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THE STYLE OF THE HON. MRS NELLIE IONIDES Among the following lots are pieces which were originally from the famed collection of the Hon. Mrs Nellie Ionides, daughter of Sir Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted. After her first husband, Walter Levy, died in 1923, Nellie married Basil Ionides, the pioneering Art Deco designer of the Savoy Theatre, and Claridges Hotel. In 1926 the couple acquired Riverside House, Twickenham, their beloved rural retreat where they entertained notable politicians and members of the Royal family. Then, in 1931 they moved into the splendid 18th century Palladian mansion, Buxted Park, Sussex, which they gradually transformed in their unique style. Nellie Ionides' instinctive desire to protect the beautiful area in which she lived also led her to preserve a house of great historical significance. She was quick to intervene when a property near to her Twickenham residence, Orleans House, named after its most famous resident, Louis Philippe, Duc d'Orléans, who lived there in exile from Napoleon between 1815 and 1817, was threatened with demolition. Thanks to her remarkable intercession, the ornate Baroque Octagon room, designed by James Gibbs, was saved, along with the service wing and stables. In 1962, Mrs Ionides left this property, along with a collection of local topographical pictures, to the Borough of Twickenham. Both husband and wife were keen collectors: he came from a long line of patrons and benefactors, whilst she focussed her attention on amassing exceptionally fine paintings, furniture, objets d'art and Chinese porcelain. Mrs Ionides' enthusiasm for collecting first manifested itself in her teens, when, as the shy daughter of the Lord Mayor, she went about at parties collecting autographs. This developed into a full-blown passion, which, along with her renowned love for animals, in particular the poodles she bred at Buxted Park, would occupy Mrs Ionides for much of her life, and, as a shared interest, would also form the foundation of her lifelong friendship with Queen Mary, wife of George V. Grandchildren remember her radar-like ability to discover porcelain, Meissen and other such treasure amidst the dusty junk shops of London, Sussex and Brighton. THE PROPERTY OF A LADY OF TITLE (LOTS 160-167)

AN ORMOLU-MOUNTED BLUEJOHN CLOCK

19TH CENTURY

Details

AN ORMOLU-MOUNTED BLUEJOHN CLOCK
19TH CENTURY
The pine-cone and berried finial wrapped with a serpent on a domed lid, the brass numeral ring with Roman hour chapters and Arabic minute numbers, with laurel-swagged handles, on a waisted socle with entwined serpent, on a square pedestal and verde antico foot, restored cracks to lid
14½ in. (37 cm.) high

Provenance

The Hon. Mrs Nellie Ionides (d.1962) and by descent.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

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