Download - Leslie Hindman Auctioneers

THE ANN STONE COLLECTION of
NAPOLEONIC decorative arts
Ann Stone assembled
her diverse collection of
Napoleonic paintings, bronze
sculpture and decorative arts
over fifty years. Always eager
to study and learn, Ms. Stone
channeled her passion for
Napoleonic history to build
one of the largest private
collections of its kind outside of France.
Ann Ross was born in New Rochelle, New York on
September 15, 1931. She and her brother had a modest
upbringing from her father, a dry cleaner, and her
mother, a department store saleswoman. Her family
moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1948, where her father had
the opportunity to buy his own dry cleaning business.
Ann remained in New York, living with her beloved Aunt
Nettie while finishing her senior year at Isaac E. Young
High School in New Rochelle. Ann attended Ohio State
University and moved to Cleveland upon graduation,
where she met Leonard Stone. They were married in
1954.
Shortly thereafter, a friend of Ann and Leonard
introduced them to the world of porcelain, glass, silver,
and antique furniture. Ann developed an immediate
fascination with French history and art, particularly
surrounding the period of Napoleon Bonaparte.
While Leonard started his own advertising agency,
Ann was busy raising their two sons. When they
moved to Shaker Heights in 1965, Ann decided to
decorate their home in a manner that would showcase
the French antiques she loved so much.
A voracious reader, Ann would read everything she
could to learn about Napoleon and Paris. When she and
Leonard traveled to New York, Chicago or Toronto they
always returned with new acquisitions to complement
their collection. They took their sons to antique shows
and flea markets, offering them twenty-five cents if they
found anything related to Napoleon.
As Leonard’s advertising business grew, the family
began traveling to Europe. Much of the collection was
thereafter purchased in France, often at the market at
Porte de Clignancourt. Ann and Leonard visited France
dozens of times before Leonard passed away in 2010.
Ann’s happiest memories were taking her grandchildren
to Paris, where they could see her favorite city as she
saw it.
Each item in Ann’s collection held sentimental
significance and gave her years of comfort and joy.
Though she eventually became physically unable to
travel to France, she remained surrounded by the
beauty and history she loved so much. Ann Stone
passed away on November 18, 2012.
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers is pleased to have worked with L&L
Estate Liquidation & Appraisal Services of Solon, Ohio to present
the Property from the Ann Stone Trust.