Parker and Morris, The Art of Decorating, comprises 342 lots which represent a snapshot of the glamorous lives of the couple, their various homes in Scotland, England, France, Monte Carlo, Australia and the United States and their passion for collecting and antique dealing.
Presented in conjunction with Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler, one of today’s most famous firms of interior decorators that had a long and close association with Parker and Morris, the auction on Wednesday, April 17 will feature such diverse lots as a collection of rare Manus Island green tree snail shells, found only on the island in Papua New Guinea, porcelain figures and bowls, art works, furniture and furnishings and books.
Derek and Peter who spent their later years in Salisbury, were good friends with Tim Woolley and clients of Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury for many years.
Roger Jones, a director at Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler, met Derek and John when he joined the company in 1994 and said they were regular visitors to the showrooms whenever they were in London.
“They had a business connection with the company as well, as for a number of years they ran the Australian Colefax and Fowler showroom,” he said. “The influence of Colefax and Fowler is evident in the way they decorated their various houses in the 1970s and 1980s, a sort of ‘full’ Colefax and Fowler look; busier and more exuberant than the way in which we work today. There are many pieces in the sale which historically relate to Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler.”
Born in Leith near Edinburgh, Derek Parker first met Melbourne-born Peter Morris in 1959, the beginning of a professional and personal relationship which would last for the rest of their lives. In his early years as an interior designer, Derek worked on some of the great houses of Scotland, including Lennoxlove in East Lothian, home of the Duke of Hamilton, Lennel in Berwickshire where he designed and decorated the ballroom and Eden Hall, home of the Earl and Countess of Dalkeith.
He also worked for the Queen and designed some of the cushions at Holyrood House.
The proceeds of the auction will be donated to the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, which already owns Peter’s collection of French 18th century white porcelain.
All ticket sales from the Tim Woolley memorial lecture will be donated to Salisbury Hospice.
Full details of the auction and lecture can be viewed at woolleyandwallis.co.uk.
