134 cm.) wide; 26 ¼ in. (66.5 cm.) deep, overall
36 in. (91 cm.) high; 52 in. (132 cm.) wide; 26 in. (66 cm.) deep. without marble
Estimate £600,000 – 1,000,000
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

There are many other beautiful things too that will inspire purchasers to buy a little piece of this superb lifestyle that Jansen created with their clients.

The Dining Room showing on the far wall: Lot 36 Hubert Robert (Paris 1733-1808) The Forum, Rome, with the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina and figures resting in the foreground; and the Forum, Rome, with the Temple of Saturn and figures conversing and resting by a sculpted vase oil on canvas 25¼ x 31 in. (64.2 x 78.5 cm.) (2) a pair Estimate £200,000 - 400,000 CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2014

The Dining Room showing on the far wall:
Lot 36
Hubert Robert (Paris 1733-1808)
The Forum, Rome, with the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina and figures resting in the foreground; and the Forum, Rome, with the Temple of Saturn and figures conversing and resting by a sculpted vase
oil on canvas
25¼ x 31 in. (64.2 x 78.5 cm.)
(2) a pair
Estimate £200,000 – 400,000
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

See: Un Moment de Perfection: An Important Private Collection of French 18th Century Furniture and Old Master Paintings at http://www.christies.com