Lot 162: Percy Harland Fisher (British, 1867-1944) Dogs for Sale 21 1.4 x 12 in. (54 x 30.5 cm.)

Dogs for Sale
signed 'HARLAND FISHER' (upper right)
oil on canvas
21 1.4 x 12 in. (54 x 30.5 cm.)

PROVENANCE:
from the collection of the Hon. Mrs Basil Ionides;
M. Newman, Ltd, London;
Private collection, UK.

EXHIBITED:
London, Royal Academy, 1902, No. 611.

The Hon. Mrs. Ionides was the daughter of Sir Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted. After the death of her first husband, Walter Levy, in 1923, Nellie married Basil Ionides, the pioneering Art Deco designer of the Savoy Theatre and Claridges Hotel. Ionides was alos an author and published one of the earliest books on modern interior decoration: Colour & Interior Decoration, 1926.

That same year, the couple acquired Riverside House, Twickenham, where they entertained notable politicians and members of the Royal family. In 1931 they moved into the splendid 18th century Palladian mansion, Buxted Park, Sussex, which they gradually transformed in their unique style.

Both husband and wife were keen collectors: he came from a long line of patrons and benefactors, while she focussed her attention on amassing exceptionally fine paintings, furniture, objets d'art and Chinese porcelain. She also had a passion for animals, in particular the poodles she bred at Buxted Park, and this would occupy Mrs. Ionides for much of her life, and, as a shared interest, would also form the foundation of her lifelong friendship with Queen Mary, wife of George V.