LONDON – Two Italian collections of art and furniture will hit the block at Christie’s South Kensington on Feb. 4. It is a great opportunity for collectors and decorators to buy pieces that reflect Italian glamour and style in the 20th century. The first collection, in fact, comes from the Roman residence of Princess Ismene Chigi Della Rovere, one of the protagonists of the “dolce vita,” while the second one comes from a Genoese noble family and is more inspired by love for antiquities.
On sale will be over 225 lots ranging from Old Master pictures to 18th century Italian and French furniture, to Art Nouveau glass, to Chinese and Japanese works of art. Estimates range from £500 to £25,000.
“Princess Ismene created a remarkable collection in her palazzo apartment in Rome, in which the emphasis was on style and beauty,” said Nathaniel Nicholson, Christie’s junior specialist of private collections and country house sales. “This collection is unusual in its richness and variety. The princess personally selected and ingeniously juxtaposed antiques from around the world with modern art, Art Nouveau glass and Chinese and Japanese works of art.”
Princess Ismene, born in 1927 in Milan to a noble family, developed her passion for art as a university student. After meeting her husband, Prince Mario Chigi Della Rovere, in 1959, in the 1960s she lived the “dolce vita,” visiting the most fashionable destinations in Europe and America and spending time with many high society figures of the time such as Christina Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Roger Vadim and Jane Fonda, and Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco. Her passion for art was fostered further by her friendship with the renowned Roman gallery owner Gaspero Del Corso, who introduced her to the highly influential contemporary New York gallerist Leo Castelli. With her sister Anna Maria, then a director of the Marlborough Gallery, she immersed herself in the New York art scene. Her travels and friends provided inspiration for her collection. Her first daughter, Emanuela, married Stuart Gardner, the descendent of Isabella Stewart Gardner, one of the foremost female patrons in the late 19th century, and the princess frequently visited the Gardner family in Massachusetts. After returning from New York, the princess created a stylish collection amassed from the 1970s onwards in her Rome apartment. “This collection is a personal testament to the princess’s own taste and flare,” Nathaniel Nicholson explains, “which can be seen in the clever way in which antiques and Japanese and Chinese works of art are juxtaposed with Art Nouveau glass and modern art.”
Among the highlights of the sale is a pair of Royal Louis-Philippe ormolu four-light candelabra (lot 53, estimate £15,000-£25,000), which display the Egyptian motifs so popular in the Empire period, and were almost certainly part of a large commission ordered by the duc d’Orléans, later King Louis Philippe of France (1773-1850) for the Château de Neuilly. Further highlights include a Louis XV ormolu-mounted black and gilt Vernis Martin commode, circa 1740 (lot 50, estimate £25,000-£40,000), which illustrates the European taste for and imitation of exotic Oriental materials in the mid-18th century; and a glamorous Italian ormolu-mounted red Sicilian Jasper coffee table, 20th century (lot 75, estimate £15,000-£25,000), purchased from Galeria di Castro in Rome, which is veneered on all surfaces with that rich and colorful hardstone and was the centerpiece of Princess Ismene’s living room.
The second Italian collection hitting the block in February in London comes from a Genoese noble family. “This beautifully curated collection, which was amassed by a Noble family in Genoa from the 1950s onwards, features a broad range of works of art including Old Master paintings, silver, carpets and European porcelain, as well as notable pieces of furniture and decorative objects which are typically Genoese in design and which lend the collection an unmistakable distinctive flavor” said Nicholson, who added: “The collection was assembled during the 20th century with the help of one of Italy’s most renowned dealers, Pietro Accorsi. Many of the pieces in this collection bear his trademark label, with the address of his shop: via Po.55, Torino. Accorsi was well respected in the European art world as an adviser and dealer to numerous prestigious collectors and institutions. He sourced predominantly Genoese pieces for this collection and contributed greatly to its overall evolution.” Though the market for antique furniture is experiencing a moment of downturn, Christie’s continues to see a demand for furniture of quality, in good condition and with interesting provenance. “The February sale offers a selection of fascinating pieces of 18th century Italian and French furniture that will appeal to both discerning new buyers and established collectors alike,” said Nicholson.
Among the highlights of the second collection is a North Italian ormolu-mounted tulipwood-banded and kingwood bureau plat (lot 170, estimate £20,000-£30,000). “This desk’s sinuous curved form and pierced angle mounts are characteristic of Genoese furniture produced in the mid-18th century, which was strongly influenced by French designs and was in part due to the proximity of Genoa to France,” said Nicholson.
Further highlights include three pairs of Louis XVI polychrome-painted caned canapés (lots 201-203, estimate £6,000-£10,000 each): highly decorative pieces which are stamped by cabinetmaker Jacques Cheneaux, whose work is rare, and they are considered to be among his finest work.
