The Honorable Mrs. John Ashley (née Julia Conyers, d. 10 Apr. 1907),(1) Shaftesbury, probably by inheritance to her husband’s nephew; Rt. Hon. Evelyn Ashley (1836–1907),(2) (sale of the estate of Mrs. John Ashley, London, Christie’s, 31 May 1907, lot 83). [Duveen Brothers, London]. William P. Clyde (d. 1923),(3) New York (his sale, New York, American Art Association, 25 Mar. 1931, lot 148, ill.). Dr. Benjamin Borow, Bound Brook, NJ (sale, London, Sotheby’s, 27 Mar. 1963, lot 83, bought in by K. Grenfell). Anonymous, presumably Benjamin Borow (sale, London, Sotheby’s, 30 June 1971, lot 98, sold to); Peretti. [Herner and Wengraf, London]. [Nahmad, Milan].(4) [Possibly Dino Fabbri, New York, Zürich, and Milan](5) (sale, London, Sotheby’s, 1 Nov. 1978, lot 50, bought in). [Harari & Johns, Ltd., London, sold 1983 to]; LACMA.
Footnotes
(1) (Anthony) John Ashley (1808–1867) was the fourth son of Cropley Ashley Cooper (1814–1851), 6th Earl of Shaftesbury, and his wife, Anne (ca. 1774–1865), the fourth daughter of George Spencer (1738/39– 1817), 4th Duke of Marlborough, and his wife, Lady Caroline Russell, only daughter of the 4th Duke of Bedford. On 17 March 1840 John Ashley married Julia, eldest of three daughters of Henry John Conyers (1782–1853), of Copt (aka Copped) Hall, Essex. John and Julia Ashley lived at Copt Hall until his death in 1867. Two years later, in 1869, his widow sold the estate. She died on 10 April 1907, less than two months before the sale of the collection. The couple died without issue, presumably passing the estate to John Ashley’s nephew Evelyn Ashley.
(2) Evelyn Ashley (1836–1907) was the second son of Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, and thus the nephew of John. He died on 15 November 1907, presumably inheriting his uncle’s estate following the death of his uncle’s widow on 10 April 1907, and had been responsible for the sale of the paintings at Christie’s in May 1907.
(3) Onetime head of Clyde Steamship Co. and Robbins Dry Dock and Repair Company, New York.
(4) International family of art dealers of modern and Impressionist art beginning in the 1960s, the family was originally from Syria, moved to Lebanon, then Milan, Monaco, and New York.
(5) According to an inscription on an unidentified sale catalogue. Dino Fabbri and his two brothers were partners in the Italian publishing firm known as Fratelli Fabbri Editori, which published, among other things, many art books.
