BONHAMS TO SELL HISTORIC SCULPTURE COLLECTION FROM CALIFORNIAN COUPLE HONOURED BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Bonhams Antiquities sale on April 5th in New Bond Street, includes an historic collection of classical sculpture that comes to the market for the first time in decades. The Sir Daniel Donohue Collection is of a kind seldom seen any more – a magnificent antiquarian collection in the Grand Tour style.
Madeleine Perridge, Head of Antiquities at Bonhams says: “The Donohue Collection is a remarkable monument to Sir Daniel and Countess Bernadine’s passion for collecting. They filled their houses and gardens with stunning pieces of ancient sculpture from over-lifesize marble goddesses, to small finely-cast bronze figures.”
The Donohue legacy lives on through the three magnificent houses Sir Daniel and his wife Bernardine, restored in California and by their many charitable donations to the Catholic Church. Bernardine had been made a papal countess in 1960 to mark her generous donations to the church and Sir Daniel Donohue was honoured by three Pontiffs.
Joseph Francaviglia, Director of Trust and Estates at Bonhams in Los Angeles says: “To walk into the homes of Daniel Donohue is to go back to an age when Los Angeles and California were being invented. His three properties – 2076 West Adams Boulevard and Villa San Giuseppe in Los Angeles and Sotto il Monte in Montecito, some 90 miles north of LA – were all remarkable buildings, landmarks in the history of Californian architecture. Not surprisingly, the three residences housed a magnificent collection, consisting of antiquities, medieval and early European works of art, English and Italian furniture, Old Master paintings, objets de vertu, silver and other objects. This wide-ranging ensemble, much of which was acquired in Europe, was begun more than a century ago by Donohue’s father-in-law, the oil and cement tycoon Daniel Murphy, who was once described as the richest and most powerful man in Los Angeles.”
Upon purchasing the Villa San Giuseppe estate in the Los Feliz area of LA in 1956, the Donohues themselves embarked on an ambitious series of renovations, particularly of the vast surrounding grounds, which lasted more than ten years and incorporated elements from the magnificent gardens at the West Adams Boulevard residence. The work dramatically changed the gardens, which even included a small Roman temple from a villa in Lucca. New terraces and fountains were added, flanked by olive trees and statues from antiquity to the 19th century. Around the swimming pool stood more statues and a pair of vast polished marble columns. It was the largest private formal garden in California created after the war.
It was at this time, from the early to late 1960s, that the Donohues were collecting furniture and works of art at full throttle. To complement the European-style architecture of their houses and garden, they filled them with beautiful artefacts including ancient Roman sculpture.
In March 1968, Bernardine Donohue died after a brief illness and all the work stopped; her husband had little desire to continue with the renovations alone. Following a trip to Europe to reflect, Daniel Donohue decided that he could no longer remain in the home he and his wife had created. As both had been devout Catholics in 1969, Villa San Giuseppe was given to the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Bonhams were briefed to sell much of the Donohue Collection in Los Angeles and London.
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further four throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Boston in the USA; and Switzerland, France, Monaco, Hong Kong, Australia and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. By the end of 2009, Bonhams had become UK market leaders in ten key specialist collecting areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com
