Alexander Borisovich Serebriakoff

signed, inscribed and dated A. Serebriakoff Dytchley 1948 lower left

Christie's New York, October 17, 1992, lot 24, illustrated

Martin Wood, Nancy Lancaster: English Country House Style, London, 2005, illustrated p. 65

Colors are bright and fresh. Work is affixed to mat board with three paper hinges along top edge.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Ditchley Park was designed by James Gibbs and built for the second Earl of Lichfield in 1722. The interior was richly decorated by William Kent and Henry Flitcroft and remained unfinished when the second Earl died in 1742. The 4th Earl died in 1776 without an heir, so the estate passed to his niece, Lady Charlotte Lee, who had married the 11th Viscount Dillon, an Irish Peer. The 17th Viscount Dillon died in 1932 and the estate was sold to Ronald Tree, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Market Harborough. Together with his wife Nancy (an American and niece of Lady Astor), the house was extensively redecorated with help from Lady Colefax and the French decorator Stéphane Boudin of the celebrated Paris firm Jansen.  One of the great taste-makers of the twentieth century, Nancy Tree is credited for her role in creating the "English Country House Look" combining period details with comfort.  After World War II, Ronald Tree commissioned Serebriakoff to produce a series of watercolors of the house including the library as depicted in the present work. On Nancy's direction, two small libraries were combined into a larger space, one of the few architectural changes she made.  Serebriakoff captures many of the room's most interesting elements, such as the recessed bookcases, the leather-upholstered Georgian sofa and chair, and carpet which Nancy designed after a fragment of an old English needlework (Wood, p. 65).  By 1948, the date of the present work, the Trees had divorced.  Ronald's second wife, Marietta Peabody Tree, was not as interested in the English countryside and Ditchely was sold in 1950 (later donated to the Ditchley Foundation which has continued to hold important conferences in international affairs at the residence) leaving Serebriakoff's work as a lasting testament to this great design vision.