The collection of Philip Hewat-Jaboor: ‘an adventurous patron who had a deep respect for the creative process’

About 20 years ago, Philip Hewat-Jaboor moved from his lavish London apartment to a remote property on the island of Jersey that he had inherited from his parents. On deciding to settle in the rural village of St Lawrence more permanently, the art connoisseur, consultant and collector converted the two adjacent 17th-century granite cottages into one primary residence.

He enlisted the help of Pierre-Hervé Walbaum, a friend and interior designer known for his sympathetic treatment of art, to redecorate the interiors and oversee the construction of a new building across the garden comprising a garage, wine cellar and magnificent library-cum-gallery for his extensive collection of art books.

The modest frontage of the property, however, remained largely untouched, and so offered no clue as to the treasures inside. The entrance hall, drawing room, master bedroom and library were furnished with fine and decorative arts from antiquity to the present day.

Central to the display was Hewat-Jaboor’s collection of coloured ornamental hardstones. Porphyry vases, bowls and mounted fragments adorned many of the shelves and surfaces around the house, while marble tabletops, columns and amphorae filled the walls and corners.

On 8 February 2024, the collection will be offered in Philip Hewat-Jaboor: An Eye for the Magnificent at Christie’s in London. With almost 200 lots ranging from antiquities and Regency furniture to European works of art including silver and porcelain, the sale also features rare pieces crafted from porphyry and marble, as well as a diverse range of objects with exceptional provenance.

‘This collection reflects Philip’s strong personal taste for precious hardstones, as well as his deep admiration for, and affinity with, the legendary British patrons and collectors William Beckford and Thomas Hope,’ says Christie’s Private & Iconic Collections specialist Benedict Winter. ‘The sale includes important works from Beckford’s estate, Fonthill Abbey in Wiltshire, as well as from Hope’s London house in Duchess Street and his country house, The Deepdene.’

Hewat-Jaboor was immersed in the world of decorative arts, design and collecting from an early age. It was his grandfather, a serious collector of Chinese porcelain, and his uncle Sir William Aykroyd, himself a passionate collector of decorative arts and director of the fashion house Hardy Amies, who first instilled in him a love of beautiful things. ‘My uncle was an interesting and intriguing collector,’ Hewat-Jaboor told Antiques magazine in 2008. ‘I very much grew up at his feet at his Georgian house in Dorset, which was full of fascinating and charming works of art.’

Although he thought about entering the hospitality industry, Hewat-Jaboor began his career in the furniture department at Sotheby’s, before setting up the client advisory department. In 1982 he launched his own advisory firm, working with connoisseur clients, interior designers and museums around the world. In 2012, he was appointed chairman of Masterpiece Art Fair.

As well as being a revered art dealer and advisor, Hewat-Jaboor was a passionate and informed collector, acquiring works of art spanning millennia and media from dealers, galleries and auction houses. ‘I believe you should buy pieces because you fall in love with them and they give you great pleasure,’ he once said. ‘I don’t believe in buying for investment.’

His Jersey home was testament to this collecting strategy. Everything he owned was thoughtfully displayed and juxtaposed to provoke unexpected dialogues between cultures and continents. The double-height entrance hall had a galleried landing, shimmering white walls and patinated doors inspired by those in the Temple of Romulus in the Roman Forum.

‘The sense of space, light and airiness in the entrance hall comes as a great surprise on entering the property,’ says Winter. ‘The room is beautifully proportioned and served as a stunning backdrop to the porphyry objects on display.’

Among the room’s notable works of art was an Italian porphyry tazza dating from the late 18th century and a pair of early-19th-century Neoclassical porphyry vases, thought to have been acquired by or given to Sir Alexander Hope for Luffness House in Scotland before his death in 1837. In the centre of the room stood a round table dating from the 17th or 18th century, with a Roman Egyptian alabaster top, formerly at Crichel House in Dorset, while a Regency gilt and patinated-bronze 18-light chandelier with intriguing Norwegian provenance hung from the ceiling.

The drawing room was an intimate space, decorated in a soft, neutral palette enlivened with pops of red, gold and purple, Hewat-Jaboor’s favourite colour. On one side of the room was an early-19th-century ormolu-mounted mahogany commode attributed to Pierre-Benoît Marcion, adorned with an ormolu-mounted ebony striking vase clock from 1780 and a pair of late George III ormolu candlesticks by Benjamin Vulliamy. The latter were commissioned by William Beckford for Fonthill Abbey between 1805 and 1810.

On the other side, adorning the mantelpiece, was a Regency mahogany cabinet designed by Thomas Hope around 1800 for his London house in Duchess Street, which Hewat-Jaboor used to display his collection of specimen marbles and minerals. Also offered for sale with Thomas Hope provenance is an early-19th-century Coade stone lioness sculpture. Originally commissioned for The Deepdene, Hope’s home in Surrey, it was positioned among the foliage in Hewat-Jaboor’s beautifully landscaped garden.

In the centre of the room stood a pair of Sicilian jasper tabletops set on mahogany bases and a pair of George III giltwood armchairs attributed to John Linnell. The shelves and surfaces were peppered with important decorative works of art, among them a late-18th-century vase and cover crafted from Roman Egyptian black-and-white granite.

The principal bedroom reflected Hewat-Jaboor’s passion for combining periods, styles and pieces from all over the world. The walls, covered in a striking orange and purple striped silk, were hung with a collection of assorted pictures, including a set of four Italian Grand Tour marble tondi from the celebrated collection of Professor Raniero Gnoli.

Among the furniture and decorative arts were a pair of Russian Empire gilt-bronze wall lights by Jean-Pierre Lancry, a late-17th-century Indian brass-mounted cabinet and a Regency gilt-bronze-mounted Chinese porcelain coral-ground vase. A sumptuous throw and a large leopard-print rug with purple trim completed the maximalist look

The most eye-catching room of all, however, was Hewat-Jaboor’s purpose-built library and gallery. Its wooden doors were mounted with rare marble specimens, and it had a marble floor inlaid with porphyry, granite and alabaster, inspired by the 18th-century floor of the Sala degli Imperatori at the Villa Borghese in Rome.

‘The library was a calm, contemplative space where Philip liked to read, research and handle artworks from his collection,’ says Winter. ‘The story of a work of art was always at the forefront of his mind.’

In addition to Hewat-Jaboor’s extensive collection of art books, the library was home to a notable group of marble objects and antiquities, among them a Roman marble head of Bacchus, circa 2nd century A.D., and a large Roman floor mosaic, circa 4th century A.D., which hung on the wall above an Empire mahogany canapé by Jacob Desmalter.

At its centre stood a 16th-century Roman specimen pietra dura tabletop with porphyry centre, on which stood a George III gilt and patinated-bronze candelabrum designed by James ‘Athenian’ Stuart, circa 1760-65.

Other significant works coming to auction include a Florentine pietra dura and ebony altar from the 17th century, and a late-18th-century vase and cover made from Roman granite. Also offered is a pair of giltwood armchairs, attributed to Lorenzo Santi, upholstered in a striking leopard-print velvet. The chairs were probably commissioned in Rome by Napoleon I’s uncle, Cardinal Fesch, around 1815, and later acquired by William Beckford for Fonthill Abbey.

As Winter points out, however, Hewat-Jaboor not only accumulated historic masterpieces, but also commissioned new works. Among the contemporary pieces offered for sale is are six hardstone libation bowls (as three lots of two) made in the late 1980s by British artist Stephen Cox, and an imperial porphyry sculpture titled Griddle I: to St Lawrence, also by Cox, which adorned the table in the yellow dining room.

‘Philip was an engaged, enlightened and adventurous patron who had a deep respect for the creative process,’ says Winter. ‘It is both an honour and a privilege to pay tribute to him and thank him — because we, in the world of decorative arts, owe him so much.’

A full pre-sale exhibition of Philip Hewat-Jaboor: An Eye for the Magnificent will run from 3 to 7 February 2024 at Christie’s in London