Two Chinese style ceramic lamps, modern

Mark Birley, owner of Annabel's in London ;

Annabel's, Christie's, London, 20 November 2018, lot 120

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Mark Birley (1930–2007) was the son of royal portrait painter Sir Oswald Birley and landscape artist Rhoda Vava Mary Lecky Pike. Educated at Eton and later at Oxford, he was part of London’s high society. His sister Maxime became a famous model and married Alain de La Falaise, whose daughter Loulou went on to become Yves Saint Laurent’s muse.

In 1963, Birley opened a nightclub in the heart of London’s Mayfair district called Annabel’s, named after his wife, which quickly became an institution. The venue was strictly limited to 500 members, including the British royal family as well as major international stars such as the Beatles, Mick Jagger, and Sean Connery. The club’s interior was designed by Philip Jebb and Nina Campbell, featuring plush red velvet banquettes, equestrian and canine prints covering the walls, and blue-and-white porcelain.

Our pair of lamps appears in a photograph of the famous Buddha Room, a space personally acquired by Birley. The room was painted in red lacquer and adorned with watercolours of the Russian Ballet. As such, the place resembled more a private drawing room than a nightclub.