Our philosophy is less stuff but better stuff. Objects that have taken time to design and that bear the hand of an experienced craftsman/woman, will give continued delight. These are our Objects of Luxury, not by price, but because of the time each one has taken to come into existence.
Rule Brothers was established by Rupert and Leo Vaughan Williams, brothers with a passion of craftsmanship and design. Leo studied Decorative Arts at The Study Centre at The Victoria and Albert Museum before joining Christie’s Fine Art Auctioneers Valuations Department. After 25 years in the business he felt it was time to design his own collection, influenced by his love of Palladio, Soane and Hope, but pared down for a studied elegant and modern look.
Leo
Leo has over 25 years experience in the art market. After The Study Centre Course in Decorative Arts at the V&A, he joined Christie’s London in 1990 where he worked in the Valuations department specialising in Early 19th Century furniture and works of art. In 1998 he joined Gurr Johns Fine Art Consultants and Valuers in St James’, London, and in 1999 was appointed Senior Vice President of their New York Office. LVW & Assoc was formed on his return to London in 2000.
Rupert
Rupert brings his experience of 25 years working in finance in Asia and Europe, previously a Director of AIG International, in Singapore and subsequently founder & CEO of FundXchange, acquired by Zurich Group in 2001. His particular passion for photography began with the installation of a renowned Magnum photographer’s collection in Switzerland in 1987, which also introduced him to early 19th and 20th Century photography – the catalyst for the start of his own collection.
Rupert and Leo inherited an early love of Decorative Arts from their mother Shelley Vaughan Williams, a member of the Worshipful Company of Painters and Stainers. She was a keen patron of the decorative arts and designed and commissioned many works of her own. ‘From an early age we were taken round the workshops of craftsmen like Stuart Devlin and Louis Osmond (who made the crown for HRH Prince Charles’ investiture as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle)’, at first reluctantly and then with fascination and admiration. This fascination has never left us’.