Online Auction: 21–30 September 2020 • 3:00 PM BST • London
N estled between Belgravia and Chelsea, the Pimlico Road is a mecca for discerning collectors and decorators on the hunt for the extraordinary and the unusual. Sotheby’s invites you to take a virtual tour of this unique quarter of London through a dedicated online sale of carefully selected artworks, design and antiques from its internationally renowned galleries.
The sale features property from ten of the Pimlico Roads most eminent galleries including Rose Uniacke, Jamb, Howe, Anthony Outred, Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, Patrick Jefferson, Tarquin Bilgen, 88 Gallery, Hemisphere Gallery and Robertaebasta. From country house articles with peerless provenance to cutting edge contemporary design - and everything in between – the carefully chosen pieces epitomize each dealer’s inimitable eye.
With over 200 lots to choose from and estimates ranging from £400-600 right the way up to £80,000-120,000 there truly is something to suit every taste and budget.
Click on the hotspots below to learn more about each gallery.
- Tarquin Bilgen
Tarquin Bilgen started his career at Sotheby's in 1994 before crossing over the road to join Mallett & Son where he remained for the best part of a decade. For the last ten years he has dealt independently in eye-catching English and Continental furniture from his shop on neighbouring Ebury Street and is very much part of the hub of Pimlico Road dealers.
- Patrick Jefferson
Patrick Jefferson has bought and sold furniture, works of art and arcane objects from antiquity to modernity since childhood. Unconventionally self-taught, he started business in 1977 at Carlos Place, Mayfair and by the 1990s was occupying a large gallery across two floors on Mount Street. As the millennium chimed, he moved to the Pimlico Road where he continues to source pieces, invariably from private sources, that are effortlessly able to converse, eclipsing time, nations and cultures. His ever-expanding reference library remains arguably his most invaluable possession.
- Robertaebasta
Robertaebasta was founded in 1967 by Roberta Tagliavini. Over the years, Robertaebasta has become an undisputed point of reference for the Decorative Arts and Design of the 20th Century. Today, it is one of the best-known galleries in Italy and beyond, with a network of established connections in the realm of interior design, yacht design, fashion and movie sets. Rising to fame on the international scene, the gallery now takes part in the most-acclaimed fairs, such as Brafa and Masterpiece.
In September 2017, Robertaebasta opened its sixth gallery, and the first outside of Milan, in London's design mecca, Pimlico Road. The gallery's ethos perfectly embraces the cosmopolitan nature of the city. The gallery displays a unique selection of eclectic pieces of modern Italian and French design, thus bringing an unconventional approach to London's finest design district.
- Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler
Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, a relative newcomer to the Pimlico Road, was founded in the 1930s. It is probably the longest established interior decorating firm in Great Britain, as well as one of the best-known. Under the aegis of Roger Jones and Daniel Slowik (pictured left and right), it also continues to uphold its international reputation as a source of decorative antique furniture and art. The firm’s impressive client list includes royalty and rock stars, businessmen and bohemians, all drawn to Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler’s quintessentially English (but often unpredictable) style.
- Howe
Christopher Howe’s eponymously named antiques business – Howe – has been a presence on the Pimlico Road for over 30 years. Christopher sources antiques and modern design from around the world, pieces prized for their unique provenance, exceptional quality and character. It is this experience that has informed a diverse collection of ‘Made by Howe’ furniture and lighting through which the firm is able to champion traditional craftsmanship executed by its modern masters. Christopher also puts his own stamp on antique pieces - re-upholstered and re-imagined for a 21st century aesthetic.
- Rose Uniacke
Rose Uniacke needs little introduction. Highly regarded as both an interior designer and dealer in decorative arts, design and antiques, Rose’s interiors effortlessly combine the old and new creating serene sanctuaries where texture, tone and detail subtly interplay.
A perennial exhibitor at Masterpiece and PAD London, her singular aesthetic has attracted a stellar list of devoted clientele.
- 88 Gallery
Founded by Erik Mullendorff, 88 Gallery London focuses on mid-century to contemporary work by Italian, French, Belgian and American designers.
Here you’ll find pieces by established icons of design including Angelo Mangiarotti (1921-2012) and Roberto Menghi (1920-2006) rubbing shoulders with contemporary makers such as Ado Chale (b. 1928) and Timothy Schreiber.
The gallery participates in several international fairs - Masterpiece London, PAD Paris and PAD London - and continually strives to source bold and original pieces.
- Hemisphere Gallery
Founded by Raymond Paynter, Hemisphere Gallery occupies the glazed corner gallery of an art deco building where Lower Sloane Street meets the Pimlico Road, a fitting space for the refined and elegant 20th century furniture and decorative arts Raymond specializes in. With a focus on design from Europe and America from 1940 to 1980, Raymond’s pieces combine design and craftsmanship with the emphasis on organic modernism as exemplified by Finn Juhl, Ole Wanscher, Hans Wegner and Axel Salto, all of whom feature in this sale.
- Jamb
Founded by husband and wife Will Fisher and Charlotte Freemantle, Jamb has an international reputation for sourcing exemplary antiques and manufacturing immaculately reproduced 18th and 19th century chimneypieces, lighting and furniture.
Will is first and foremost an antiques dealer and antique furniture has always been an integral part of the Jamb showroom on the Pimlico Road. Specialising in sourcing the finest eighteenth and nineteenth century English and Irish country house furniture, sculpture and curiosities, Jamb’s extraordinary space provides the perfect setting for the sleepy, faded grandeur of the English Country House aesthetic, which is at the heart of the firm’s design ethos.
- Anthony Outred
Anthony Outred has been established for almost half a century during which time he has developed an international reputation as one of Pimlico Road’s most respected dealers. Anthony only buys what inspires him and each purchase must meet his exacting criteria of exceptional creativity, craftsmanship, originality, decorative appeal and historical interest.
This is the very first time that Anthony has consigned a significant part of his collection to auction. Ranging from a 12th century sculpture of Vishnu to three 18th century Italian trompe l’oeils this expansive consignment reflects Anthony’s wide range of interests.
Featured Lots
A Rose Uniacke interior is instantly recognizable. At once grand and comfortable; elegant and raw; austere and atmospheric. She has a unique ability to find harmony in otherwise contradictory qualities, somehow grasping the invisible thread that ties often very disparate objects and works of art. Tone, surface, form and function all chime together in her beguiling interiors.
The group offered here is an embodiment of these ideals where rich detail meets sleepy surfaces, the exotic alongside the homegrown, each piece demanding quiet contemplation. The individual merits are clear but when brought together they resonate at an entirely different frequency.
“We are preoccupied, I would say obsessed with the way things are made. We don’t make anything in the 18th Century style unless it is made in the 18th Century way”
Christopher Howe
Whether it be reupholstering a period sofa or conjuring up a re-imagined, deconstructed modern masterpiece, Christopher and his team of leading craftsmen imbue each piece with originality, quality and character. We are delighted to be offering several pieces Made by Howe, including a smart pair of Gillows style what-nots and a unique Reynolds armchair, among other items to which Christopher has added his own stamp, such as the brilliantly upholstered campaign sofa in juxtaposing canvas tarpaulin and glazed cotton chintz and of course a typically Howe dog bed. Woof woof.
“This is the first time in 50 years trading that I have consigned a significant selection of our stock to auction and I am proud to present this collection which I feel represents my exacting criteria of exceptional creativity, craftsmanship, originality, decorative appeal and historical interest.
Just the other day I was flicking through a book of great exhibitions researching a Pietra Dura cabinet when I discovered a Copeland tabletop which had been shown at the New York exhibition of 1853. Excitingly, the borders matched those on our Coghill table suggesting that it could have been one of a series displaying scenes from the Ancient Greek vases that were once in Sir John Coghill's renowned collection. Our top is a rare survivor almost certainly due to the genius of the cabinetmaker who designed and created the table base. The beautiful Connemara table is almost certainly a Country House commission and probably unique. The charming sleeping putto marble reputedly belonged to Queen Victoria's veterinary surgeon while the 10 volumes of intaglios are a wonderful source of reference for great sculptural works. The illusion of burnt paper in the Italian Trompe L'oeils is masterful while the Spanish table is the ultimate in colour and originality. Do also wonder at the magnificence of heraldry as displayed on the Beckford porcelain and the Rajpipla centerpiece”
Famed for its antique shops the Pimlico Road is now host to a burgeoning contingent of highly regarded galleries specialising in 20th century and contemporary design. Here you’ll discover icons from the cannon of mid-century design, like Kay Bojesen’s Monkey and armchairs by architect-designers Finn Juhl’s and Roberto Menghi, being mixed with 70s chic in the form of Jacques Duval-Brasseur’s serpent creations. Be sure to delve into the sale to explore more pieces from Hemisphere Gallery, 88 Gallery and Robertaebasta.
The Pimlico Road has long been synonymous with interior design. So much so that Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, probably the longest established interior decorating firm in Great Britain, recently relocated to this creative hub.
Here we have selected works from Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler and two other galleries – Tarquin Bilgen and Patrick Jefferson – all selected for their decorative punch. Bold colours and strong lines tie these pieces together allowing them to transcend period and style.
