A FRENCH SPECIMEN MARBLE AND GILT-BRONZE GUERIDON

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THE DUARTE PINTO COELHO COLLECTION Born in Cascais Portugal in 1923 Duarte Pinto Coelho was passionate about interior design from an early age. Once, upon their return from holiday, his parents were amazed to find that he had completely rearranged the house to great effect. Duarte was to move to Paris where he found the stimulus and inspiration he so craved. In 1948 he staged a Venetian ball in the Ligny Baths, which was the social success of the season. Duarte flourished in Paris during the time that the decorator Emilio Terry triumphed with his renowned fashionable taste and clients such as the Beisteguis, whilst Madeleine Castaing was creating sumptuous interiors for herself and others. Both were tremendously influential for Duarte. In 1951 Duarte settled in Biarritz, where he regularly received guests. In his guestbook are the signatures of, amongst others: Pierre Benoît; dancers Pilar López, Pastora Imperio and Antonio el Bailarín; bullfighter Gitanillo de Triana; Jean Cocteau; the Count of Foxá and Michel Serrault. Three years later Duarte arrived in Madrid and opened a shop called Carpa, selling decorative objects of all kinds and styles each chosen for their beauty or rarity. He then started decorating and his first mentors in Spain were Princess Pimpinela of Hohenlohe and Luis Escobar (the unforgettable actor and Marquis of Las Marismas del Guadalquivir). Decorating was a true vocation, as proven by some of his major commissions: the Convent of St. Jerome in Cordoba for Count Henri du Chastel and the Marquise of Mérito; the Palaces of the Marquises of Santa Cruz and the Counts of Elda; the houses of Princess Baby of Ligne, the Countess of Romanones, Mr. and Mrs. Argüelles, the Infanta Pilar and the Duke of Badajoz, the Duchess of Sueca, Ambassador and Mrs. Stilianopoulos and Inés Bemberg de Sáinz de Vicuña. He also redesigned a wing of the Palace of Liria for the Duchess of Alba, the Caracas and Madrid residences of the Cisneros family, the houses of Alfonso Fierro and Marita March, Juan Abelló and Ana Gamazo, the Marquis and Marquise of Estepa and the Marquis and Marquise of Morbecq, the country estates of Los Santos for Mr. and Mrs. Manrique and Malpica for the Duke of Arión, the castle of the Duchess of Arco and the Puerta de Hierro residence of the Count and Countess of Barcelona, parents of King Juan Carlos. Duarte's sumptuous interiors could also be found in apartments and houses in New York, Latin America and Portugal, where many of his relatives and friends lived, such as the Espirito Santo family. Duarte was also commissioned to decorate historic buildings and official institutions, such as the French and Greek Embassies in Madrid, the Palace of the Deputation of Cáceres, the Royal Palace of Kuwait, the Presidential Palace of Malawi and the Royal Theatre of Madrid in 1997. His last work was the Hotel Finca Cortesín in Málaga. In the early 1960s, Duarte bought part of the old Palace of the Marquises of Villafranca, in Don Pedro Street. Duarte's new home, was to be a place where matadors, actors and painters rubbed shoulders with millionaires and nobles. It soon became Madrid's puerta grande for distinguished foreigners visiting the city. The acquisition of his lauded Aragonese Baroque organ in 1961 was celebrated with a concert given by Ramón González de Amezúa. In attendance, amongst others were the then Prince Juan Carlos and Salvador Dalí, as well as a great beauty, who in the end turned out to be a transvestite - something never seen in Madrid before! Duarte cherished the nobility and the grand monde because they embodied elegance and tradition; he enjoyed the company of artists and creators because he admired innovation, boldness and surprise. Among his closest friends were the Maharani of Baroda, the Infanta Cristina, Countess Marone, Princess Baby of Ligne, the Princesses of Hohenlohe and Marylou Whitney. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Oscar de la Renta and Hubert de Givenchy could also be counted amongst his acquaintances. Aside from his glamorous parties, Duarte organised magnificent celebrations for others, such as: the Infanta Pilar's wedding banquet at the Castle of St. George in Lisbon; the marriage of the Duke of Cádiz and General Franco's granddaughter; that of singer Marujita Díaz and bailaor Antonio Gades; the marriage of Alfonso Fierro and Marita March; and the party given at the El Pardo Palace on the eve of the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Asturias. Duarte was always in motion - a believer, a great traveller, a polyglot, generous, liberal, straightforward and never vengeful. His concern for the Arraiolos carpet manufacturing in Portugal, which gives work to thousands of ex-convicts, was laudable. His contribution to the image of Spain was publicly recognised, and he was distinguished with many Spanish and foreign honours, awards and decorations in recognition of his work and achievements. The rich and eclectic style of Duarte Pinto Coelho is vividly demonstrated by the splendid interiors he created for himself in his homes at Madrid and Trujillo and the magnificent collections he assembled there. His decorating style was Spanish yet International at the same time, combining aspects of traditional Spanish decor with the most sophisticated styles he admired in Paris and London. Colour played a crucial role throughout his life and Duarte was never afraid of creating bold juxtapositions, skillfully mixing apparently clashing colours, which he combined perfectly, to great effect. His collections consisted of various sub-collections with many styles and themes, and each group or item was cherished and looked after with great care. Spanish works of art played a very important role in his interiors and these are a prominent part of his signature style. He had a deep understanding of Spain and its history and made a conscious effort to show the great arts of his adopted homeland. Duarte admired the Baroque style and all its variants in Europe. Baroque furniture, works of art and textiles were dominant features in his interiors, and together with his rich decor or mise-en-scène, complimented his style perfectly. One of the baroque highlights of the collection is the Florentine cabinet (lot 360) embellished with ormolu and Sicilian jasper plaques. English Baroque is not a phrase often used, however the George I gilt-gesso side tables (lot 110) from his Madrid dining room are Baroque in every sense - their surfaces entirely gilt and decorated with an intricate design of paterae, acanthus and scrolls - these are rare survivals of early 18th century English cabinetmaking and amongst Duarte's most cherished possessions. Duarte also admired Neo-classical works of art and daringly integrated these into his interiors alongside items in a variety of other styles. Purity was not his aim. Instead mixing and fusing styles and incorporating the best of each style and period in the interiors he created was his goal. In Madrid he brilliantly applied a Neo-classical trompe l'oeil decoration, imitating swags of drapery, to the walls of the dining room, which gave the effect of a Roman tent. The two Spanish chandeliers in this room, sparkling and transparent, enhanced the late 18th century atmosphere. Born in Portugal but subsequently living mostly in Spain, two nations with important links with Asia and the Americas, Duarte Pinto Coelho had a taste for exoticism and chinoiserie in his blood, and was familiar with Chinese and Japanese porcelain, lacquer and works of art, which he integrated in a bold and decorative way into his interiors. His love for ceramics was reflected in the omnipresence of blue and white porcelain, with great quantities in the drawing rooms both in Madrid and Trujillo. Duarte was also a man of his own era and appreciated contemporary pictures and works of art as well as ultra-modern decoration. In his drawing room, works by 20th century Spanish artists played a prominent role and sat happily with the colourful and rich decor. He clearly favoured certain artists such as Antonio López García, Lucio Muñoz and Luis Feito and chose their works for their bold compositions and use of colour. His most modern tour de force was the white studio hidden away in his Madrid apartment. This all-white room, with a high ceiling and mezzanine library, was created by him in the early 1970s. On top of off-white fabrics, plexiglass and plastics he added splashes colour with Mallorca silk cushions, Modern Spanish paintings and the magnificent Florentine cabinet, all creating a striking and crisp scheme. Duarte's interiors have featured in various publications, most notably his own Madrid apartment was extensively illustrated and discussed in, P. Rense ed., International Interiors/Architectural Digest Presents a selection of Distinguished Interior Design from Four Continents, Los Angeles, 1979, p. 192-201; and again, Bettina Dubcovsky, El barroco Grandioso, Architectural Digest (Spain), June 2011, P. 112-125, both of these features show many lots included in the sale. Duarte's homes were a triumph of 20th century decoration, providing the perfect platform on which to display his tremendous and varied collections as well as his enormous talent and sensibilities towards fabrics, surfaces and materials. His panache for the chic made him one of Europe's greatest decorators of the 20th century. Very well dressed, active as usual, Duarte would not renounce his plethoric lifestyle at the age of 87, but after some months of illness, he died in Cáceres, in 2010. He will be greatly missed but his reputation and timeless style will live on. Pilar González de Gregorio, Duchess of Fernandina

A FRENCH SPECIMEN MARBLE AND GILT-BRONZE GUERIDON

MID-20TH CENTURY

Details

A FRENCH SPECIMEN MARBLE AND GILT-BRONZE GUERIDON
MID-20TH CENTURY
The circular top inlaid with various stones including portor, rosso antico and verde antico in radiating concentric bands above a simulated fior di pesco undertier on shaped legs headed by ram's masks and terminating in cloven-hooves
28 in. (71 cm.) high; 31½ in. (80 cm.) diameter

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