Silvana Mangano, one of Italy’s leading ladies in cinema, was born in Rome on April 21, 1930. Growing up amongst poverty during World War II, she was a trained dancer, supported herself as a model and at the age of 16, she won the title of “Miss Rome” in a beauty pageant. While crossing the street during a rainstorm in Rome, she captured the attention of a director and landed her bombshell breakthrough character in the Italian neorealism film Bitter Rice.

Italian neorealism, a genre of Italian film that emerged in the 1940s, focused on portraying Italy removed from Fascist influence while capturing stories from working-class life. Bitter Rice follows three main characters through the rice-planting season in Northern Italy with a plot involving robbery, hardships, love and murder. Although the movie did not receive any awards, it was nominated for an Academy Award in 1950 for “Best Story”, was a commercial success in Europe and the United States, and launched Mangano’s film career.

Inundated with offers from Hollywood shortly after the release of Bitter Rice, Mangano instead married the film's producer, Dino De Laurentiis, and thereafter worked for his production company. She starred and co-starred in numerous films from the 1950s through the early 1980s including Anna, Death in Venice, Dune, The Gold of Naples and Oedipus Rex.

Signora Mangano avoided the public eye, preferring to give her family a private life. De Laurentiis and Mangano had four children: Veronica, Raffaella, Francesca, and Federico. In her elder years, she spent her life living in Spain as a poised and elegant woman whose likings included needle pointing, golfing and spending time with her family.

Christie’s is proud to once again present Property from the Collection of Signora Silvana Mangano. Lots 1 and 2 are a testament to her love of elegant design and remarkable craftsmanship.