Furnishings of a Modenese residence
A selection of assets from the legacy of Eduardo De Filippo
Furnishings and Paintings of other private commissions, Silver, Carpets and Textiles, Historia, Drawings and Engravings
Location: Via Pontaccio, 12 Milano
Auction: 22, 23, 24 October
Viewing: 18, 19, 20 October (10am /1 pm-2.30/6.30 pm)
The Autumn auction dedicated to Antiques of every kind is mainly founded on selections from two important private collections as well as items from the estate left by Eduardo De Filippo.
A Modenese residence is the origin of a refined group of objets de vertu, including snuff-boxes, nécessaires and chatelaines in gold, silver and other precious materials. Of particular interest are the precious snuff-boxes in lapis lazuli and gold (estimated at € 10,000-12,000), which was given – according to a family tradition - to the Marquess Livizzani by Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena. The house sale is completed by several pieces of furniture made in Emilia, like the pair of 18th century Modena-made card tables in walnut, inlaid in bois de rose and bois de violette (estimated € 14,000-16,000).
The second private collection originates from an elegant Lombard villa, with refined French stamped furniture of the 18th and 19th centuries, paintings and various objects, among which two terracotta sculptures by Clemente Vantini (estimated € 2,200/2,400), a Tuscan ceramicist who conceived and executed some works in terracotta for the Boboli Gardens in Florence.
A selection of furniture and objects from the residence of Eduardo De Filippo stand out for their expression of the personal life and artistic career of the celebrated Neapolitan actor and playwright: antique furniture, paintings and sculptures "gathered over the years or salvaged from old theaters now demolished". A pair of marble busts (estimated € 7,000-8,000); two monumental pairs of bronze Neapolitan torch holders from the early 19th century (estimated € 2,400-2,600 per pair); a pair of Neapolitan sculptures in lacquered, carved wood, of characters form the Commedia dell’Arte in nineteenth century dress (estimated € 4,500-5,000). These are just a few examples of that atmosphere of the stage with which he liked to surround himself, even in the privacy of his own home.
The paintings of the Neapolitan school of the 17th and 18th centuries instead reflect Eduardo’s passion as a collector, which led him away from strictly stage-related items to artwork, focusing on stylistic quality and intrinsic beauty.
The section dedicated more generically to Furniture and Works of Art includes a nucleus of sculptures of various dates: among them, a female head by Giovanni Marchiori and some figures in wood, as well as group sculptures in Vicenza stone from a garden designed in the '50s by the architect Pietro Porcinai.
There are also many Majolica and Porcelain pieces from the most prominent Italian and international manufacturers. Particularly original are a rare pair of Magot watch stands in majolica from the workshop of Felice Clerici (estimated € 12,000-14,000), along with creations by Ginori, Cozzi and Sassuolo; these are joined by porcelain items from Vienna, Meissen and many other German manufacturers of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Among the antique Silver there are numerous items from Emilia worthy of note, as well as those from an important Milan collection, with examples of Italian master craftsmanship like the coffee pots by the Roman maestro Giuseppe Grazioli and those by the Turin maestros Giuseppe Gaia and Vincenzo Belli.
The 20th century is represented by two tobacco cases by Mario Buccellati, bearing mottoes from his friend and commissioner, Gabriele D'Annunzio.
The rich and prestigious selection of Old Matser Paintings is headlined by an extraordinary Sacrifice of Isaac by Giuseppe Vermiglio (estimated € 70,000-80,000) and a oil on panel from the studio of Pieter Paul Rubens depicting the Judgment of Paris (estimated at € 160,000-180,000).
Both Italian and foreign artists are well represented: oil on panels of the Flemish school; two small oil on panel paintings by Cristoforo di Benedetto; a painting by Lorenzo de Caro; a previously unknown Portrait of Innocent XI Odescalchi by Jacob Ferdinand Voet (estimated at € 16,000-18,000); a pair of gold-ground paintings from the valencian school of the 16th century; two characteristic compositions by Giacomo Francesco Cipper, called Il Todeschini and three paintings by Francesco Londonio.
Among the Old Master Drawings and Engravings, of particular interest are a refined drawing attributed to Domenico Piola (estimated at € 500-600), a study by Domenico Maria Canuti and works by Gaetano Gandolfi, Bernardino Bison and Ercole Bazzicaluva. Among the engravings there are two Rembrandts worthy of note.
The section dedicated to Carpets and Textiles includes an extremely rare and important no medallion Motashem's Keshan main carpet (estimated € 2.700-2.900) and a silk and broom fiber woven tapestry from the Mediterranean area, early 19th century (estimated € 1.100-1.300)
Collectors of Musical Instruments will be pleased by the offer of a violin crafted in Ferrara in 1908 by Luigi Soffritti (estimated at € 15,000-17,000) and one of the first violins made by Laura Vigato, a highly esteemed violinmaker from Brescia.
For Historia collectors, an early 19th-century sword of the Ancient States having belonged to a dignitary of the Duchy of Modena (estimated € 1.800-2.000).