Constantine Ionides. Alphonse Legros. Two-sided bronze medallion, 1881. Diameter 3½ inches 9.0 cm). Click on image to enlarge it.
Constantine Ionides (1833-1900, a well-known member of the Greek community in London and the eldest son of the wealthy businessman Alexander Constantine Ionides, e became wealthy in his own right as a stock and share broker. He was one of Legros’s most important early patrons and became a stable and generous buyer of his work over the years. Legros eventually became an art advisor to Ionides in his collecting activities. On his death Constantine bequeathed his art collection to the Victoria and Albert Museum. His collection included not only Old Masters and contemporary British paintings but, thanks to Legros’s influence, a good selection of French nineteenth-century paintings including works by Delacroix, Degas, and Millet.
Last modified 13 November 2022