Lot 177

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WORKS OF ART FROM THE ANTHONY AND MARIETTA COLERIDGE COLLECTION (LOTS 177-257) Anthony Coleridge, known to his friends as Tony, was a longstanding Director of Christie’s and latterly Chairman and finally President of Christie’s South Kensington before his retirement. A lifelong and passionate collector, he began his career at Christie’s in 1962 rising to become head of the furniture department in 1970. A respected author and acknowledged authority on English furniture, he is responsible for numerous scholarly articles for publications including Apollo , The Connoisseur and The Burlington Magazine as well as writing the influential reference book Chippendale Furniture: The Work of Thomas Chippendale and his Contemporaries in the Rococo Style published by Faber & Faber in 1968. In his memoires, Tony noted that in 1948 his House Master at Eton, George Tait, ‘a rather bohemian character’ came marching into School Library “holding the three large and heavy folio volumes of the 1927/28 Edition of The Dictionary of English Furniture . He plonked them down in front of me and said the unforgettable words ‘Coleridge - you told me you were interested in English Furniture: get stuck into them!’ I did and I have never looked back!”. After a spell in the army, Tony initially joined his father, Guy Coleridge, at Knight, Frank and Rutley, where he ran the auction division before joining to Christie’s. A noted auctioneer he was also a pioneer of the country house sales for which Christie’s became so well-known during his tenure. In 1962 when the Spanish Marietta Gordillo Martin first came to England, she met Helen Melville ‘Mel’ Russell-Cooke - daughter of one Captain Smith, better known as the captain of the ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic – at a house party in Lancashire. The pair soon formed a close bond and deep friendship with Mel taking the young Marietta under her wing. In 1963, whilst Mel and Marietta were staying with friends, the Burnhams, at Hall Barn, Buckinghamshire, Marietta was introduced to Anthony and they would go on to marry in 1967. Mel remained an integral part of newlyweds life, however, following Mel’s sudden death in 1973, they were astonished to find that she had left them her house, Pratt’s, at Leafield near Burford and the notable collection within, which included many of the following lots including the J.B. Yeats Nearing Dublin (lot 179) - which was originally acquired directly from the artist in 1946 - and the collection of works by Evie Hone (lots 224-227), again bought from a contemporary gallery exhibition in Dublin at a similar date. Tony recorded that Mel’s collection ‘forms a major portion of our collection. She had great taste and we shall forever be in her debt.’ Whilst Tony’s passion has always been the driving force behind the collection, it has always been very much the Marietta and Anthony Coleridge Collection: An heartfelt acknowledgement by Tony that the process of choosing and enriching the contents of their homes in London, Oxfordshire and Spain was a shared journey and one which has been acknowledged in the form of the collection labels which adorn many of the following lots. For those of us fortunate enough to encounter Tony whilst he was viewing a sale, his pleasure in appraising lots with a fellow enthusiast was memorable, infectious and his connoisseurship was compelling acquiring objects such as the wonderful George III marquetry inlaid harewood Pembroke table (lot 183) and the notable assemblage of Palais Royal objects (lots 236, 238, 240, 242 and 244); sphinxes were also a fascination and are well represented here, perhaps most notably in the painting Trompe l'oeil (Sphinx) commissioned from Martin Battersby which depicts a notice board pinned with many of the object in in the Coleridge Collection (lot 181). The pieces that have been chosen for this sale are testimony to the discerning eye that he shares with Marietta and the joy that each and every acquisition gave him. Those of us at Christie’s whom he mentored and with whom he so patiently and generously shared his knowledge and insights are indeed forever in his debt! William Lorimer, June 2022

DAVID ROLT (1916-1985)

The mid-Georgian commode

Name: DAVID ROLT (1916-1985)
Brand: The mid-Georgian commode
Price: 500.00 GBP
Availability: SoldOut

Price Realised GBP 630

Estimate

GBP 300 - GBP 400

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DAVID ROLT (1916-1985)

The mid-Georgian commode

Price Realised GBP 630

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DAVID ROLT (1916-1985)
The mid-Georgian commode
oil on canvas
5¹⁄₂ x 8 in. (14 x 20 cm.)

Purchased from the artist's exhibition at Knight, Frank & Rutley, Hanover Square, London, date unknown, according to owner's records.

Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.

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Benedict WinterAssociate Director, Specialist

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