.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
拍品專文
Although the table top was identified as Roman in Massinelli (no. 27), subsequent research and comparison to a labeled table, made in 1841, in the Victoria & Albert Museum (W.24:1&2-2003) has revealed an attribution to the mid-19th century Maltese firm of Joseph Darmanin & Sons (K. Hay, 'Mosaic Marble Tables by J. Darmanin & Sons of Malta', Furniture History Society, 2010, pp.166-188). The overall composition of the central medallion depicting the 'Pliny Doves', a motif from Roman antiquity, the detail at the base of the bowl, the manner in which the sea-shells and coral are worked using marbles that have been carefully chosen so that the striations and shading imitate life and the concentric marble surround is virtually identical.
The table tops made by the Darmanin firm can be distinguished from Florentine tables because of the use of motifs which draw on Maltese history and emblems, and the boldness and clarity of design. The use of naturalistic crustacean ornamentation was undoubtedly inspired by the location of the firm's workshop close to the Valletta fish market, outside the Porte Mare. All the central motifs on the smaller decorative tables are set against a black marble ground to emphasise the detail. Furthermore, the ornamentation of Maltese craftsmanship has a two-dimensional appearance compared with that of Florentine, which has a detailed trompe l'oeil effect.
The 'Marble Workers Darmanin', the most prominent marble-workers in Malta in the 19th century, had a prolific trade in 'Monumental and Mosaic Slabs and other Ornamental Work' including mosaic table tops chiefly for export, and to British tourists who stopped at Valletta while on the Levantine Grand Tour such as Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore; the latter recording her visit to the marble works in her journal, published 1885. A number of Darmanin's ambitious marble mosaic tables were shown at international exhibitions in London and Paris between 1851 and 1886, including in 1851, a table in the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace, which was awarded a prize medal (RCIN 2631). Interestingly, in the 1862 London Exhibition, in which seven tables were shown by Darmanin, one had 'a vase and four doves' and another was 'with shells'.
The table tops made by the Darmanin firm can be distinguished from Florentine tables because of the use of motifs which draw on Maltese history and emblems, and the boldness and clarity of design. The use of naturalistic crustacean ornamentation was undoubtedly inspired by the location of the firm's workshop close to the Valletta fish market, outside the Porte Mare. All the central motifs on the smaller decorative tables are set against a black marble ground to emphasise the detail. Furthermore, the ornamentation of Maltese craftsmanship has a two-dimensional appearance compared with that of Florentine, which has a detailed trompe l'oeil effect.
The 'Marble Workers Darmanin', the most prominent marble-workers in Malta in the 19th century, had a prolific trade in 'Monumental and Mosaic Slabs and other Ornamental Work' including mosaic table tops chiefly for export, and to British tourists who stopped at Valletta while on the Levantine Grand Tour such as Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore; the latter recording her visit to the marble works in her journal, published 1885. A number of Darmanin's ambitious marble mosaic tables were shown at international exhibitions in London and Paris between 1851 and 1886, including in 1851, a table in the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace, which was awarded a prize medal (RCIN 2631). Interestingly, in the 1862 London Exhibition, in which seven tables were shown by Darmanin, one had 'a vase and four doves' and another was 'with shells'.