The Collection of Raine, Countess Spencer

Jun30

The Collection of Raine, Countess Spencer (1929-2016), Christie’s King Street, London SW1, Old Masters Evening Sale (6^th July 2017) and The Collection of Raine, Countess Spencer (13^thJuly 2017)

Interior
From the property of Lady Spencer © Christie’s Images Limited 2017

I count myself fortunate in having encountered Raine, Countess Spencer several times over the years and she was always the epitome of elegance and charm. That sense of style is very much reflected in her home, the contents of which are to be found in these sales. While the paintings, furniture and objects contributed to the glamour of the rooms they were not mere ‘background’ objects but were bought because Lady Spencer liked them and wanted to live with and use them.

Interior
From the property of Lady Spencer © Christie’s Images Limited 2017

She was very much drawn to the arts of 18^th century France and numbered works by Boucher, Fragonard and Greuze among the pictures she collected. On some purchases she was advised by Sir Francis Watson (former Director of the Wallace Collection) who also advised the Wrightsmans with their legendary collection. Regency furniture was another love and it blended well with her French pieces. Her last dining room recalled the Art Deco period and there was also a collection of French Art Nouveau lithographs.

Interior
From the property of Lady Spencer © Christie’s Images Limited 2017

From her birth – she was the daughter of the novelist Dame Barbara Cartland – onwards Lady Spencer was the focus of media interest whether through her marriages or her work as a Westminster City Councillor and in the conservationist campaigns she supported. In later years she was a director of Harrods and had a hands-on approach. The thread of perfectionism that runs through her life is also reflected in her clothes, jewellery and other accessories in the 13^th July auction. This is very much an opportunity to appreciate, enjoy or even acquire a piece of the elegant perfection that was Lady Spencer’s way of life.

Claude Joseph Vernet (Avignon 1714-1789 Paris)
A Mediterranean sea-port with fishermen unloading cargo
oil on canvas
Estimate: £300,000-500,000
© Christie’s Images Limited 2017

A LOUIS XVI COMMODE
CIRCA 1770-75, ATTRIBUTED TO ANTOINE-PIERRE FOULLET
Estimate: £60,000-90,000
© Christie’s Images Limited 2017

Interior
From the property of Lady Spencer © Christie’s Images Limited 2017

AN 18 CARAT GOLD, RUBY AND DIAMOND PARURE, BY VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
Comprising a necklace, designed as a graduated series of ruby cabochon and brilliant-cut diamond clusters
Estimate: £100,000-150,000
© Christie’s Images Limited 2017

One of several ‘Lady Dior’ handbags, this one of black leather with studwork decoration.
Estimate: £1,000-1,500
© Christie’s Images Limited 2017

http://www.christies.com

Waddesdon Manor – The Riches Of The Earth

Jun15

The Riches Of The Earth, Waddesdon Manor, Waddesdon, Near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, until 25^th October 2015

Guillaume Beneman, writing table, 1786;
oak carcass; veneered with purpleheart; with sycamore, ebony, boxwood and casuarina wood marquetry, gilt-bronze mounts and a leather top; 790 x 1902 x 895mm;
Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust) Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957; acc. no. 2575.
Photo: Mike Fear © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Over the coming weeks I shall be writing from time to time about this spectacular Rothschild house which I first visited some fifty years ago and to which I always look forward to returning to whenever possible.

Beauvais, designed by François Boucher, Fontaine d’Amour, 1755-1775;
wool and silk; 3365 x 3469mm;
Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust) Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957; acc. no. 2438.3.
Photo: P J Gates © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

The collections whether paintings, furniture, porcelain, books or textiles are really superb and as a “themed exhibition” this year the visitors attention is drawn to the works and interior features that reflect the wealth of the earth be it as clay, wood, metals, marble or the plants and minerals used for dyes in textiles. You will follow a special trail through the house to a display in the Exhibition Room upstairs.

Chandelier (detail), late 17th century- early 18th century; France; steel, rock crystal and cut glass; Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust) Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957; acc. no. 2741.
Photo: Mike Fear © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Shown here is just a small selection that celebrates not only the gifts of the earth but also the family’s collecting over the years.

Table, c 1710-1720; Augsburg, Germany; wood, metal, tortoiseshell;
Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust) Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957; acc.no. 2227.1.
Photo: John Bigelow Taylor © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Four large panels symbolising the seasons (detail); 1720-1750;
France; oak;
Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust) Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957; acc. no. 3565.7.
Photo: Mike Fear © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Pot-pourri vase, Sèvres Manufactory, 1761,
Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust). Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957.
Photo: Hugo Maertens © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Joshua Reynolds, Lady Anne Luttrell, The Duchess of Cumberland (1743-1809), 1772-1773;
oil on canvas; 2490 x 1620mm;
Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust) Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957; acc. no. 2303
© The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Savonnerie, Duvivier workshop, carpet, 1753-1757;
wool; 312 x 285cm;
Waddesdon, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust) Bequest of James de Rothschild, 1957; acc. no. 2757.
Photo: © The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Lastly a view of the Grey Drawing Room which I am sure will give a very clear view of what makes this such a special place. Indeed I am tempted to paraphrase Dr Johnson and say that when one is tired of Waddesdon, one is tired of life. I most certainly look forward to my next visit.

The Grey Drawing Room, Waddesdon Manor, The Rothschild Collection (The National Trust).
©The National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

www.waddesdon.org.uk

Christie’s King Street, London, 4th December 2014

Nov24

A Townhouse off Grosvenor Square: The Collection of Dr Peter D. Sommer, Christie’s King Street, London, 4^th December 2014.

CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

The Berlin-born Dr Peter D. Sommer (1940-2013) was a successful financier and a lover of French and German Fine and Decorative Arts, particularly from the 18^th century. However as the catalogue reveals he did not limit his collecting to those areas only as there is good English furniture, silver, jewellery, Impressionist pictures and some rather fine Hermès luggage too.

Interior view showing a magnificent Louis XV regulateur, circa 1745, formerly in the collection of the Viennese Rothschilds (estimate: £200,000-300,000, illustrated left) and one of a set of six grand Viennese giltwood armchairs with seats and backs of Beauvais tapestry depicting La Fontaine’s Fables (offered over three lots each with estimates of £100,000-150,000)
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

Frederick the Great’s patronage of the arts has been a great influence in Dr Sommer’s collecting, especially in pictures which feature many ‘fêtes galantes’ and mythological subjects. As well as an interesting group of four tables en chiffonnière by Bernard II van Risen Burgh – known as ‘BVRB’ – the master ébéniste of the French mid-18^th century there are a pair of German chairs similar to those ordered by Frederick for his various palaces. It is a remarkable ensemble and achievement.

Interior view showing a Louis XV Gobelins tapestry, dated 1758, depicting the Ball of Barcelona from the Don Quixote series (estimate: £100,000-150,000)
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

One special feature of this sale is that you can actually view it in situ (admission by catalogue only) at Dr Sommer’s home, 47 Upper Grosvenor Street, from 22 November to 3 December. Selected highlights will be on view at Christie’s King Street between 28 November to 3 December.

Interior View showing one of a pair of English Giltwood Side Tables
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

http://www.christies.com

Venus and Cupid by François Boucher (1703-1770) (estimate: £350,000-500,000)
CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2014

The Male Nude: Eighteenth-century drawings from the Paris Academy, an exhibition at The Wallace Collection

Dec1

The Male Nude: Eighteenth-century drawings from the Paris Academy, The Wallace Collection, until 19^th January 2014

François Boucher, Study of a man lying down, an elbow leaning on the ground, 1739. © ENSBA, Paris.

These remarkable drawings come from the Ėcole nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, which is a descendant of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, which was originally founded in 1648. The Academy’s role was to teach the more gifted artists what skills were needed to succeed in history painting which in the late seventeenth and eighteenth century was considered the most important genre for a painter. Indeed the Academy provided the best training in Europe.

François de Troy, Bacchus, standing face on, late 17th century. © ENSBA, Paris.

At this time would-be painters or sculptors were apprenticed to a Master to learn in their studio. Those who showed promise were allowed to attend the life class at the Academy. Only male models were used as the male figure was regarded as the basis of sculpture and painting. There were no female models allowed at the Academy, which meant that artists had to seek out their female subjects in less salubrious settings.

Hyacinthe Rigaud, Two fighters, (undated). © ENSBA, Paris.

Although the Academy’s teaching regime was strict there is no doubt that it paid off as the thirty-seven drawings on show amply prove. The figures whether single or in pairs are shown in a variety of poses, their facial expressions suited to the physical emotions they are expressing.

Antoine-Jean Gros, Man standing, striking a bull, 1790. © ENSBA, Paris.

While some of the artists included in this show, such as Rigaud, Boucher, Nattier and Jean-Baptiste Isabey, are represented in the Wallace Collection, the Hertfords hardly collected any historical or academic works. So the opportunity to see this group of drawings fills an important gap in our understanding of the story of 18^th century French painting.

Nicolas de Plattemontagne, Sleeping man, legs bent, 1687. © ENSBA, Paris.

As well as the exhibition there is a trail guide to pictures and objects in the Wallace’s collections that relate to the exhibition.

Jean-Baptiste Lagrenée, Seated man, leaning on his right arm, 1789. © ENSBA, Paris.

www.wallacecollection.org

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Tag Archives: Francois Boucher

The Collection of Raine, Countess Spencer

Waddesdon Manor – The Riches Of The Earth

Christie’s King Street, London, 4th December 2014

The Male Nude: Eighteenth-century drawings from the Paris Academy, an exhibition at The Wallace Collection