Single Property

27 September 2013
Total sold € 333,610 Percentage of lots sold 78.2 % Percentage of lots sold by value 147.2 %
CONTACTS
Guido Wannenes
Chiara Guiducci
Tel. +39 010 2530097 Fax +39 010 2517767

THE STUDY OF A NEAPOLITAN GENTLEMAN

The furniture, paintings and objets d’art in this Sale come from the very particular collection of a Neapolitan gentleman and bear witness to the continuing success in that city of a taste that is both peculiar to the city itself as well as international and is typical of the most beautiful Neapolitan interiors. The furniture reveals a fondness for French styles as well as the utmost attention towards quality which becomes evident, for example, in the two splendid Neapolitan mirrors in an imaginative Rococo style yet tempered by a subtle quest for a sense of equilibrium. There is no lack, either, of the gout classique – from a classical bust to works like the Woman’s Head by Aurelio Mistruzzi, imbued with the love for the antique – further emphasised by the contrast of works from wholly different cultural backgrounds, like the Madonna by Paolo dè Matteis – works that sit harmoniously with the console tables, chairs, armchair and other objets d’art illustrated in the catalogue. Not only is the result superbly refined but also supremely well-balanced. It reveals a collection that has been designed and modelled right down to the choice of the silverware and the statues and carpets. Such carefully-calculated aforethought becomes even clearer when one examines the collection of ceramics that accompanies the other works. The ceramic collection is not large but is, nevertheless, of the utmost elegance. There are many pieces of maiolica with a beautiful selection of Castelli d’Abruzzo pieces as well as pieces from other southern Italian centres. Several authentic discoveries are also to be found in the collection such as the two plates bearing the Greppi coat of arms that constitute – along with another rare example that appeared a few years ago on the market – a highly important addition to the catalogue of the service that had been made for one of Milan’s most emblematic figures during the reign of Maria Theresa, the famed Antonio Greppi. Along with the maiolica, the collection of continental porcelain is characterised by the high quality of the pieces. Among European manufactories, Meissen is well-represented as is the imperial manufactory of Vienna. As may be of little surprise, there are several pieces of porcelain from the Real Fabbrica – the Royal Manufactory – in Naples, represented in the collection by both the small statues in bisquit and polychrome vases. There is also no lack of surprises in the porcelain collection (as was also the case in the collection of maiolica) as may be seen in the rare Doccia figure from the early period, featuring a female Harlequin: a charming example of the skills of the modellers in the Tuscan manufactory.
27 September 2013
Total sold € 333,610 Percentage of lots sold 78.2 % Percentage of lots sold by value 147.2 %
CONTACTS
Guido Wannenes
Chiara Guiducci
Tel. +39 010 2530097 Fax +39 010 2517767

Villa Carrega Cataldi
Via Albaro 11 | 16145
Tel. +39 010 2530097
Fax +39 010 2517767
Via F. P. de Calboli, 6 | 00195
Tel. +39 06 69200565
Fax +39 06 69208044
Palazzo Recalcati
Via Amedei 8 | 20123
Tel. +39 02 72023790
Fax +39 02 89015908
6, avenue Saint Michel | 98000
Tel. +377 99 90 46 26
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