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SWINTON GRANGE, NORTH YORKSHIREPROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OFTHE HON. EVELINA ROTHSCHILD AND THE BEHRENS FAMILYBy Edward Behrens (LOTS 1-143)Le Goût Rothschild is a term famously applied to houses of the great Banking family that display an astonishing elaborateness: gilded curlicues clamber over rococo plasterwork in the golden glow of French furniture at its best. It is, as the Frenchification of the term suggests, not quite cricket. It is too cosmopolitan. There is one Rothschild House, however, that is the obverse of this particular aesthetic: Swinton Grange.Swinton Grange, in North Yorkshire, was built by Nathaniel, 1st Lord Rothschild for his daughter Charlotte Louise Adela Evelina, known as Evelina, to celebrate her wedding to Major Clive Behrens. They married in London on 5 October 1899. The guests included the Earl of Roseberry, formerly the Prime Minister, and the Countess of Jersey. The Prince of Wales sent a wedding present of a bracelet made up from sapphires and diamonds.Evelina was renowned for her modesty. She grew up at Tring Park, a house that, while luxurious in almost every aspect, was decorated, according to Miriam Rothschild’s Dear Lord Rothschild, without the influence of her mother. Evelina’s temperament is clear in the design of Swinton; she eschewed the lavish proclamation of wealth that characterised the taste of so many of her cousins. Miriam Rothschild writes, “Evelina, a true daughter of Emma [her mother], believed in schoolroom austerity and allowed her children only a single box of sweets at a time, an attitude which Natty [her father, 1st Lord Rothshchild] simply could not understand.” While this behaviour might have appeared almost comically severe to Natty, it must be acknowledged that the level of deprivation the children suffered did, nonetheless, accommodate a box of sweets; it was not all hair shirts in the nursery. Rather than Natty’s foie-gras infused lavishness, the decoration of Swinton suggested a stalwart Englishness. It is a classically Edwardian house set within 23 acres of park that were carefully landscaped and cultivated by Lord Rothschild’s gardeners. It is a perfect evocation of a certain sort of England. It is discreet, set admirably within its landscape, and has an inscrutable, unshowy facade. It does not boast. Perhaps to affirm its roots within England, the park is said to contain an example of every sort of native tree to grow on English soil.While it might not have shown off, there was nothing uncomfortable about Swinton. The estate was, as one would expect, self-sufficient. Not only were there the stables, kennels and cattery for Evelina’s beloved white Persians, but there was even a wormery (and, of course, mulberry bushes) to provide the silk for Evelina’s embroidery. Presumably, dyeing it was no trouble for the household with its connection to one of the largest textile manufacturers and exporters of the 19th century, Behrens Textiles. They had relocated their headquarters from Manchester to Bradford in 1838, not far from Swinton Grange.This sense of connectedness is apparent in the furniture. While the taste might be more approachable and quintessentially English than the grand chateaux of other Rothschilds, it was not insular. The furniture Evelina and Clive had in their home was of typically good quality. It was not confined to the makers of England but instead had a broadly French feel. Pieces such as the late 19th century ormolu-mounted mahogany bureau à cylindre (lot 81) are indicative of the 19th-century taste for Louis XV and Louis XVI - very Rothschild. This influence can also be felt in the wide-ranging porcelain collection, that contains excellent examples of the major houses from Vincennes and Sèvres culminating in a magisterial Chinoiserie silver-gilt mounted tankard by Meissen (to be sold in European Furniture and Works of Art, King Street, 4th July 2017). English George II (lot 26) and III (lot 32) furniture also appeared through the house with pleasing regularity. The collection bespeaks an easy relationship with the finest tastes of the time.Various works of art suggested that the marriage was a total love match, tender inscriptions on a portrait of Clive by Evelina, for example, and just as Evelina’s influence appears in the furnishing and decoration, the paintings seem to represent her spouse’s taste and interests. Behrens, who served in the Royal Horse Artillery, became a prize-winning farmer. He had a passion for horses; this was reflected in the paintings around Swinton, many of which had equestrian subjects including the fine example by James Seymour, A gentleman and lady on their hunters, with a groom holding a hare, in a wooded landscape (lot 34). Evelina and Clive brought up their three children at Swinton. Their elder son, Jack, became second secretary at the embassy in what was then-Peking. While he was in China he clearly developed a notable habit of collecting. He assembled a remarkable group of jade carvings and other Chinese works of art such as the agate washer (lot 106) which displays exceptional carving typical of the pieces he acquired. Looking at the list of works he accumulated, there is no doubt that in his short time in Peking he became something of a connoisseur in the field. Tragically, while Jack was playing polo in China he was fatally kicked by a horse and his collection was taken into Swinton Grange, recalling the loss of a perpetually a beloved son.The Chinese influence was not the only exotic element within the Swinton Grange collection. Rare examples of Egyptian antiquities (lots 73-76) are evidence of interests beyond the boundaries of Europe. These New Kingdom and Ptolemaic pieces have always been said to be gifts from Lord Carnarvon in return for support of his Tutankhamun excavations.Swinton Grange was inherited by Clive and Evelina’s son William. His marriage to Dulcie Mocatta introduced another European connection that is evident in the collection. With works by artists such as Christopher Wood, the Mocatta influence seems to have brought with it to the house a more modern taste. In no way did this over-run the traditional quality of the collection as it stood. In many ways it augmented it when juxtaposed with such pieces as the pair of Regency gilt metal mounted rosewood cabinets (lot 85) or paintings such as the precisely rendered and exquisite Figures conversing in a Dutch Street by Willem Koekkoek (lot 21). In 1979 William and Dulcie moved, with their collection, to another house on the estate and Swinton Grange was sold.The story of the collection at Swinton Grange is a story of accommodating of foreign influences, of assimilation, of the pride in being English. It is a respect for quality and of that invaluable thing: the good taste of open mindedness.

A GEORGE I GILTWOOD MIRROR

FIRST HALF 18TH CENTURY

Details

A GEORGE I GILTWOOD MIRROR
FIRST HALF 18TH CENTURY
The central arched bevelled plate with beaded moulding and a divided moulded mirror border, redecorated, lacking cresting
45 in. (114.5 cm.) high; 28 ¾ in. (73 cm.) wide

Special notice

Specified lots (sold and unsold) marked with a filled square not collected from Christie’s by 5.00 pm on the day of the sale will, at our option, be removed to Cadogan Tate. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Cadogan Tate Ltd. All collections will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.

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