Property from the Estate of Elizabeth Colyear Vincent

Elizabeth Colyear Vincent was born in Los Angeles, California on May 24, 1914. She was the second child of self-made California businessman Curtis Calhoun Colyear, founder of Colyear's New and Secondhand Furniture, a downtown Los Angeles institution in the early 1900s, followed by Colyear's Van & Storage. In 1912, Curtis Colyear incorporated Colyear Motor Sales Company, which would ultimately become the largest independent distributor of automotive replacement parts on the West Coast until it merged with another company in 1965.

Mrs. Vincent was a fifth generation Californian whose life spanned most of the twentieth century. She attended the prestigious Westlake School and The University of Southern California, and she and her family escaped the perils of the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic when her father moved the family away from the city to their ranch in the Las Virgenes Valley (Malibu Canyon). Her amazing life witnessed seventeen Presidents, two World Wars, nine children, fifteen grandchildren and several great grandchildren. Mrs. Vincent led a charmed life filled with a passion for the arts, orchids, boating, friends and family.

In 1976, Mrs. Vincent settled in a Georgian Colonial house on the prestigious Harbor Island in Newport Beach, California. There, she was able to surround herself with all her passions – with an incredible collection of orchids which were cared for in an immense greenhouse; boating with the 96-foot 'Nordic Star' moored in the harbor just outside her door; arts and antiques, which were so lovingly displayed throughout her home; and friends and family, whom she entertained frequently.

While enjoying a life full of beauty, Mrs. Vincent always remembered to give to those around her and supported numerous Southern California charities. In particular, her devotion to her two favorite causes, Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach and The Orange County Performing Arts Center®, never wavered until her passing. During the course of her lifetime, she enriched many lives through her generous philanthropic endeavors.

Amassed over the course of a lifetime, the collection of Elizabeth Colyear Vincent features a diverse group of fine art, silver and silver-plate, furniture, decorations and jewelry. Bonhams & Butterfields are honored to present the auction of property from the Estate of Elizabeth Colyear Vincent to a new generation of collectors.

F.P. Weir (19th Century) A river near Worcester 20 x 30in

Sold for $671 inclusive of Buyer's Premium