Sense & Sensibility: Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire

The Duchess of Devonshire photographed by Cecil Beaton, Dec 1949, c) The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sothebys.

On March  2 this year Sotheby's in London will hold the auction: Deborah Duchess of Devonshire, The Last of the Mitford Sisters. This last Mitford- painted by Lucian Freud, photographed by all of the great photographers of the 20th century, was perhaps the most beloved, and ultimately the most accomplished of all the Mitford sisters. The auction encompasses the possessions the Duchess selected from Chatsworth when she moved to The Old Vicarage at Edensor on the estate, which would be her last home.

On downsizing the Duchess wrote in Wait for Me! ~ "For me it is the unheard-of pleasure for the kitchen to be just two steps away and for it to be two steps the other way into the garden."

PORTRAITS & FAMILY

Lot 124. The Mitford Family, photographic print, 1922.

“This auction paints a vivid picture of Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, featuring mementoes, objects and pictures that tell the story of her remarkable life. A friend to many of the people who shaped her generation, she herself was a writer, an entrepreneur, a patron of the arts, and a much-admired beauty who also had the knack of absorbing the influences of other designers and decorators to develop her own style. The objects with which she chose to surround herself in her final home, the Old Vicarage at Edensor, were often moving, funny, or both, and usually had marvellous stories attached. The items in this sale capture the very essence of this endlessly captivating woman.”-David MacDonald, Sotheby’s specialist in charge of the sale

Lot 333. PORTRAIT OF DEBORAH, MARCHIONESS OF HARTINGTON by Mogens Tvede, pencil and watercolour, 1959. This portrait was painted at Edensor House on the Chatsworth Estate, Derbyshire, where Andrew and Deborah lived before moving into Chatsworth in 1949, and hung in the Duchess's Bedroom at the Old Vicarage, Edensor. TVEDE had painted Deborah's sister Nancy Mitford in 1948.

Lot 62. BY THE WINDOW painted by Nancy Mitford

Lot 63. PORTRAIT OF THE DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE, SEATED IN AN INTERIOR by Duncan Grant, 1959.

 “What is particularly wonderful about the sale is not only the sense one gets of the personal taste of Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, but also of the value she placed on these objects that she chose to take with her from Chatsworth to the ‘Old Vic’. Together they form a rich collage that tells a remarkable story. I am sure the Duchess would have been quietly amused by this auction, and would undoubtedly have enjoyed correcting our cataloguers on the breed or species of animal which feature in many of her pictures. She would also have enjoyed telling the stories her possessions carry with them, as many of the lots have been ‘touched’ by the great and the good of the 20th century, among whose number Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire must certainly be counted.” -Henry Wyndham, Chairman of Sotheby’s Europe.

a DUCHESS &

...HUSBANDRY

the Duchess with one of her Shetland ponies at Chatsworth

Lot 215. A matched pair of large Continental earthenware hen tureens and covers, 19th century. one modelled with its head turned back, with four chicks under its breast and an egg behind and decorated in shades of red and purple, the other of lighter colouring, with five chicks under her breast and another behind, 32cm., 12.5 in. long

The Duchess writes, 'In middle age, when looking after my own chickens was too complicated, I gathered together pottery and china hens and ducks. They are less trouble than the live kind and are ever-present in my bedroom and sitting room. My favourites are a Belgium faience pair of life-sized speckled hens with heads turned back and beaks buried in their feathers, in that expression of poultry contentment hens wear after a dust bath on a spring day. One has a brood of chicks poking out from her breast, the other an egg. They are dishes - the top halves lids, heads and necks the handles. I bought them from one of those expensive antiques shops that catered for rich tourists in Park Lane, long since replaced by a travel agency. I remember stopping and staring at them with a great longing. The price seemed wild at the time and it certainly was. A recent valuation put the dishes at less than I paid twenty years ago, but the price is not the point when grabbed by such a longing. They have given, and continue to give, great pleasure'. 

-Deborah Devonshire, All in One Basket, London, 2012, p. 44

Lot 130.

Lot 64. COCKEREL AND HENS IN A FARMYARD 1860, painted by William Huggins 1820 - 1884 The Duchess writes, 'I have fallen for paintings of hens too... William Huggins, taking time off from painting lions, is the artist responsible for another group of poultry, in which the iridescent green and black tail feathers of the cock are brilliantly painted." -Deborah Devonshire, All in One Basket, London, 2012, p. 45. 

Lot 180. BUFF ORPINGTON HEN naturalistically worked and painted, the underside with a printed label about the sculptor's work and annotated in the Duchess's own hand 'hen - given me by Jayne / Aug 06'. A gift to Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire (1920-2014) from Mrs Jayne Wrightsman, New York in 2006

Lot 60. A French bronze and marble presse-papier in the form of a cockerel, second half 19th century

Lot.111 DEBORAH, DOWAGER DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE AND 'SKEWBALD MARE', 2004, Chromogenic print by David Dawson Signed, dated and titled ‘Lucian’s Studio.’  The Duke and Duchess were significant early patrons and acquired seventeen works by Freud for the collection at Chatsworth, including a mural of Cyclamen and a group of six family portraits. The painting: Skewbald Mare, featured in the offered lot, is now a cornerstone of the collection and was a favourite of the Duchess. During Freud’s extraordinarily turbulent social life, countless friends would come and go, but his bond with the Duchess remained a rare constant and lasted over fifty years. (from Sotheby's)

Lot 193. A PRIZE OX IN A BARN by W W Waite 1839 pen and ink and watercolour

Lot 168.EIFION JUMBO, an embroidered collage by Sarah Waters Allen 82. 

more selections from inside the Sotheby's Sale & The Old Vicarage

The dining room (the painting is Lot 269 below)

LOT 118. DELPHINIUMS by Emma Tennant

Lot 269. WOODLANDS GAY WITH LADY SMOCKS by Reginald Rex Vicat Cole

Lot 290 A four-fold screen with one side decorated with cut-paper panels profusely decorated with cartoons, notables of the time and vignettes with some titles in manuscript Provenance: Probably William Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire (1790-1858)

Lot 324. An Edwardian carved mahogany and cane bed, head and footboard, early 20th century.

Lot 362. THE DOWAGER DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE'S GERANIUM by Jo Self, titled, dedicated with love for Deborah and dated 31. July . 2006 

Lot 331. A Pair of George II style upholstered armchairs specially commissioned loose covers in printed 'Chatsworth Rosebud' fabric, 1985. The pretty fabric which covers these armchairs was produced by Warners copying antique fabric found at Chatsworth. This was not the first time that Chatsworth linen stores yielded fabric which went on to inspire designers or was copied by them. The Duchess writes (Chatsworth, The House, London, 2002, p. 226). 'In 1985 Laura Ashley, then at the height of her fame, was brought here by a mutual friend. She was fascinated by the little bundles of chintzes and silks neatly tied with ribbons and put away in one of the cupboards by a housekeeper of yore. Laura took a number of them and in due course they were copied in her factory. There was great satisfaction in going into her shops and seeing rolls of the prettiest cottons imaginable sold to appreciative customers and knowing that the original came out of that grubby old cupboard.'


The delights of this sale are bountiful. Sotheby's has provided extensive quotations along with provenance-all of which are noted in the text above in links to Sotheby's Sale here.
It makes for great reading.

what would Freud say?

 "which Freud?" you say.

"the late Lucian, of course," I say.

 Lucian Freud's Bella, 1996

How extraordinary would it have been if Lucian Freud could have painted the Duchess of Cambridge-his last great work?

Some of his work is atmospherically beautiful.

Freud's Bella and Esther, 2002

He had a go at the Queen in 2001.

Freud's portrait of the Queen. 9" x 6"

The Duchess views Freud's paintings. 

"Can't you just imagine transporting the Duchess into this family portrait?" I say.

 "for that matter what would Madame Tussaud say?"

"More Wax!" Madame Tussaud

 upon viewing a Freud portrait of his wife The Duke of Devonshire said:

on looker "Who is that?"

Andrew Devonshire "It's my wife." 

on looker "Well, thank God it's not mine."

(above, the Duchess of Devonshire by Lucien Freud)

"This is a double portrait of the Windsor men," I say.

"& jolly good," You say.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge & Prince Harry by Nicola Jane ('Nicky') Philipps

  © National Portrait Gallery, London

"She's a lovely woman-animated, athletic.    

Just like the guys, Right?

They look like they might just soul shake next?"

I say old chap-"why didn't the Duchess get a vibrant portrait of the woman that comes through in her countless-countless photographs?"

 (No I haven't met her or even seen her in her royal personess-but still.)

 "Yes-I see that her mouth is open a bit in this one-

but look so is the Duke's-the Prince I mean in the Harry and Wills portrait."

"say what?"

Yes-most definitely it is-

"why not in a hat?" I say hats definitely become her.

Or in a Sargent frame of mind?

"Perfect."

Think  Edith Minturn Stokes in Sargent's Stokes painting.

"Never more lovely- her hair-windswept

why not something romantic?" I say.

 Think Pre-Raphaelite.

Windswept by John Waterhouse, 1904

"Never prettier with flowers in her hair"-I say-

No self respecting Pre-Raphaelite would disagree.

In the hands, say of Dante Gabriel Rossetti?

Paul  Emsley says ‘The Duchess explained that she would like to be portrayed naturally - her natural self - as opposed to her official self. She struck me as enormously open and generous and a very warm person. After initially feeling it was going to be an unsmiling portrait I think it was the right choice in the end to have her smiling - that is really who she is.’ from the NPG  (linked in text)

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge

portrait by Paul Emsley
National Portrait Gallery, London; A National Portrait Gallery commission given by Sir Hugh Leggatt in memory of Sir Denis Mahon through the Art Fund. 
 Leggatt is a great patron of the Gallery.

"I think any artist would agree that with an older face, with lines or wrinkles, or strong distinguishing features, it's easier to create a likeness. But with a genuinely beautiful face, it's harder to convey character," Elmsley  says.

She says, "Brilliant."

He says-he altered the color of her eyes to be more harmonious with the blouse and background.

      In a style called photorealism, I say what?

Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund charity, says-"There is a tradition of portraits of princesses, which he was very much aware of, and he (Leggatt) wanted to commission this image of her before the full weight of responsibilities of state and motherhood descended on her – and as it turned out, just in time."

To see it in the flesh-I say is the only way to truly judge, however from the countless images circulating-

it would appear from the portrait time ran out-

"but No I can't believe that," I say.

No small Freud, the Elmsley, is a clossal 45" x 38"

Emsley stands by the portrait of the Duchess

The Duchess of Cambridge has many portraits in her future-perhaps none will capture her-certainly Elmsley-as the first-
will be a constant reminder to those who come after-the best is yet to come.

One Hopes.

Something that captures the youth and vibrancy of them both-


"In the monumental style of the Stokes portrait," I say.

 “She carried within herself a great fund of life, and her deepest enjoyment was to feel the continuity between the movement of her own heart and the agitations of the world. For this reason, she was fond of seeing great crowds, and large stretches of country, of reading about revolutions and wars, of looking at historical pictures--a class of efforts to which she had often gone so far as to forgive much bad painting for the sake of the subject,” Henry James said.

 

Sometimes words paint the picture best-and Time changes nothing-that is of importance, I say.

a first hand account of  viewing the portrait at The Anglophile here

a daughter's Grief

.
"I can't put in words how it helped me with the grieving process, I was keeping him alive in a metaphorical sense – he was there the whole time I was making it." Jane McAdam Freud said of the 3ft x 3ft x 1ft terracotta triptych sculpture of her late father, Lucian Freud.

Freud's EarthStone Triptych will be unveiled at the exhibit Lucian Freud, My Father in Sigmund Freud's former dining room at the Freud Museum this month. Sigmund Freud was Jane McAdam Freud's great-grandfather. Genius is runs deep in the Freud family to be sure. The dining room was the place Sigmund Freud would introduce his new acquisitions of ancient sculpture as the "guest of honour".
Of her father's death the sculptress said, "I had to face the fact he was dying. In the end, I made it into a triptych because I think he had many sides."

"Dad has one eye open and one eye closed.
When you are drawing it is a way of measuring – so this portrait could be him working, close to death, dreaming or asleep, or all of these things."

the quotes & the photographs on this post are from The Independent here
read more from Jane McAdam Freud and her process here
“Lucian Freud, My Father,” at London’s Freud Museum, January 25 through March 4 of this year.

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