Maud Julia Augusta Russell (; 7 November 189127 May 1982) was a British socialite and art patron, who aided Jewish relatives in their escape from

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

during the 1930s.

Family

The daughter of Maria and Paul Nelke,

German Jewish The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...

immigrants, Maud grew up in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In 1917, she married Gilbert Byng Alwyne Russell, a lieutenant in the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

. Maud's father, Paul Nelke, later helped Gilbert create the merchant banking firm Cull & Company. They had two sons; Martin Basil Paul Russell, eccentric banker, collector and a patron of Sri Lankan Cubism (1918-2003) and Raymond Anthony Russell. When Gilbert died in 1942 she wrote in her diary: "The main, the fullest, the richest and the most feeling part of life ended with him"

War diaries

Maud was an avid reader and maintained a beautifully written diary throughout her life. Her diaries, recently uncovered and published, provide a rare record of the development of the war from Maud's perspective. "She was unfortunate enough to live through both World Wars, suffering from anti-German sentiment during the Great War and helping her Jewish relations to escape Germany in the 1930s. From 1943-1945 she worked on secret propaganda activities at the Admiralty"

Art and architecture

Maud remains one of the foremost English collectors of modern French art, and enjoyed a friendship with artists such as

Boris Anrep Boris Vasilyevich Anrep (; – 7 June 1969) was a Russian artist, active in Britain, who devoted himself to the art of mosaic. In Britain, he is known for his monumental mosaics at the National Gallery, London, Westminster Cathedral and the ...

of whom she was patron and eventually executrix of his will. Maud was one of the patrons for Boris Anrep's Modern Virtues, a collection of colourful mosaics which decorate the imposing

staircase A stairwell or stair room is a room in a building where a stair is located, and is used to connect walkways between floors so that one can move in height. Collectively, a set of stairs and a stairwell is referred to as a staircase or stairway ...

built by Sir

John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar is the name of: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 * John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) ...

in 1887 for the entrance hall of the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

, her name and portrait are expressed as the personification of Folly.

Rex Whistler Reginald John "Rex" Whistler (24 June 190518 July 1944) was a British artist, who painted murals and society portraits, and designed theatrical costumes. He was killed in action in Normandy in World War II. Whistler was the brother of poet and ...

was another, who painted the namesake Whistler Drawing Room at

Mottisfont Mottisfont is a village and civil parish in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England, around northwest of Romsey. The village is the location of Mottisfont Abbey. Much of the surrounding land, which is part of the Mottisfont Estate, and s ...

in his famous trompe-l'œil style. She also shared a particularly close relationship with

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...

, to whom she notably gave a gunmetal-finished, gold cigarette case which is thought to have been the inspiration for Red Grant's "oval gold cigarette case" in From Russia with Love. Fleming had also worked at Cull & Company. Maud and Gilbert bought

Mottisfont Abbey Mottisfont Abbey is a historical priory and English country house, country Estate (land), estate in Hampshire, England. Sheltered in the valley of the River Test, the property is now operated by the National Trust. 393,250 people visited the si ...

in 1934, and remodelled it from a building in ruin to a modern estate with the help of her artist friends. In 1957, she gifted the house and grounds to the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

but continued to live at Mottisfont until 1972. It was nominated a Grade I listed building in 1957, with the 1938-9 Rex Whistler drawing room a named feature of the listing.

Portraits

* c.1914 ''Miss Maude Nelke'' (Oil on canvas).

Sir William Nicholson Sir William Newzam Prior Nicholson (5 February 1872 – 16 May 1949) was a British painter of still-life, landscape and portraits. He also worked as a printmaker in techniques including woodcut, wood-engraving and lithography, as an illustrato ...

(English, 1872–1949). Ferens Art Gallery *Date Unknown (pencil)

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 15, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era, Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil ...

*Date Unknown, Maud as a young woman (Oil on canvas).

Ambrose McEvoy Arthur Ambrose McEvoy (12 August 1877 – 4 January 1927) was an English artist. His early works are landscapes and interiors with figures, in a style influenced by James McNeill Whistler. Later he gained success as a portrait painter, mainly o ...

. Private Collection *Early 1930s, (Photograph)

Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as costume designer and set designer for stage and screen. His accolades ...

for ''Vogue Magazine'' * c. 1934-35 ''Mrs Gilbert Russell, Sitting in Bed'' (Oil on canvas).

(Russian, 1883–1969). V&A Museum *1937'','' (Charcoal drawing)

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

(French, 1869–54) * 1946 ''Maud Russell Angel of Mottisfont'' (Mosaic)

(Russian, 1883–1969). Mottisfont Abbey * 1952 ''Folly,'' (Mosaic)

(Russian, 1883–1969) National Gallery. * Date Unknown ''Maud Russell'' (Drawing) Derek Hill (British, 1916–2000) Mottisfont, Hampshire (Accredited Museum)
File:Angel Mosaic.jpg, 1946, Maud Russell 'Angel of Mottisfont' by Boris Anrep File:Rex Whistler - Trompe-l'œil at Mottisfont Abbey.jpg, 1938-9, Trompe-l'œil at Mottisfont Abbey, Rex Whistler File:Boris Anrep mosaic, The National Gallery - upper landing.jpg, 1952, National Gallery 'Modern Virtues' by Boris Anrep File:Mottisfont Abbey, August 2006.jpg, Mottisfont Abbey, Maud's home with husband Gilbert File:SecretDoor MottisfontAbbey.jpg, The secret door at Mottisfont

References

Bibliography

*Russell, Maud (1891-1982) A constant heart: The war diaries of Maud Russell, 1938-1945 (2017) Edited by Emily Russell ISBN * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelke, Maud 1891 births 1982 deaths British socialites British patrons of the arts British people of German-Jewish descent 20th-century British philanthropists