A Society Couple

Ivan Foxwell (1914-2002)

Born in London in 1914, Ivan Foxwell entered the film industry at an early age and worked alongside figures who would become giants of British cinema, including Freddie Young and David Lean. After establishing his own production company while still in his twenties, he worked in France on projects involving celebrated directors such as Kurt Bernhardt and Max Ophüls. Following wartime service with the Royal Norfolk Regiment and airborne forces, Foxwell returned to filmmaking and produced a series of notable British films. His productions included No Room at the Inn, The Colditz Story and Manuela, remembered for their strong performances, compelling storytelling and ambitious production. He also earned a BAFTA nomination for Best British Screenplay for Tiara Tahiti in 1962.

Lady Edith Foxwell (1918-1996)

Born in 1918, Edith was the daughter of Captain Hon. Lionel John Olive Lambart, son of the 9th Earl of Cavan, Anglo-Irish Royal Navy officer and Liberal politician, and Adelaide Douglas Randolph.

Edith Foxwell was one of post-war Britain's most eccentric and influential social figures. After marrying Ivan in 1940, Edith immersed herself in London's artistic and cultural circles, counting writers, actors, aristocrats and society personalities among her acquaintances. Stories surrounding her life became the stuff of legend, including an episode in which she reportedly locked the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas in a room for five days so that he would remain sober long enough to complete the screenplay for No Room at the Inn, one of her husband's projects.

Her friendships extended to figures such as Noël Coward and Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, and she remained a prominent figure in London's social scene for decades. In the 1970s and 1980s, she became known as the "Disco Dowager" after taking control of the Embassy Club in Mayfair, one of London's earliest New York-style nightclubs. Through the club, she cultivated connections with leading figures from the worlds of entertainment, fashion and high society.

Among those drawn into her circle was the legendary Motown singer Marvin Gaye, who became a frequent visitor to her Wiltshire home. The estate gained a reputation for its outlandish parties, and soon Gaye's friendship with Edith became the subject of considerable speculation. Composer Bernard J. Taylor later recalled in a 2004 comment to GQ that the two had even discussed marriage before Gaye's tragic death in 1984. Following her divorce from Foxwell in 1976, Edith went on to marry Prince Stefano Massimo of Roccasecca, a member of one of Rome's most important aristocratic families and the son of actress Dawn Addams.

The Charm Bracelet

By family repute, the bracelet was made by Cartier over a period of 20 years, between 1948 and 1968. Its cable-link chain suspends ten frames, each enclosing a film-title negative corresponding to the ten films produced by Foxwell during his career. Together, these miniatures form a deeply personal memento celebrating the productions that shaped Foxwell's career, preserved in a jewel commissioned for his wife as a piece of wearable art.

The films represented on the bracelet are:

• No Room at the Inn (1948)
• Guilt is my Shadow (1950)
• 24 Hours of a Woman’s Life (1952)
• The Intruder (1953)
• The Colditz Story (1955)
• Manuela (1957)
• A Touch of Larceny (1960)
• Tiara Tahiti (1962)
• The Quiller Memorandum (1966)
• Decline and Fall… of a Birdwatcher (1968)

As both a Cartier creation and an intimate record of Foxwell's cinematic career, it represents an intersection of jewellery, British cinema and twentieth-century social history.

View page turning catalogue

Auction Details

Wednesday 18 November, 10.30am GMT
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

Browse the auction
Sign up to email alerts

Viewing at Dreweatts London (highlights): 16-17 Pall Mall, SW1Y 5LU
Tuesday 10 November: 10am-4pm
Wednesday 11 November: 10am-4pm

Viewing at Dreweatts Newbury: Donnington Priory, RG14 2JE
Saturday 14 November: 10am-3pm
Sunday 15 November: 10am-3pm
Monday 16 November: 10am-4pm
Tuesday 17 November: 10am-4pm

Further information
General enquiries: + 44 (0) 1635 553 553 | jewellery@dreweatts.com
Press enquiries: press@dreweatts.com