Philip Hewat Jaboor's Favourite Things

A life-long collector in a variety of genres, Philip Hewat-Jaboor’s house in Jersey is crammed full of art.

As the chairman of Masterpiece, the cross-category London art fair now in its ninth year, he certainly has a good eye. He shares with Billionaire his favourite pieces from his personal collection.

Grand Ducal workshops panel

This Florentine panel in coloured hardstones (pietre dure) was made in the late 17th century in the Grand Ducal workshops in Florence. It would have formed the central door panel of a small table cabinet on stand in which one would have kept further treasured works of art. I came across this wonderful panel at Masterpiece recently.

Peonies by Paul César Helleu

I have a life-long passion for peonies and had known this painting all my adult life. Owned by a great collector and fellow lover of peonies, it was the most touching surprise to find that she had left this to me in her will. Not only is it a sublimely beautiful painting, it serves to remind me of a dear friend.

Mounted porphyry cachepot

I adore coloured hardstones and marbles for which the Romans scoured their empire to embellish their architectural schemes. This stone, Imperial Egyptian Porphyry, comes from one quarry only in the very inaccessible Mons Porphyrites in the eastern Egyptian desert. It also has a wonderful provenance being the property of Daisy Fellowes. It stood in the entrance hall of her Parisian house.

Beckford silver-gilt salvers

One of my heroes is the great collector, builder and author William Beckford. While he collected older works of art, he was a commissioner of new works, such as this gilded silver salver he would have designed himself. This tour de force of silversmithing is the very height of English Regency silversmithing. Lost since 1823, they surfaced in an English country auction relatively recently.

Watercolour of Fonthill Abbey by Charles Wild

The extraordinary Fonthill Abbey was built for William Beckford. Originally a garden folly, it grew into this immense cathedral building designed not only as his residence but as a showcase for his collection of art. This watercolour serendipitously came up for sale as I was researching for an exhibition I curated on Beckford.

Masterpiece London 2019 will take place from 27 June to 3 July 2019 (preview day: 26 June)