CIRCA 1930, BY ETIENNE DRIAN (1890-1965)

Primarily known for his commercial illustrations, Etienne Drian was a prolific artist and accomplished painter whose versatility can be measured by his works in decorative art, theatre and costume design. The present lot was commissioned for Mrs. Marshall Field (Audrey James Coates) and is actually a silhouette portrait of Mrs. Field that was created for her apartment at the River House in New York City. Audrey Coates was a bright star on the London social scene before she met and later married department store magnate Marshall Field III. She was the goddaughter of King Edward VII, a former fiancée of Lord Louis Mountbatten and was romatically linked to Edward, Prince of Wales. She frequently fêted in the company of Sir Philip Sassoon within his celebrated apartments at 25 Park Lane in London. It was Sasoon who encouraged Mrs. Field to incorporate mirrored walls in her River House apartment and is a likely source of inspiration for the screen's commission. During this period Drian created a similar screen depicting a jazz band for the Ballroom of the palace of the Maharaja of Indore, as well as a suite of verre égloimisé mirrored panneling and murals depicting exotic birds for the foyer of the New York City residence of Millicent Hearst (Mrs. Randolph Hearst) at Sherry's Hotel, 300 Park Avenue.