The two brooches (Lot 119) are brought to auction from the collection of Sir Stephen and Lady Courtauld. One is designed as a falcon in a fetterlock surround. The falcon is pavé set with single cut diamonds, while the background is half set with a cross hatched pink tourmaline, and the other half with a cross hatched sapphire. The brooch is signed Cartier London and has been later adapted to include a removable brooch fitting. The second brooch is a 'rose en soleil' motif. The white Tudor rose is set with pavé single cut diamonds with a cross hatched citrine centre. The rose sits within a sunburst surround which is half set with kite shaped sapphires and the other half with kite shaped pink tourmalines.

Sir Stephen and Lady Courtauld at Eltham Palace

Sir Stephen, (1883-1967) the second son to the famous Courtauld textile family and Virginia Peirano (1883-1973), the once divorced daughter of a prosperous shipping merchant met whilst holidaying in the Alps in 1919. Virginia, Lady Courtauld, was described by Sir Stephen as 'the sun that melted his cold exterior'. They married in 1923, and despite, or perhaps because of the differences in their personalities, with Sir Stephen being scholarly and reserved and Lady Courtauld being vivacious and eccentric, their life together was a happy one. They were known for their philanthropic ventures, adventurous natures, and eccentricities which included a much-loved pet, Mah Jong the lemur whose presence at Eltham Palace is much documented.

Although Sir Stephen and Lady Courtauld only lived at the wonderfully Art Deco, and historically important, Eltham Palace for around eight years, the importance of the house they created and its origins are epitomised in these two jewels. They were commissioned from Cartier for Lady Courtauld in December 1934, and presented to her by Sir Stephen in 1937. The brooches are in the form of King Edward IV cyphers, the White Rose of York upon the starburst of Richard II, known as Rose en Soleil, and the Falcon and Fetterlock. They were made by Cartier using the stained glass window designs by George Kruger Gray. The windows were installed at Eltham Palace in 1936, and can still be seen in the Great Hall.

Originally owned by bishops and Earls, Eltham Palace became a centre for the royal courts and reached the height of its trajectory during Edward IV's reign in the second half of the 15th century and culminated with the creation of the Great Hall. After a slow decline in popularity during Henry VIII's reign, the continued lapse in interest saw the once magnificent palace fall into a dilapidated state by the 1650s.

Sir Stephen and Lady Courtauld acquired the lease on the ruinous Eltham Palace in 1933 and began the transformation of the now ruined but originally important medieval royal residence into the stunning red brick and stone Art Deco palace. They took inspiration from Hampton court, and sympathetically incorporated the meticulously restored Medieval Great Hall that was built by Edward IV, ensuring its survival for generations to come.

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Auction Details

Tuesday 18 June, 10.30am BST
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

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