Table Of ContentChinese Art Objects, Collecting, and Interior
Design in Twentieth-Century Britain
This book explores the relationship between collecting Chinese ceramics, interior
design and display in Britain through the eyes of collectors, designers, and tastemakers
during the years leading to, during and following the Second World War.
The Ionides Collection of European style Chinese export porcelain forms the
nucleus of this study – defined by its design hybridity – offering insights into the
agency of Chinese porcelain in diverse contexts, from seventeenth-century Batavia to
twentieth-century Britain, raising questions about notions of Chineseness, Britishness,
and identity politics across time and space. Through the biographies of the collectors,
this book highlights the role of collecting Chinese art objects, particularly porcelain,
in the construction of individual and group identities. Social networks linking the
Ionides to agents and dealers, auctioneers, and museum specialists bring into focus
the dynamics of collecting during this period, the taste of the Ionides and their self-
fashioning as collectors.
The book will be of interest to scholars working in the fields of art history, history
of collections, interior design, Chinese studies, and material culture studies.
Helen Glaister, PhD, is the Course Director of the Arts of Asia Programme, Victoria
and Albert Museum (V&A), London, UK.
The Histories of Material Culture and Collecting, 1700–1950
Series Editor: Stacey J. Pierson, SOAS University of London
The Histories of Material Culture and Collecting, 1700–1950 provides a forum for the
broad study of object acquisition and collecting practices in their global dimensions. The
series seeks to illuminate the intersections between material culture studies, art history, and
the history of collecting. It takes as its starting point the idea that objects both contributed
to the formation of knowledge in the past and likewise contribute to our understanding
of the past today. The human relationship to objects has proven a rich field of scholarly
inquiry, with much recent scholarship either anthropological or sociological rather than
art historical in perspective. Underpinning this series is the idea that the physical nature
of objects contributes substantially to their social meanings, and therefore that the visual,
tactile, and sensual dimensions of objects are critical to their interpretation. This series
therefore seeks to bridge anthropology and art history, sociology, and aesthetics.
The Emergence of the Antique and Curiosity Dealer in Britain 1815-1850
The Commodification of Historical Objects
Mark Westgarth
Nordic Private Collections of Chinese Objects
Minna Törmä
Fashionability, Exhibition Culture and Gender Politics
Fair Women
Meaghan Clarke
Women and the Art and Science of Collecting in Eighteenth-Century Europe
Edited by Arlene Leis and Kacie Wills
Private Collectors of Islamic Art in Late Nineteenth-Century London
The Persian Ideal
Isabelle Gadoin
François Boucher and the Art of Collecting in Eighteenth-Century France
Jessica Priebe
Chinese Art Objects, Collecting, and Interior Design in Twentieth-Century Britain
Helen Glaister
For more information about this series, please visit: www .routledge. com /The -Histories
-of -Material -Culture -and -Collecting -1700 -1950 /book -series /ASHSER2128
Chinese Art Objects, Collecting,
and Interior Design in Twentieth-
Century Britain
Helen Glaister
Cover image: Bribery and Corruption, c. 1915
by William Bruce Ellis Ranken (1881–1941). Public Domain.
First published 2023
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Helen Glaister
The right of Helen Glaister to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this title has been requested
ISBN: 978-1-032-13540-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-13782-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-23077-9 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003230779
Typeset in Sabon
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India
Contents
List of Figures viii
Preface xii
Introduction xiv
HELEN GLAISTER
1 Chinese Porcelain in European Style: Visuality, Connectivity, and Otherness 1
HELEN GLAISTER
Origins: Refashioning and Repurposing Chinese Porcelain for
Europe 2
Rebranding Chinese Porcelain: Armorial Wares and
Special Commissions 3
Exclusivity and Connectivity: Chinese Porcelain in
Eighteenth-Century Europe 5
European Style Porcelain at the Eighteenth-Century Chinese Court 14
Gendering Porcelain Consumption: Fact or Fiction? 17
Collecting European Style Chinese Porcelain: The British
National Collections 19
The Ionides Collection of European Style Chinese Export Porcelain in
the Public Sphere 21
Notes 25
Bibliography 29
2 Basil Ionides: Collecting, Interior Design, and Museums 33
HELEN GLAISTER
The Ionides Family: Collectors, Patrons, and Benefactors 33
Basil Ionides: Architect and “Decorator” 38
Professional Recognition and Commercial Success: Claridge’s
Restaurant (1926–1927) 38
“Modernism with a Chinese Flavour”: The Savoy Hotel and
Theatre (1929) 40
Interior Design in Print: Writing and Publishing (1922–1936) 40
Colour Theory and Interior Decoration: Books by Basil Ionides 43
vi Contents
Modernism and Chinese Art: Aesthetic and Cultural Debates 49
The Bequest of “Eastern Ceramics with Armorial Decorations”
at the V&A 51
Basil Ionides the Collector 52
Notes 53
Bibliography 57
3 Fashioning the Collector: Nellie Ionides and Chinese Porcelain 60
HELEN GLAISTER
The Anglo-Jewish Elite and Art Collecting 60
“Knew What She Wanted and Got It!” Nellie Ionides’ Chinese
Porcelain Collection 66
Social and Commercial Networks: Dealers, Agents, and
Auctioneers 69
Public Engagement: Museums, Art Galleries, and Exhibitions 74
Nellie Ionides and the Chinese Art World 77
Art, Identity, and Jewishness 78
Notes 80
Bibliography 85
4 Chinese Art and the English Country House: Elite Fashion,
Taste, and Display 89
HELEN GLAISTER
The Historiography of Chinoiserie 90
The Neo-Georgian Revival: Chinoiserie, the Chinese Room, and
Chinese Porcelain 91
Collectible Object/Article of Display? 94
The Ionides at Buxted Park: Restoration and “Decoration”
Before the War 95
Shared Patterns of Taste in Elite Society 102
Object as Artefact/Object as Ornament 109
Gilded Buddhas, Ancestor Portraits, and Tang Figurines: Chinese Art as
Interior Design 110
Notes 113
Bibliography 118
5 The Impact of War: Collecting Chinese Art 1940–1950 121
HELEN GLAISTER
Buxted Park during Wartime: Destruction and “Rehabilitation” 121
Cased Objects and Systematic Collecting 131
The Wartime Activities of the Ionides 134
The British Art Ecosystem: Auctioneers, Dealers, and Agents 135
Private Purchase: The Circulation of Chinese Art Objects in Elite
Society 137
Contents vii
The Ionides and the Oriental Ceramic Society 139
Post-War Aspirations: Collections, Museums, and the National
Trust 142
The Afterlife of the Ionides Collection 144
Notes 148
Bibliography 152
Conclusion 155
HELEN GLAISTER
Index 158
Figures
1.1 Ewer, porcelain with underglaze blue decoration, with engraved silver
cover and spout, Jingdezhen, China, c.1542–1550. Height: 33 cm x
Width: 23 cm. V&A: C.222–1931. © Victoria & Albert Museum, London 3
1.2 Mustard pot, porcelain with underglaze blue decoration, Jingdezhen,
China, 1630–1640. V&A: C.67–1963. © Victoria & Albert Museum,
London 4
1.3 Dish, porcelain with underglaze blue decoration, Jingdezhen, China,
c.1700. Diameter: 25 cm. V&A: C.68–1963. © Victoria & Albert
Museum, London 6
1.4 Jug, porcelain with underglaze blue decoration, Arita, Japan, c.1665–
1675. Height: 8.375in. V&A: C.65–1963. © Victoria & Albert
Museum, London 7
1.5 Figure of Dutch merchant with monkey, porcelain made in Dehua,
China, overdecorated with enamels in Holland, c.1700. V&A: C.17–
1951. © Victoria & Albert Museum, London 8
1.6 Dish, porcelain made in Jingdezhen, decorated with enamels in
Guangzhou, China, c.1730. Diameter: 25.1 cm. V&A: C.72–1963. ©
Victoria & Albert Museum, London 9
1.7 Dish, porcelain made in Jingdezhen, decorated with enamels and gild-
ing in Guangzhou, China, c.1740–1750. Diameter: 22.35 cm. V&A:
C.28–1951. © Victoria & Albert Museum, London 10
1.8 Dish, porcelain made in Jingdezhen, decorated with enamels and gild-
ing in Guangzhou, China, c.1750. Diameter: 23 cm. © 2015 Christie’s
Images Limited 11
1.9 Plate, porcelain with overglaze enamels, China, c.1740. Diameter:
15.56 cm. V&A: C.87–1963. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 12
1.10 Left: Vase, porcelain decorated with enamels and gilding with Martin
Luther, Jingdezhen, China, 1730–1760. Height: 21.1 cm. V&A: C.48-
1951. Right: Vase, porcelain decorated with enamels and gilding with
John Calvin, Jingdezhen, China, 1730–1760. Height: 22 cm. V&A:
C.47-1951. © Victoria & Albert Museum, London 13
1.11 Figure of Hercules, porcelain with overglaze enamels, Jingdezhen,
China, c.1760. Height: 13 cm. V&A: C.101–1963. © Victoria &
Albert Museum, London 14
1.12 Figure of Hercules, porcelain, Dehua, China, c.1760. Height: 12.7 cm.
V&A: Circ.166–1963. © Victoria & Albert Museum, London 15
Figures ix
1.13 Flask, porcelain with overglaze enamels and gilding, made in
Jingdezhen, decorated in Beijing, China, 1736–1795. Height: 10.2 cm
x Diameter: 8.9 cm. V&A: C.50–1951. © Victoria & Albert Museum,
London 16
1.14 Punch bowl, porcelain with overglaze enamels, made in Jingdezhen,
decorated in Guangzhou, China, 1760–1770. Height:14.73 cm x
Diameter: 35.31 cm. V&A: C.22–1951. © Victoria & Albert Museum,
London 18
1.15 Tea caddy, porcelain with overglaze enamels and gilding, made in
Jingdezhen, decorated in Guangzhou, China, c.1740. Height: 12.7
cm x Diameter: 7 cm. V&A: C.144&A–1963. © Victoria & Albert
Museum, London 19
1.16 Pair of painted enamel copper vases and covers, Guangzhou, China,
Qianlong mark and period (1736–1795). Height with cover: 45.5
cm. Reproduced with permission of the Oriental Ceramic Society.
Photograph taken by Christie’s 24
2.1 The Family of Alexander Constantine Ionides, oil on canvas, painted
by George Frederick Watts (1817–1904), c.1840. V&A: CAI,1147.
Left to right: Mr Alexander Ionides, Aglaia Ionides, Mrs Alexander
Ionides, Alexander Ionides, Luke Ionides, Constantine Alexander
Ionides. © Victoria & Albert Museum, London 35
2.2 Portrait of Mrs Luke Ionides (1848–1929), oil on canvas, William
Blake Richmond (1842–1921), Exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery,
1882. E.1062:1&2–2003, V&A. © Victoria & Albert Museum, London 36
2.3 Photograph of recess in Claridge’s restaurant with etched glass screen,
1930. RIBA23749, RIBApix. © Architectural Press Archive/RIBA
Collections 39
2.4 Savoy Theatre, 1929. RIBA8663, RIBApix. © Architectural Press
Archive/RIBA Collections 41
2.5 “A Furnishing Scheme Showing a Successful Use of Pinks,” from
a picture by W.B.E. Ranken, in Basil Ionides, Colour and Interior
Decoration (Country Life Publishing, 1926), Plate III, p. 16 45
2.6 “Decorative Schemes in Pink,” in Basil Ionides, Colour and Interior
Decoration (Country Life Publishing, 1926), p. 15 46
2.7 Bowl, Chinese porcelain decorated in overglaze enamels, Kangxi
period (1662–1722), Jingdezhen. Height: 7.6 cm x Diameter: 22.9 cm.
V&A: C.1065–1910. © Victoria & Albert Museum, London 47
2.8 Vase, Chinese porcelain decorated in overglaze enamels, Kangxi period
(1662–1722), Jingdezhen, Height: 49.5 cm x Width: 14 cm. V&A:
C.1286–1910. © Victoria & Albert Museum, London 48
2.9 God of Longevity, Chinese porcelain decorated in overglaze enamels,
Kangxi period (1662–1722), Jingdezhen. Height: 48.3 cm. V&A:
C.1271–1910. © Victoria & Albert Museum, London 48
2.10 “Set of shelves with ceramics,” in Basil Ionides, Colour in Everyday
Rooms (Country Life Publishing, 1934), p. 76 49
2.11 “Georgian corner cupboard with striped shelves,” in Basil Ionides,
Colour in Everyday Rooms (Country Life Publishing, 1934), p. 78 49
