Philip Astley-Jones

Philip Astley-Jones enjoyed life to the fullest. I’ve never known a man with a greater sense of fun. It touched all aspects of his life. His love of art and his love of people were simply infectious. To me, he was a mentor, a role model and the most important of friends. His keen eye – trained at Roger Warner’s treasure trove of an antiques shop in Burford in the 1960s – always kept its twinkle. Philip delighted in sharing his passion for the arts with others, and never took himself seriously at all. He was no academic and hardly ever committed his thoughts to print. He was a true connoisseur, a storyteller, not a lecturer. 

A vivid account of Philip’s apprenticeship under Roger Warner’s strict guidance can be found amongst the oral histories recorded by the Antique Dealers' Archives, on the website of the University of Leeds. A rather esoteric habit Philip adopted from Warner, and one by which he swore, was to smell the inside of a drawer to help confirm a piece of furniture’s authenticity.

Sotheby's in Los Angeles

In 1972, Philip’s career took a decisive turn, when the then Chairman of Sotheby’s, Peter Wilson (of whom Philip made so amusing an impression), took him out to lunch with the offer of having him set up the furniture department in Los Angeles. "But I’ve just opened my own antiques shop", a 24-year-old Astley-Jones explained. "Well, close it. Close it" responded Wilson. Six weeks later, Philip was on a plane to California, which he took by storm. Someone who knew him back in those early LA days, proclaimed to me the other day: "Philip Astley-Jones was a legend!"

In Hollywood, Philip encountered some surprisingly serious furniture collections, put together by glamourous movie stars and studio owners in the immediate aftermath of World War II. However, he also came across endless examples of faux Louis furniture, quickly learning that diplomacy was going to be an essential tool if he wanted to succeed: early on, he had been thrown out of a potential client’s home, after explaining to her that her cherished fauteuil had not been made for Marie-Antoinette but was likely the recent product of a local Californian workshop. Subsequently, he avoided such situations by suggesting: "for this object, you better contact our colleagues at Christie’s", thus attracting the fury of his counterpart at ‘the other’ auction house. After five years in Los Angeles, Philip transferred to Sotheby’s Amsterdam for a brief stint, followed by Paris and Monte Carlo, where he was particularly involved in the large Rothschild sales of 1975.

The Hatfields Days

In 1979, Philip went into partnership with his old-time Sotheby’s friend, the late Philip Hewat-Jaboor, who had just acquired Hatfields, the noted restorer of furniture and works of art, which they ran together for twenty years. The workshop had come with a long list of clients, ranging from Blenheim Palace to the Gettys. In all likelihood, their most prominent project, was the conservation of the monumental Badminton cabinet, which twice broke the record as the most expensive piece of furniture ever sold at auction. First acquired by Mrs. Barbara Johnson, heiress to the baby powder empire, it later came into the possession of the Prince of Liechtenstein. Philip travelled with the cabinet around fourteen times, as Christie’s insurance demanded that he would accompany it wherever it went and was displayed. 

In those Hatfields days, Philip’s house in Cambridge Street, Pimlico, saw a constant flow of curators, dealers, auction house specialists, and many decorators in need of his advice and expertise. It would be another couple of decades before Philip became my pal and mentor. I met both him and Philip Hewat-Jaboor on a Furniture History Society trip to St Petersburg in 2012. We became fast friends, and both Hewat-Jaboor and I, like so many others, were heartbroken when Philip died in August 2021. His generous character combined extraordinary energy and irreverence with kindness and a solid devotion to the enjoyment of life. In 1988, Harpers and Queen threw their spotlight on him in a feature about "life enhancers", where one friend described Philip as "indefatigable in his pursuit of a good time for everyone within his orbit." He maintained this positive attitude throughout his life. Indeed, whenever the phone rang, even at 8am in the morning, he heralded with glee: "it’s a party!"

A Compulsive Collector

Philip loved a party! And he wouldn’t shy away from long distances to join one. The last time I saw him was when he and Johnnie Lloyd Morgan, his partner of 41 years, especially crossed the Atlantic to attend the re-opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s British Galleries in February 2020. I’m so glad Philip got to see them and that I was able to give him a quiet, behind-the-scenes tour of the new space the night before. Philip had something to say about every piece on display – and his views (good and bad) were expressed in a characteristically forthright manner.

Together with Johnnie, Philip created a highly atmospheric, welcoming and fun environment in the Old Rectory at Aston-le-Walls. He was a compulsive collector, "I had to have it!" In fact, Philip upheld his commitment to the joy of collecting until the very end. Even on his deathbed, the afternoon before he died, he was browsing catalogues. A Renaissance cast bronze foot inkwell, after the antique, caught his attention. He explained to Johnnie that he had to get it. "But Philip, how are you going to pay for it?" asked Johnnie. "Get an overdraft!" was Philip’s obvious answer.

View page turning catalogue

Auction Details

Wednesday 9 April, 10.30am BST
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

Browse the auction
Sign up to email alerts

VIEWING:

• Viewing in London (highlights): 16-17 Pall Mall, SW1Y 5LU
  • Tuesday 25 March: 10am-4pm
  • Wednesday 26 March: 10am-4pm
  • Thursday 27 March: 10am-4pm
  • Friday 28 March: 10am-4pm
• Viewing in Newbury (full sale): Donnington Priory, RG14 2JE
  • Sunday 6 April: 10am-3pm
  • Monday 7 April: 10am-4pm
  • Tuesday 8 April: 10am-4pm
• Dreweatts Remote Viewing Service | Available from Sunday 6 April