Simon Green, the head of sale for early oak furniture, tapestries, objects, sculpture and ceramics at CSK, is now working with The Pedestal auction house as a consultant.
The November 21 Fine Furniture and Objects sale will have early oak and carpets lots added to the usual items on offer. It takes place at Moor Park Mansion, a Grade I listed Palladian house situated near Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire and today part of the Moor Park Golf Club.
The Pedestal was launched last year by Sally Stratton and Guy Savill, who worked together in the furniture department at Bonhams since the early 1990s, and their first auction as The Pedestal was on October 18, 2016.
The final auction at CSK took place on July 19 with a 466-lot ‘Interiors’ sale rounding off the saleroom’s 42-year history.
Buxted Park commode
A stand-out lot at The Pedestal on November 21, estimated at £40,000-60,000, is a George III tulipwood, rosewood crossbanded, purplewood and sycamore marquetry bowfront dressing commode attributed to Mayhew & Ince.
It was once owned by Nellie Ionides (1883-1962) forming part of the furnishings of the Saloon at Buxted Park, Sussex. It then came by direct descent to the vendor. It was selected from the chattels at Buxted Park by Ionides’ beneficiaries and not included in the subsequent Sotheby’s auctions.
Ionides was the daughter of Sir Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted (1853-1927), chairman and co-founder of the Shell Transport and Trading Company. She was first married in 1902 to Major Walter Henry Levy (d.1923) and in 1930 wed the noted architect Basil Ionides. The couple were introduced by the furniture historian Margaret Jourdain, who recommended Ionides to decorate Nellie Levy’s London townhouse at 49 Berkeley Square West.
Built by Thomas Medley c.1725 and passed to the 3rd Earl of Leicester in the early 19th century, Buxted Park was acquired by Nellie and Basil Ionides in 1930. The couple used the house to showcase their now celebrated collection which comprised 18th century and Regency furniture, paintings, oriental and Meissen porcelain, enamels and clocks.
In early 1940 a fire destroyed much of the contents of Buxted including pieces that had been removed from Berkeley Square and wartime London to the safety of Buxted. Among the losses were two important works by Zoffany. The couple set about re-building Buxted
In her will Nellie Ionides left Chinese porcelain to the V&A Museum, the British Museum and to Brighton Pavilion. She also left her other London property Riverside House and the adjoining property, the Octagon Room (all that was remaining of Orleans House) to the people of Twickenham, where her collection of topographical paintings and prints of Thameside, Twickenham and Richmond remain on permanent display.
According to The Pedestal, Nellie and Basil Ionides are “undoubtedly considered to be among the most prominent and significant 20th century British collectors of the decorative arts”.
