Editor's Letter: Lucinda Bredin

"Bonhams is regarded as the auction house for connoisseurs. And while I was editing this issue, I thought 
about the way in which our many specialists share their knowledge with collectors – and, indeed, with any member of the public. To speak to our departments about any object that falls within Bonhams' 60 different collecting areas, all someone has to do is pick up the phone.

I was thinking about this inclusive and egalitarian approach because one of the threads that draws together the stories in this issue is the role of the connoisseur-collector as a promoter of new art. In order to commission works, they require knowledge which, in the 18th century, say, was confined to the very top layer of society. For instance, in 1763, Lancelot 'Capability' Brown was summoned by the 4th Duke of Marlborough to transform the parkland surrounding his stately home, Blenheim, into an artfully manipulated landscape. On page 40, Clive Aslet writes about a sketch on offer in Bonhams Old Master Paintings Sale that reveals Brown's ambitions for tinkering with the landscape – he wanted to put a mock-Gothic wall around Sir John Vanbrugh's vast palace.

Alas, Brown was denied free rein and the wall never made it off the drawing board. However, in this issue there are stories about artists who were allowed to fulfil their ambitions. The master designer, É-J Ruhlmann, for example, gave his imagination full flight in decorating Yardley's salon in Paris: eight pieces of the furniture that adorned the parfumerie are on offer in Bonhams Decorative Arts Sale in New York. On page 22, I interview Yoyo Maeght about her grandfather, Aimé, who nurtured artists such as Miró, Chagall, Giacometti and Braque, and commissioned works from them for his stupendous Fondation Maeght in St Paul de Vence. Then there's Charles Rennie Mackintosh's music cabinet, commissioned by a Miss Pickering, on offer in London's Decorative Arts Sale.

None of these wonderful works would have existed without the impetus of a commission from the patron – who, in turn, needed to have immersed themselves in the cultural language of the day. Which is why our specialists – all in the forefront of their respective fields – take their role so seriously as educators, helpers, sounding boards and above all, connoisseurs. If you want to discuss a work of art, just pick up the phone. They will be happy to help.
Enjoy the issue."

Lucinda Bredin is Editor of Bonhams Magazine

Editor's Letter: Lucinda Bredin

"Bonhams is regarded as the auction house for connoisseurs. And while I was editing this issue, I thought 
about the way in which our many specialists share their knowledge with collectors – and, indeed, with any member of the public. To speak to our departments about any object that falls within Bonhams' 60 different collecting areas, all someone has to do is pick up the phone.

I was thinking about this inclusive and egalitarian approach because one of the threads that draws together the stories in this issue is the role of the connoisseur-collector as a promoter of new art. In order to commission works, they require knowledge which, in the 18th century, say, was confined to the very top layer of society. For instance, in 1763, Lancelot 'Capability' Brown was summoned by the 4th Duke of Marlborough to transform the parkland surrounding his stately home, Blenheim, into an artfully manipulated landscape. On page 40, Clive Aslet writes about a sketch on offer in Bonhams Old Master Paintings Sale that reveals Brown's ambitions for tinkering with the landscape – he wanted to put a mock-Gothic wall around Sir John Vanbrugh's vast palace.

Alas, Brown was denied free rein and the wall never made it off the drawing board. However, in this issue there are stories about artists who were allowed to fulfil their ambitions. The master designer, É-J Ruhlmann, for example, gave his imagination full flight in decorating Yardley's salon in Paris: eight pieces of the furniture that adorned the parfumerie are on offer in Bonhams Decorative Arts Sale in New York. On page 22, I interview Yoyo Maeght about her grandfather, Aimé, who nurtured artists such as Miró, Chagall, Giacometti and Braque, and commissioned works from them for his stupendous Fondation Maeght in St Paul de Vence. Then there's Charles Rennie Mackintosh's music cabinet, commissioned by a Miss Pickering, on offer in London's Decorative Arts Sale.

None of these wonderful works would have existed without the impetus of a commission from the patron – who, in turn, needed to have immersed themselves in the cultural language of the day. Which is why our specialists – all in the forefront of their respective fields – take their role so seriously as educators, helpers, sounding boards and above all, connoisseurs. If you want to discuss a work of art, just pick up the phone. They will be happy to help.
Enjoy the issue."

Lucinda Bredin is Editor of Bonhams Magazine

Editor's Letter: Lucinda Bredin

"Bonhams is regarded as the auction house for connoisseurs. And while I was editing this issue, I thought 
about the way in which our many specialists share their knowledge with collectors – and, indeed, with any member of the public. To speak to our departments about any object that falls within Bonhams' 60 different collecting areas, all someone has to do is pick up the phone.

I was thinking about this inclusive and egalitarian approach because one of the threads that draws together the stories in this issue is the role of the connoisseur-collector as a promoter of new art. In order to commission works, they require knowledge which, in the 18th century, say, was confined to the very top layer of society. For instance, in 1763, Lancelot 'Capability' Brown was summoned by the 4th Duke of Marlborough to transform the parkland surrounding his stately home, Blenheim, into an artfully manipulated landscape. On page 40, Clive Aslet writes about a sketch on offer in Bonhams Old Master Paintings Sale that reveals Brown's ambitions for tinkering with the landscape – he wanted to put a mock-Gothic wall around Sir John Vanbrugh's vast palace.

Alas, Brown was denied free rein and the wall never made it off the drawing board. However, in this issue there are stories about artists who were allowed to fulfil their ambitions. The master designer, É-J Ruhlmann, for example, gave his imagination full flight in decorating Yardley's salon in Paris: eight pieces of the furniture that adorned the parfumerie are on offer in Bonhams Decorative Arts Sale in New York. On page 22, I interview Yoyo Maeght about her grandfather, Aimé, who nurtured artists such as Miró, Chagall, Giacometti and Braque, and commissioned works from them for his stupendous Fondation Maeght in St Paul de Vence. Then there's Charles Rennie Mackintosh's music cabinet, commissioned by a Miss Pickering, on offer in London's Decorative Arts Sale.

None of these wonderful works would have existed without the impetus of a commission from the patron – who, in turn, needed to have immersed themselves in the cultural language of the day. Which is why our specialists – all in the forefront of their respective fields – take their role so seriously as educators, helpers, sounding boards and above all, connoisseurs. If you want to discuss a work of art, just pick up the phone. They will be happy to help.
Enjoy the issue."

Lucinda Bredin is Editor of Bonhams Magazine

Editor's Letter: Lucinda Bredin

"Bonhams is regarded as the auction house for connoisseurs. And while I was editing this issue, I thought 
about the way in which our many specialists share their knowledge with collectors – and, indeed, with any member of the public. To speak to our departments about any object that falls within Bonhams' 60 different collecting areas, all someone has to do is pick up the phone.

I was thinking about this inclusive and egalitarian approach because one of the threads that draws together the stories in this issue is the role of the connoisseur-collector as a promoter of new art. In order to commission works, they require knowledge which, in the 18th century, say, was confined to the very top layer of society. For instance, in 1763, Lancelot 'Capability' Brown was summoned by the 4th Duke of Marlborough to transform the parkland surrounding his stately home, Blenheim, into an artfully manipulated landscape. On page 40, Clive Aslet writes about a sketch on offer in Bonhams Old Master Paintings Sale that reveals Brown's ambitions for tinkering with the landscape – he wanted to put a mock-Gothic wall around Sir John Vanbrugh's vast palace.

Alas, Brown was denied free rein and the wall never made it off the drawing board. However, in this issue there are stories about artists who were allowed to fulfil their ambitions. The master designer, É-J Ruhlmann, for example, gave his imagination full flight in decorating Yardley's salon in Paris: eight pieces of the furniture that adorned the parfumerie are on offer in Bonhams Decorative Arts Sale in New York. On page 22, I interview Yoyo Maeght about her grandfather, Aimé, who nurtured artists such as Miró, Chagall, Giacometti and Braque, and commissioned works from them for his stupendous Fondation Maeght in St Paul de Vence. Then there's Charles Rennie Mackintosh's music cabinet, commissioned by a Miss Pickering, on offer in London's Decorative Arts Sale.

None of these wonderful works would have existed without the impetus of a commission from the patron – who, in turn, needed to have immersed themselves in the cultural language of the day. Which is why our specialists – all in the forefront of their respective fields – take their role so seriously as educators, helpers, sounding boards and above all, connoisseurs. If you want to discuss a work of art, just pick up the phone. They will be happy to help.
Enjoy the issue."

Lucinda Bredin is Editor of Bonhams Magazine