Jump to navigation

V&A logo

SUBJECT GUIDES

Constantine Ionides Bequest

  • Atkins, J. The Ionides family, Antique Collector, June 1987, pp86-94.
  • Distel, A. Les collectionneurs des impressionistes : amateurs et marchands. Paris, 1989, p.232.
  • Druick, D and M. Hoog. Fantin-Latour. National Gallery of Canada and National Museums of Canada Exhibition Catalogue, Ottawa, 1983, p.116.
  • Harvey, C and Press, J. The Ionides family and 1 Holland Park. Journal of the Decorative Arts Society, 18, 1994, (pp2-14).
  • Haskell, F. Rediscoveries in art. Oxford 1976, (p134).
  • Holmes, C.J. The Constantine Ionides bequest. Burlington Magazine, vol 5, 1904, (p455).
  • Ionides, A.C. ION: a grandfather’s tale. Dublin, 1927.
  • Ionides, J. The Greek connection - The Ionides family and their connections with Pre-Raphaelite and Victorian art circles. In : Casters, S., and Faxon, A., eds. Pre-Raphaelite art in its European context, London 1996, (pp160-173).
  • Ionies, Luke. Memories. Paris 1925, facsimile reprint published with an afterword by J. Ionides, Ludlow, 1996.
  • Leoussi, A. The Ionides circle and art. Unpublished M Phil Thesis, 1982, Courtauld Institute of Art, available in NAL.
  • Macleod, D. Sachko, Mid-Victorian patronage of the arts: F. G. Stephens's The Private collections of England. Burlington Magazine, vol 128, 1986.
  • Memorial catalogue of the French and Dutch loan collection, Edinburgh International Exhibition, 1886. Edinburgh: Douglas, 1888.
  • Metaxas, K.H. The Ionides: a Greek family in Britain: family tree. The Greek Gazette, December 1995.
  • Monkhouse, Cosmo. Magazine of Art. 1884, (pp36-44, 120-127, 208-214).
  • Pantazzi, Michael. Corot and his Collectors. In Corot. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1996, p403. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Pickvance, R. Degas dancers, 1872-1876. Burlington Magazine, vol 105, 1963, p266.
  • Victoria & Albert Museum. The Catalogue of the Constantine Alexander Ionides Collection. London, 1904.
  • Victoria & Albert Museum/Long, Basil S. Catalogue of the Constantine Alexander Ionides collection. Vol. 1, Paintings in oil, tempera and water-colour, together with certain of the drawings. London, 1925.
  • Victoria & Albert Museum/Kauffmann, C.M. Catalogue of foreign paintings. (2 vols), 1973.
  • Victoria & Albert Museum. The Ionides collection. Information pamphlet.
  • Watson, Andrew. Constantine Ionides and his collection of 19th Century French art. Journal of the Scottish Society for Art History, Vol 3, 1998.
  • Whiteley, L. Accounting for tastes. Oxford Art Journal, No.2, 1979, p25.
  • Wilcox, T. The Art Treasures of Constantine Ionides, Hove’s Greatest Collector. Brighton 1992. Hove Museum and Gallery Catalogue.

Letters to Constantine Ionides in the National Art Library

From: E Burne Jones
Date: undated
Description: Telling Ionides that the picture "The Mill" will be ready after drying and finishings, asking for £500 in advance and saying he will send the ‘green’ picture too. He submits an account.
Pressmark: 86.WW.1
Ref no: MSL/1979/2603

From: Walter Crane
Date: 5 December 1881
Description: Responding to the invitation to become a member of a club
Pressmark: 86.WW.1
Ref no: MSL/1979/2606

From: Jules Dalou
Date: 11 March 1873, 3 June 1881
Description: 9 letters in French referring to various works by Dalou including a terracotta bust of Miss Helen Ionides as a child (now in V&A).
Pressmark: 86.NN Box II
Ref no: MSL/1956/3585

From: Edwin Edwards
Date: 24 August 1871
Description: Confirms receipt of a cheque for £15:15/- for Fantin’s nature work (still life). Expresses that Fantin will be pleased that his work is still sought after by his earliest patrons in this country. Best wishes to family.
Pressmark: 86.WW.1
Ref no: MSL/1979/2837

From: D G Rossetti
Date: 7 May 1880
Description: Letter discusses money for a painting which is almost finished, size 61 x 35, would like an advance of £200 with £135 payable on delivery (refers to Day Dreams) includes illustration
Pressmark: 86.HH Box III
Ref no: MSL/1979/2767

From: D G Rossetti
Date: 31 October 1879, 18 March 1880, 3 undated
Description: 5 letters concerning payment for his painting "The Day Dream" and offering for sale a portrait by Botticelli of ‘Smeralda Bandinelli’.
Pressmark: 86.WW.1
Ref no: MSL/1979/2601/1-5

From: William Strang
Date: 15 November 1886
Description: Asking Ionides if he would like to see a set of 13 etchings made to illustrate ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’.
Pressmark: 86.WW.1
Ref no: MSL/1979/2609

From: J M Swan
Date: 8 July 1898
Description: Thanks for receipt of a cheque for £15 and discusses a pedestal for a bronze sculpture. Mentions objects he bought in a sale. Rough drawing of a pedestal and bust. Invites Ionides to come and see him if in town.
Pressmark: 86.WW.1
Ref no: MSL/1979/2608

From: G F Watts
Date: 22 October 1893
Description: Discusses payment for a painting and thanks for a photograph of the first painting Watts did for the family (refers to Samuel Lane’s painting of Ionides Grandfather).
Pressmark: 86.WW.1
Ref no: MSL/1979/2606

From: G F Watts
Date: 22 February 1889
Description: Thanking Ionides for sending him some photographs.
Pressmark: 86.WW.1
Ref no: MSL/1980/45/1

From: Henry Willet
Date: 15 November 1896
Description: Sending Constantine copies of some work (verses) as loans, and pamphlets from a friend Prof Chardin (or Church?) for Constantine’s acceptance, and a duplicate set for his son and wife.
Pressmark: 86.WW.1
Ref no: MSL/1979/2838

Further related letters:

From: Morris and Co.
To: Alecco
Description: Bills and letters addressed to a A A Ionides
Pressmark: 86.KK Box III

Constantine Alexander Ionides and his Bequest to the V&A

The Family

In 1815 Constantine Ipliktzis came to England with a view to exporting Manchester cloth to Greece and Turkey. He came with not much more than a motto given to him by his father in his will: never spend more than a third of your income; give away a third in charity and save a third.

His son Alexander settled in Manchester in 1827 changing his name to Ionides (Ion was the mythical ancestor of the Ionians, therefore Ionides means "the Greek") and founded the firm of Ionides and Co. His business prospered and he moved first to Tulse Hill, South London and then in 1864 to 1 Holland Park. Alexander became an art patron and a friend of several noted artists, such as Whistler and Rossetti. His first private commission was to G.F. Watts to paint from the original the portrait of Alexander Ionides’s father, Constantine by Samuel Lane. He went on to paint five generations of the Ionides family.

Alexander Constantine Ionides (1810-1890) married Euterpe Sgouta (1816-1892) and had five children: Constantine Alexander Ionides (1833-1900), Aglaia Ionides (1834-1906), Luke Alexander Ionides (1837-1924), Alexander Alexander Ionides (1840-1898) and Chariclea Anethea Euterpe Ionides (1844-1923). Alexander originated the family love of collecting works of art, which was subsequently taken up by his youngest son "Alecco" and was evolved in to a systematic talent by Constantine. However, all the family were connected with artistic circles of the day: Aglaia was the confidante of Morris and friend of D.G. Rossetti and acted as a mediator between Rossetti and her brother Constantine for the sale of pictures. Luke was a great friend of Whistler and Burne-Jones and Chariclea was a delightful vocal interpreter of Schumann and became Edward Dannreuther’s wife.

Constantine Alexander Ionides

Constantine Alexander Ionides was the eldest son of Alexander C. Ionides. He was born on 14 May 1833 and died at Brighton on 29 June 1900 and is buried at the Hove cemetery. At the age of 17 (1850) he entered his father’s business in Manchester, five years later he went to Romania in the grain trade, representing his father’s firm. At 27 he married Agathonike Fenerli in Constantinople. They had 8 children together. He moved to 8 Holland Villas Road on Lord Holland’s Estate in Northern Kensington not far from 1 Holland Park where his parents moved in the same year. In 1864 Constantine entered the London Stock Exchange and by 1866 had started on his own with a partner called Barker as stock and share brokers in the City, continuing successfully as Ionides & Ionides and Ionides Constantine. In 1882 Constantine retired from active business having realise a considerable fortune. In 1884 Constantine bought a house in Hove, Brighton and by the early 1890s was living there permanently with his art collection. Not much is known of Constantine as a person, his son tells us that he was an autocrat in the home – his children called "O Zeus".

Constantine Ionides’ Art Collection

The collection formed by Constantine Ionides includes works of a wide variety of schools, periods and artists. His collection includes Old Masters, 17th century works, contemporary British works and French 19th century works. Constantine formed friendships with artists of the day, especially Legros, who, having spent 17 years in Britain, became a naturalise British citizen. Constantine proved a stable and generous buyer of Legros work, while Legros, in turn, became an advisor in the matters of art to the attentive Constantine. Under the influence of Legros Constantine developed a keen interest in French 19th century paintings purchasing works by Delacroix, Degas, Millet and Rousseau.

Constantine’s plans concerning his collection conformed to a more ‘public-welfare’ vein of thought than his father or brother. He decided to donate his collection to the Victoria & Albert Museum, instead of privately distributing it or disposing of it in a Sales room.

His will states:

'All my pictures both in oil and water colors and crayon or colored chalks (but subject as to my family portraits to the interest herein before given to my said Wife) and all my etchings drawings and engravings to the South Kensington Museum for the benefit of the nation to be kept there as one separate collection to be called "The Constantine Alexander Ionides Collection" and not distributed over the Museum or lent for exhibition. And I desire that the said Etchings Drawings and Engravings shall be framed and glazed by and at the expense of the authorities of the Museum so that Students there can easily see them.'

The collection bequeathed to the museum in 1901 comprises 1138 pictures, drawing and prints, to which a further 20 items were added on the death of his widow in 1920. The works are listed in the V&A catalogue of the Constantine Alexander Ionides collection.