A glimpse into the life of a privileged, internationally mobile family that has lived off a bountiful Canadian trust fund for nearly a century is on tap in two antique exhibits that are slated for early October in Ajijic and Guadalajara.
The central figure in the family was May de Polignac, who died in 1974, leaving behind a granddaughter who resides in Mexico and 45 years of accumulated possessions, many of which — for example, a Spanish walnut table from around 1650 — were already antiques when purchased by the de Polignacs or by May and her earlier husband, Charles Gudewill.
Thompson will show the collection at his Barbara’s Bazaar in Ajijic and later at the new Galeria Q in Guadalajara.
“The exhibition consists of Mexican, French and English treasures from the 18th century and earlier,” said Thompson. Then he wryly highlighted the privileged milieu that May twice married into. “[Many family members] may have spent more time spending money than making it!”
The storybook tale of wealth centers around May McGowan, who in 1928 married Gudewill, the heir to an industrial tycoon in Canada and the United States, some of whose enterprises involved cork importation. May and Gudewill lived a life of luxury in Canada, the United States and Europe.
When Gudewill died 12 years after marrying May, she adventurously went to Mexico City and remarried — this time to a count of the royal family of Monaco, Count Xavier de Polignac, who was the great uncle of Albert II, the current ruler of Monaco. With the count, May continued her life of privilege that encompassed Quebec, Paris, New York, Mexico City and Asia. After the count died in 1961, she undertook a lengthy trip with her granddaughter that included India and Asia. Thompson waxes nostalgic when he describes May’s adventures and belongings.
“It’s a lifestyle few of us will ever know,” Thompson noted. “This collection represents a lost era in Mexico.”
Many of the spots that May and her husbands called home were noteworthy in themselves. With Gudewill, she frequently stayed at the Hotel George V in Paris, which warehoused the couple’s furniture when they were not in town so that, when they arrived, they didn’t have to sleep on hotel sheets, but could be surrounded by their favorite belongings in a homelike setting.
In fact, so mobile were this “jet-set” couple in an era long before jets, it is not clear if they actually had a permanent home, other than a summer residence — a horse ranch — in Canada.
Later, when May was married to the Count de Polignac, they bought a house in Mexico City and May had the furnishings she had accumulated during her marriage to Gudewill shipped south from Paris and the Gudewill summer home in Quebec. That Mexico City home, known as Casa Coyoacan and now a museum, is in the same neighborhood where artist Frida Kahlo lived.
Among the outstanding items in the exhibit are:
- A very rare pair of Mexican Chippendale chairs, circa 1750.
- A Hacienda table from Spain, circa 1650, in walnut with Mudejar carvings on the drawers.
- From African Congo, an 18th century figural horn for hunting elephants. It is carved from an elephant tusk.
- A pair of French arm chairs in fruitwood (Chaises a la Reine in French) and a kingwood commode with marble top, circa 1750.
- 18th century English furniture made during the reign of George III, circa 1760: a cellarette for wine storage, a bachelor’s chest and bookcase
- Exceptional 19th century Mexican silver pieces: cast and worked silver objects, including an incense holder verified for quality and payment of taxes by Cayetano Buitrón between 1823 and 1843
- Exceptional 20th century Mexican silver work: pieces signed by Spratling, Ortega and other important silver masters; pieces from Tiffany & Co. of New York; a massive champagne bucket dated 1904, commemorating George Gudewill’s (father of May’s husband Charles) 25 years on the board of Armstrong Cork in New York.
- The de Polignac estate also includes fine 19th century Persian carpets; a French engraving dated 1758; lithographs of Cuba in 1854 and Colonial India in 1805; folk art pieces; other exceptional furniture, even the German porcelain dinnerware used by the Gudewills at the Hotel George V in Paris.
Schedule
Ajijic (October 7 to 12): “La Vida Privilegiada — La Herencia de May de Polignac,” shows Friday, October 7 to Wednesday, October 12, noon to 6 p.m. at Barbara’s Bazaar, Independencia 7, Ajijic, 376-766-3636, 376-766-1824. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.ajijic4me.com.
Guadalajara’s Colonia Americana (October 17 to 22): Exhibit shows Monday, October 17, to Saturday, October 22 in Guadalajara (during the Pan American Games), 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Galeria Q, Lerdo de Tejada 2222, just east of Union and about seven blocks from U.S. Consulate. 044-331-497-3620.