.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Terreni was born in Livorno in 1739 and studied in Florence with Ignazio Hugford (1703-1778). He was employed by the Grand Duke of Tuscany and members of his court for many decorative projects in Livorno, Florence and Pisa. Terreni was also known as a vedutista and in 1781 he dedicated to the Grand Duke Leopoldo de' Medici a volume of eighteen prints: Delle più belle vedute dellà città e porto di Livorno (C. Venturi, Pittori livornesi: Giuseppe Maria Terrini, in Liburini Civitas, VI, 1933, pp. 48-51).
Among the artist’s more interesting compositions are the views of enchanted parties thrown by the Grand Dukes in their residences, such as the present one. Depicted here is an evening in May 1785 in the Boboli Gardens in Florence. The host of the event was Leopold, the first Grand Duke of Tuscany and brother of Queen Marie-Antoinette of France. The party was organized in honor of the visit to Florence of Queen Marie-Caroline and her husband King Ferdinand of the Two Sicilies. With meticulous detail and vivid colors, Terreni documented the festive atmosphere of the evening.
Another version of the composition, with minor variations in the figures and in the caption, is at the Morgan Library and Museum, New York (inv. 1962.5; F. Stampfle and J. Bean, Drawings from New York collections. The Eighteenth Century in Italy, New York, 1971, no. 299, ill.).
Among the artist’s more interesting compositions are the views of enchanted parties thrown by the Grand Dukes in their residences, such as the present one. Depicted here is an evening in May 1785 in the Boboli Gardens in Florence. The host of the event was Leopold, the first Grand Duke of Tuscany and brother of Queen Marie-Antoinette of France. The party was organized in honor of the visit to Florence of Queen Marie-Caroline and her husband King Ferdinand of the Two Sicilies. With meticulous detail and vivid colors, Terreni documented the festive atmosphere of the evening.
Another version of the composition, with minor variations in the figures and in the caption, is at the Morgan Library and Museum, New York (inv. 1962.5; F. Stampfle and J. Bean, Drawings from New York collections. The Eighteenth Century in Italy, New York, 1971, no. 299, ill.).