A Tradition of Collecting: Property from Cornelia Guest, Formerly the Collection of Winston & C.Z. Guest

Stair Galleries is pleased to announce the sale of property from Templeton, the family estate of Cornelia Guest, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Winston F.C. Guest, Old Westbury, New York on Saturday, November 14, 2015.

Cornelia Guest, Photo courtesy of Bruce Weber.

Cornelia Guest is an author, entrepreneur and animal rights activist. She was also Debutante of the Decade in 1983. Ms. Guest has preserved her family’s estate where she spent her entire life, and has added much to the collection. She was also painted by her good friend, Andy Warhol. Ms. Guest’s casual elegance and style are reflected in her many additions to Templeton. She continually designs merchandise for her eponymous lifestyle brand Cornelia Guest which was founded upon a cruelty-free, animal friendly philosophy. Ms. Guest is a tireless advocate of animal and human rights. She is currently writing a non-fiction book which will be published in 2016.

Winston Frederick Churchill Guest, a ten-goal international polo champion, Phipps Steel heir and a member of the Guest family of Britain, married Lucy Douglas Cochrane, known as C. Z., in 1947 at Ernest Hemingway’s home in Havana, Cuba. Mr. Guest was the grandson of Ivor Bertie Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne, and Lady Cornelia Henrietta Maria Spencer-Churchill, as well as a first cousin of Sir Winston Churchill. Mr. Guest graduated from Yale University and the Columbia University School of Law. He practiced law in New York City thereafter. During World War II, he was a captain of the United States Marine Corps. Already a society darling, C.Z. achieved notoriety as a fashion icon. Her clean-cut, elegant taste epitomized American style in the 1950’s, and she was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame. The Guests had two children, Alexander and Cornelia, whose godparents are the Duke and Duchess
of Windsor.

C.Z. Guest, Photo Courtesy of Stephen Colhoun — C.Z. Guest, Photo courtesy of Stephen Colhoun.

C.Z. Guest was an accomplished horsewoman, gardener and fashion designer. Mrs. Guest’s taste can be seen throughout Templeton in the objects she collected and used in her home. She was painted by artists Diego Rivera and Salvador Dali, and photographed often by her great friend Cecil Beaton. Mrs. Guest worked with Stephane Boudin from the world-renowned French design firm Maison Jansen to decorate Templeton in the 1950’s. The gardens on the estate were designed by English designer Russel Page.

Included in the auction are furniture, fine art, household items and garden objects that embody the elegance and style of one of America’s great families. Highlights include signature pieces of furniture from the Maison Jansen project, Régence giltwood brackets, a pair of Boulle marquetry ebonized low tables, sporting prints and paintings, garden implements, silver, European porcelain and a fine collection of books.

Please follow @CorneliaGuest on Instagram and Twitter for first looks and updates on the auction.