CARTIER: ART DECO DIAMOND BROOCH, CIRCA 1925The slightly curving openwork plaque with arrow-shaped terminals, set throughout with vari-cut diamonds including old brilliant, old pear, baguette, French, Asscher, single and calf, signed Cartier Ltd London, numbered ?304, length 5.9cm, fitted Cartier case Footnotes:ProvenanceMaud Russell (1891-1982)Descent to the current ownerMaud Russell, British art collector and patron, was one of Britain's foremost collectors of French modern art during the 20th century and a stylish and popular society hostess known for her infinite generosity. Maud and her husband, Gilbert Russell, a cousin of the Duke of Bedford, regularly entertained artists, writers, intellectuals, musicians, politicians and society figures at their London home and at their beautiful 2000-acre country estate, Mottisfont Abbey, in Hampshire, now owned by the National Trust. Their numerous friends, to name but a few, included Duff and Lady Diana Cooper, Cecil Beaton, Margot Asquith, Clementine Churchill, members of the Bloomsbury Group, the Souls and Ian Fleming. Fleming's friendship after her husband's death from asthma in 1942 was a vital lifeline during a period of intense grief for Maud.A few years later, Maud's gift of £5000 enabled Fleming, with whomshe worked in Naval Intelligence during the Second World War, to purchase Goldeneye, his retreat in Jamaica, where he created his world-famous spy James Bond. At Mottisfont, where she lived until 1972, Maud commissioned Rex Whistler to paint magnificent tromp l'oeil murals in the drawing room and a mosaic called the Angel of Mottisfont and a mural, by Russian artist, Boris Anrep, (the angel's likeness was modelled on Maud). Other artists Maud sat for during her life include Sir William Nicholson, John Singer Sargent, Ambrose McEvoy, Cecil Beaton and Henri Matisse. Born Maud Nelke, she was the daughter of a wealthy German banker and stockbroker, Paul Nelke, who immigrated to Britain in the 1880s and who later counted Winston Churchill as a client. Her mother Maria was also German, the daughter of Carl Conrad (Director of the Berlin Mint). During the 1930s, as war loomed, Maud helped as many of her relatives escape Germany as she could, bravely visiting Cologne after Kristallnacht in 1938 to see if they needed help and bringing those that wanted to, back to England. After Maud's death, her family discovered she had kept a regular diary throughout her life, which her granddaughter, Emily Russell, spent three years sensitively editing for the book 'A Constant Heart, The War Diaries of Maud Russell, 1938-1945', published by the Dovecote Press. The well written entries reveal the mind of a sensitive and observant woman and are a rare social record of the time.This brooch, given to Maud by her husband, has never been offered on the market before, is being sold by her family.Additional image creditsMaud with Ian Fleming and Angus Menzies at Mottifsont. © Emily Russell. Portrait of Miss Maude Nelke, c.1914 (oil on canvas), by Nicholson, William (1872-1949). © Ferens Art Gallery / Bridgeman ImagesFor further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
![Princess Mary's Christmas Gift Tin to the troops in France - 1914, comprising: Gilded Tin [5 x 3.25 inches] with Hinged Lid.](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/7802562e-3d4e-4d8f-a1a9-b0740108ff99/9c997f3e-24bc-4269-baf1-b074010c00d3/468x382.jpg)
