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Lot Essay
THIS MAGNIFICENT SEDAN CHAIR, A MASTERPIECE OF THE NEAPOLITAN CARVERS ART AND THE EPITOME OF THE OPULENT GOûT ROTHSCHILD, CAN BE FIRMLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE ROYAL BOURBON WORKSHOPS IN NAPLES ON THE BASIS OF ITS CLOSE SIMILARTIES TO A SEDAN CHAIR IN THE MUSEO NAZIONALE DI CAPODIMONTE, INV. 3375 (ILLUSTRATED HERE AND ALSO IN E. BACCHESCHI, MOBILI ITALIANI DEL MERIDIONE, MILAN, 1966, P. 57). THE ARTIST RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PAINTED PANELS OF THE CAPODIMONTE SEDAN CHAIR IS GIACINTO DIANO, WHO SPECIALIZED IN THE DECORATION OF SEDAN CHAIRS AND CARRIAGES, AN IMPORTANT ARTISTIC ROLE IN THE 18TH CENTURY, WHEN THE POMP OF CEREMONIAL PUBLIC DISPLAY WAS INVARIABLY ACCOMPANIED BY THESE ORNATE METHODS OF TRANSPORT. THE PAINTED PANELS OF THE ROTHSCHILD SEDAN CHAIR CAN ALSO BE ATTRIBUTED TO DIANO, AS THEY FEATURE THE SAME DISTINCTIVE PALETTE AND VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL FLORAL AND ROCAILLE CARTOUCHES FRAMING THE MAIN FIGURES OF THE PANELS TO THOSE ON THE CAPODIMONTE EXAMPLE. THE ROTHSCHILD SEDAN CHAIR WAS THEREFORE ALSO ALMOST CERTAINLY A ROYAL COMMISSION FOR A MEMBER OF THE NEAPOLITAN BOURBON FAMILY.
ALTHOUGH LESS IS KNOWN ABOUT THE CARVERS RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE SUPERB SEDAN CHAIRS, ONE POSSIBILITY MIGHT BE THE INTAGLIATORE GENNARO DI FIORE, WHO WAS THE PRINCIPAL CARVER TO THE ROYAL COURT DURING THE REIGNS OF CARLO DI BORBONE (LATER CARLO III OF SPAIN) AND FERDINANDO IV, ONE OF WHOSE MOST FAMOUS WORKS WAS THE CARVING FOR THE EXTRAORDINARY PORCELAIN ROOM COMMISSIONED BY QUEEN MARIA AMALIA FOR THE ROYAL PALACE AT PORTICI, WHILE IN 1760 HE WAS RECORDED AS SUPPLYING CARRIAGES TO CARLO DI BORBONE AND HIS QUEEN MARIA AMALIA.
THE MAGNIFICENCE OF NEAPOLITAN SEDAN CHAIRS AND CARRIAGES WAS FAMOUS THROUGHOUT EUROPE IN THE 18TH CENTURY, WITH NO LESS A VISITOR THAN THE MARQUIS DE SADE REMARKING ON THE 'BELLEZZA DI QUESTI CARRI', WHICH GAVE THE COURT 'UN ARIA DI MAGNIFICENZA', IN A LETTER OF 1776, WHILE A VISITING SPANIARD, LEANDRO FERNANDEZ DE MORATIN, REMARKED IN 1793 ON 'THE LIGHTNESS AND GRACE OF THE DESIGN, THE TASTEFULNESS OF THE PAINTED DECORATION AND THE BEAUTY OF THE LACQUERS' OF THE NEAPOLITAN CARRIAGES AND SEDAN CHAIRS.
OTHER NEAPOLITAN SEDAN CHAIRS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE SAME WORKSHOPS INCLUDE ANOTHER APPROPRIATELY ENOUGH IN A ROTHSCHILD COLLECTION, THAT OF BARON MAYER AMSCHEL DE ROTHSCHILD AT MENTMORE TOWERS, LATER SOLD BY THE EARL OF ROSEBERY, SOTHEBY'S HOUSE SALE, 18-27 MAY 1977, LOT 274???, AND EXAMPLES IN THE PALACE OF THE LEGION OF HONOUR, SAN FRANCISCO AND THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK (THE LATTER WITH A POSSIBLE LINK TO THE COLONNA FAMILY, WHO WERE CONSTABLES FOR THE BOURBON MONARCHY OF NAPLES).
ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT KNOWN WHEN THIS EXAMPLE ENTERED THE COLLECTION OF THE VIENNESE ROTHSCHILDS, IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THE VAST COLLECTIONS OF LEOPOLDO, PRINCE OF SALERNO AND THE SON OF FERDINANDO IV, WERE INHERITED AFTER HIS DEATH IN 1854 BY HIS SON-IN-LAW THE DUC D'AUMALE, WHO TOOK THEM WITH HIM INTO EXILE IN LONDON, WHERE MUCH OF IT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY SOLD. THIS SEDAN CHAIR COULD THEREFORE HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED AT THIS TIME BY THE ROTHSCHILDS ON THE LONDON ART MARKET.
THE SEDAN CHAIR CELEBRATES THE TRIUMPH OF THE ARTS OF PEACE, WITH CLOUD-BORNE MINERVA IS REPRESENTED BENEATH A DRAPERY BALDACHINO ATTENDED BY GENII BLOWING FAME'S TRUMPET AND STREWING FLOWERS. AT THE BACK A PORTRAIT PAINTING AND PIECE OF SCULPTURE ARE PRESENTED TO A SCEPTER-BEARING FIGURE, WHO IS EMBLEMATICAL OF PEACE AND RESTS ON A TROPHY OF WEAPONS. AT THE SIDES, CUPID AND PSYCHE ARE ATTENDED BY MORE GENII, THAT STREW FLOWERS AND ASSIST JOVE'S EAGLE TO BEAR AN ARMORIAL ESCUTCHEON.
CHRISTIE'S WOULD LIKE TO THANK DOTTORESSA LINDA MARTINO, CURATOR OF DECORATIVE ARTS AND THE ROYAL APARTMENTS AT THE MUSEO NAZIONALE DI CAPODIMONTE, FOR HER KIND ASSISTANCE IN CATALOGUING THIS LOT.
ALTHOUGH LESS IS KNOWN ABOUT THE CARVERS RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE SUPERB SEDAN CHAIRS, ONE POSSIBILITY MIGHT BE THE INTAGLIATORE GENNARO DI FIORE, WHO WAS THE PRINCIPAL CARVER TO THE ROYAL COURT DURING THE REIGNS OF CARLO DI BORBONE (LATER CARLO III OF SPAIN) AND FERDINANDO IV, ONE OF WHOSE MOST FAMOUS WORKS WAS THE CARVING FOR THE EXTRAORDINARY PORCELAIN ROOM COMMISSIONED BY QUEEN MARIA AMALIA FOR THE ROYAL PALACE AT PORTICI, WHILE IN 1760 HE WAS RECORDED AS SUPPLYING CARRIAGES TO CARLO DI BORBONE AND HIS QUEEN MARIA AMALIA.
THE MAGNIFICENCE OF NEAPOLITAN SEDAN CHAIRS AND CARRIAGES WAS FAMOUS THROUGHOUT EUROPE IN THE 18TH CENTURY, WITH NO LESS A VISITOR THAN THE MARQUIS DE SADE REMARKING ON THE 'BELLEZZA DI QUESTI CARRI', WHICH GAVE THE COURT 'UN ARIA DI MAGNIFICENZA', IN A LETTER OF 1776, WHILE A VISITING SPANIARD, LEANDRO FERNANDEZ DE MORATIN, REMARKED IN 1793 ON 'THE LIGHTNESS AND GRACE OF THE DESIGN, THE TASTEFULNESS OF THE PAINTED DECORATION AND THE BEAUTY OF THE LACQUERS' OF THE NEAPOLITAN CARRIAGES AND SEDAN CHAIRS.
OTHER NEAPOLITAN SEDAN CHAIRS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE SAME WORKSHOPS INCLUDE ANOTHER APPROPRIATELY ENOUGH IN A ROTHSCHILD COLLECTION, THAT OF BARON MAYER AMSCHEL DE ROTHSCHILD AT MENTMORE TOWERS, LATER SOLD BY THE EARL OF ROSEBERY, SOTHEBY'S HOUSE SALE, 18-27 MAY 1977, LOT 274???, AND EXAMPLES IN THE PALACE OF THE LEGION OF HONOUR, SAN FRANCISCO AND THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK (THE LATTER WITH A POSSIBLE LINK TO THE COLONNA FAMILY, WHO WERE CONSTABLES FOR THE BOURBON MONARCHY OF NAPLES).
ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT KNOWN WHEN THIS EXAMPLE ENTERED THE COLLECTION OF THE VIENNESE ROTHSCHILDS, IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THE VAST COLLECTIONS OF LEOPOLDO, PRINCE OF SALERNO AND THE SON OF FERDINANDO IV, WERE INHERITED AFTER HIS DEATH IN 1854 BY HIS SON-IN-LAW THE DUC D'AUMALE, WHO TOOK THEM WITH HIM INTO EXILE IN LONDON, WHERE MUCH OF IT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY SOLD. THIS SEDAN CHAIR COULD THEREFORE HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED AT THIS TIME BY THE ROTHSCHILDS ON THE LONDON ART MARKET.
THE SEDAN CHAIR CELEBRATES THE TRIUMPH OF THE ARTS OF PEACE, WITH CLOUD-BORNE MINERVA IS REPRESENTED BENEATH A DRAPERY BALDACHINO ATTENDED BY GENII BLOWING FAME'S TRUMPET AND STREWING FLOWERS. AT THE BACK A PORTRAIT PAINTING AND PIECE OF SCULPTURE ARE PRESENTED TO A SCEPTER-BEARING FIGURE, WHO IS EMBLEMATICAL OF PEACE AND RESTS ON A TROPHY OF WEAPONS. AT THE SIDES, CUPID AND PSYCHE ARE ATTENDED BY MORE GENII, THAT STREW FLOWERS AND ASSIST JOVE'S EAGLE TO BEAR AN ARMORIAL ESCUTCHEON.
CHRISTIE'S WOULD LIKE TO THANK DOTTORESSA LINDA MARTINO, CURATOR OF DECORATIVE ARTS AND THE ROYAL APARTMENTS AT THE MUSEO NAZIONALE DI CAPODIMONTE, FOR HER KIND ASSISTANCE IN CATALOGUING THIS LOT.