Jacques-Emile Blanche

Daisy Fellowes, the sitter; thence by descent to the present owner

Paris, Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, 1914, no. 129 (as Portrait de la Princesse J de Broglie)

The canvas is unlined. There is a very small area of paint shrinkage in the blue pigments near the centre of the lower edge with some associated tiny spots of paint flaking, and another small spot in the figure's left forearm (just visible in the catalogue illustration). Ultra-violet light reveals no visible signs of retouching. This painting is in very good original condition. The catalogue illustration is reasonably accurate, however the colours are somewhat less red overall and the tones of her dress deeper in colour. Presented in its original decorative gilt frame, with the number plate relating to the 1914 Salon lower centre.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

'Au salon de la Société Nationale une jeune fille de dix-sept ans [sic] l'achète; c'est la fille du duc Decazes, beau-frère de la princesse Edmond de Polignac et des Singer...' With these words Jacques-Emile Blanche recalled his first meeting with the young Marguerite Decazes de Glücksbierg, later Daisy Fellowes (1890-1962), after she had astonished the artist in 1912 by buying his painting Vaslav Nijinsky dans la danse siamoise (now in the Ann Getty Collection, Los Angeles). Blanche painted three portraits of Fellowes wearing the same Paul Poiret dress in 1912 and 1914, the two others now in public collections in Paris at the Petit Palais and Musée Carnavalet. Of the three, the present work is the most informal and playful depicition of the sitter, and the only one to enter Fellowes' own collection, remaining with her descendants until now.

The daughter of duc Louis Decazes and Singer sewing machine heiress Isabelle Singer, following the death of her first husband Prince Jean de Broglie in 1918 Marguerite married the Hon. Reginald Fellowes, banker cousin of Winston Churchill, thereafter taking the name for which she is best known. An acclaimed beauty, pre-eminent style icon, and Paris editor of Harper's Bazaar, Daisy Fellowes was the living embodiment of the Thirties chic. She was arguably the most prominent patron of couturiers Elsa Schiaparelli and Chanel, whose latest designs she adorned with magnificent jewels by Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Boivin. Indeed, her collection was famous enough for press reporters and fashion magazines to keep a watchful eye to see which new jewel she would be wearing to stun the world. A highly memorable acquisition from Cartier was the 17.47 carats rose-pink diamond known as the Tête de Bélier, or Ram’s Head, for which Schiaparelli invented her 'shocking pink' for Daisy to match with the stone for stunning effect.

Daisy's lavish and hedonistic lifestyle was divided between London, Paris, and the Villa Les Zoraïdes on Cap Martin, and she owned the yacht Sister Anne, whose guests included the Duke and Duchess of Windsor who spent their honeymoon there, as well as Cecil Beaton (fig. 1).