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A PAIR OF NORTH ITALIAN ROCOCO GILTWOOD SETTEES Ordered by Giacomo Filippo Carrega for t...

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:180,000.00 - 220,000.00 USD
A PAIR OF NORTH ITALIAN ROCOCO GILTWOOD SETTEES Ordered by Giacomo Filippo Carrega for t...
A PAIR OF NORTH ITALIAN ROCOCO GILTWOOD SETTEES

Ordered by Giacomo Filippo Carrega for the Galleria Dorata, Palazzo Carrega-Cataldi, Genoa, designed by Lorenzo de' Ferrari (1680-1744) and possibly Domenico Parodi (1668-1740), circa 1743-44 Each shaped close-nailed padded back within a surround of ribbon-tied reeds, surmounted by a large acanthus-sheathed scrolled cartouche with stippled ground set with reeded rocailles and stopped chain-link molding, the volute top centered by a reeded lambrequin, the crestrail set with trailing husks and each corner with a mermaid atop a molded and downscrolled acanthus-sheathed armrest, the acanthus-sheathed volute handrest above an inverted cabriole support with dolphin-head base, the chanelled seat rail with stippled decoration centered by a female mask in a shell flanked by foliage, and set to the sides with lion masks, each in a cartouche, on acanthus-sheathed cabriole legs with paw feet each headed by a cabochon on rocailles and flanked by rocaille-sheathed C-scrolls 49 X 1091/2 X 29 IN. (124.5 X 278 X 75 CM)

$180,000-220,000

Provenance Galleria Dorata, Palazzo Carrega-Cataldi, Genoa. Acquired directly from the Palazzo by Stanford White and exported to New York, late 19th century. Sold to William Collins Whitney (1841-1904), circa 1896-1902, when Stanford White was renovating 871 5th Avenue for him. Thence by descent to his son Harry Payne Whitney (1872-1930), 871 5th Avenue. Thence by descent to his wife Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875-1942) 871 5th Avenue. Count Volpi di Misurata, Palazzo Volpi, Rome (sold Sotheby's London, December 16, 1998, lot 45).

Literature Grosso, Orlando. "Decorazione e mobile di papazzi genovesi nel Seicento e nel Settecento", Dedalol (1921), Vol. I, p. 62. Morazzoni, Guiseppe. Il Mobile Genovese. Milan, 1949, fig. 101. Gonzales-Palacios, Alvar. Il Mobile in Liguria. Genoa, 1966, pp. 219-220, pls. 263-64, pp. 186-190, 229. Gonzales-Palacios, Alvar. Il Tempio del Gusto. 2 vols. Milan, 1986, Vol. I, pp. 375-76, Vol. II, figs. 835-36. Lowe, David Garrard. Stanford White's New York. New York, 1992, p. 236. THE PALAZZO CARREGA-CATALDI, GENOA The Palazzo Carrega-Cataldi (fig 1) has a distinguished history and belonged at one time to one of the wealthiest Genoese Renaissance families, the Pallavicino. The Palazzo was built by Tobia Pallavicino overlooking the renowned and beautiful Strada Nuova (today Via Garibaldi), the main thoroughfare in Genoa which was built under the direction of Giambattista Castello (1509-69) from 1558 to 1561. Rubens accurately illustrated the layout of the Palazzo in his Genoese Palace series. In February 1704, the Palazzo was purchased from Ignazio Pallavicino by Giacomo Filippo Carrega, and he and his son undertook considerable renovations, including the interior decoration of the new wing between 1727 and 1746. In 1830, the Carrega family sold the Palazzo to another noble family, the Cataldi. In 1922, the entire building was taken over by the Genoese Chamber of Commerce and the Galleria Dorata, which was seriously damaged during the bombardments of November 1942, was repaired and renovated during the following decades.

In considering the present sofas, one has to place them in the context for which they were originally made, which was one of the most important, unified and sumptuous rococo interiors ever conceived in Italy.

THE GALLERIA DORATA OF THE PALAZZO CARREGA-CATALDI, GENOA with its exuberant gilded stuccoes typifying the froth and excess of the luxuriant rococo style, this gallery (fig 2) was conceived, together with the panelling, mirrors, consoles and seat furniture, by Lorenzo de' Ferrari, between 1743 and 1744. the aquatic theme typified by mermaids, scallop shells and dolphins which is present elsewhere in the room and so typical of the Genoese decorative repertoire and the rococo style in general, is profusely present on this group of sofas.

With this room, Lorenzo de' Ferrari intended to rival the French interiors of the time, but his exuberance has been tempered and resulted in a stiffer interpretation of the rococo style, echoing the earlier Régence style or rather anticipating the Neo-Classic style of the late 18th century. Lorenzo de' Ferrari was almost certainly assisted by others in his work, perhaps Diego Carlone (1674-1750) for the stucco work. Gonzales-Palacios (op. cit., 1986, p. 376) also suggests the name of Domenico Parodi as the possible designer for some of the furniture in the gallery, although he died three to four years before the furniture was delivered.

The Galleria Dorato is rectangular. The present sofas (and their matching pair also sold from the collection of Count Volpi di Misurata, Palazzo Volpi, Rome (Sotheby's London, December 16, 1998, lot 46)) stood below the four large mirrors on the two long walls. The as yet undetermined number of chairs, at least six (fig 7), were placed around the room. The four pairs of mirrored doors (fig 5) were at either end of the room and flanked the pair of consoles (fig 6).

A description of the interior written by the English Architect Sir Robert Smirke during his visit to Genoa in 1802, states that the chairs, and presumably the sofas were covered in green silk (the manuscript is at the Royal Society of British Architects, London, and partly translated by Gonzales-Palacios, op. cit., 1966).

STANFORD WHITE (1853-1906) On his two or three trips to Europe each year, the American beaux-arts architect Stanford White bought architectural elements such as ceilings, chimney pieces, paneling, and doorways, together with furniture, which he would then sell as furnishings for the houses he decorated or which his patrons commissioned from him. On one of his trips during the late 19th century, White acquired directly from the Palazzo Carrega-Cataldi the contents of the Galleria Dorata: the four settees, the four pairs of doors, the pair of console tables, and the side chairs, White sold all of these items, except for two pairs of doors, which he kept for his own house at 121 East 21st Street, to William Collins Whitney whose mansion at 871 5th Avenue he transformed into a palace from 1896-1902 (fig 3). Designed in 1884 by William Schickel for the sugar magnate Robert L. Stuart, the four-story mansion on the northeast corner of 5th Avenue and 68th Street was bought by Whitney in 1896 for $650,000 as a home for himself and his new bride, Edith May Randolph. By 1902, White had spent $4,000,000 converting it into a palace with such notable features as the gilt-iron and bronze gates from the Palazzo Doria, Rome in the porte cochère and a Louis XVI boiserie from a château near Bordeaux in the second floor ballroom, then the largest private ballroom in New York. It was in the ballroom that the furnishings of the Galleria Dorata were placed (fig. 4), the pair of double doors having been mounted as a four panel folding screen, and the settees, side chairs, and consoles placed against the wall. This image shows the state of the ballroom in 1942, following the death of William Collins Whitney's daughter-in-law Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, shortly before the contents were to be sold at Parke-Bernet Galleries and the palace was to be demolished. The settees have already been lengthened in this image, probably by White because this grand ballroom was so much larger than the Galleria Dorata. The settees and side chairs were not included in the sale, and the boiserie is said to have gone to a museum in Baltimore. The doors: the first two pairs Sold to William Collins Whitney, circa 1896-1902, when Stanford White was renovating 871 5th Avenue for him. Thence by descent to his son Harry Payne Whitney, 871 5th Avenue. Thence by descent to his wife Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, 871 5th Avenue (sold Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, April 29-30, 1942, lot 359). Baron Cassel and Baroness Cassel van Doorn (sold Paris, March 24-25, 1954, no. 204 bought by Serge Roche & J. Rotil and kept until at least 1956). Elinor Dorrance Ingersoll, Bois Doré, Newport (sold Christie's house sale, September 27-28, 1977, lot 148 for $14,500 to Doris Duke for Rough Point, Newport, Rhode Island, where they remain).

The second two pairs: Stanford White, 121 East 21st Street, New York (sold November 29, 1907, lot 35A for $1,250 to Frederick E. Guest (1875-1937)) Thence by descent to his wife Mrs. Frederick E. Guest (d. 1959), Old Templeton, New York Thence by descent to their son Winston Guest (1906-82), Old Templeton, New York (sold Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, December 2, 1967, lot 132 for $11,000 to Whitney Warren, Jr.). Donated by Whitney Warren, Jr. to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 1986 (sold Butterfield & Butterfield, San Francisco, April 26, 1989, lot 115 for $181,500 to Alexander & Berendt Ltd., London, from whom acquired by the Metroplitan Museum of Art, 1991.307.A-B).

The console tables: Sold to William Collins Whitney, circa 1896-1902, when Stanford White was renovating 871 5th Avenue for hiim. Thence by descent to his son Harry Payne Whitney, 871 5th Avenue. Thence by descent to his wife Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, 871 5th Avenue (sold Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, April 29-30, 1942, lot 256). paris art market Sold by Partridge Fine Arts, London to the Toledo Museum of Art from (78.30-31). The side chairs: Sold to William Collins Whitney, circa 1896-1902, when Stanford White was renovating 871 5th Avenue for him. Thence by descent to his son Harry Payne Whitney, 871 5th Avenue. Thence by descent to his wife Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, 871 5th Avenue. Present whereabouts unknown.

WILLIAM COLLINS WHITNEY (1841-1904) Of estimable lineage but slender fortune, educated at Yale (1859-63) and Harvard Law School (1863-65), charming, and with a calm authority even in his youth, he seemed destined to a brilliant future. He moved to New York City, became successful as a corporate lawyer, and was associated with various public utility companies and transportation interests. He helped lead the fight that precipitated the downfall of William Marcy Tweed and the election (1874) of Samuel J. Tilden as governor. As city corporation counsel (1875-82) he was instrumental in saving New York City significant funds. Whitney, important in the National Democratic Party, served as Secretary of the Navy under President Cleveland (1885-89) and secured legislation for the making of armor-plated war vessels. In 1892 he supported Cleveland for the presidency, but in 1896 he refused to support the candidacy of William Jennings Bryan. His marriage to Flora Payne, the vivacious though not truly beautiful Cleveland heiress, could only have appeared to enhance his prospects. Dividing his time between Washington and New York, Whitney abandoned the road to the White House to make a fortune of his own, while trying to accomodate Flora's social ambitions in a day when Mrs. Astor was queen of the "400" and parvenus like the Vanderbitls were spending millions to storm the gates. He made his fortune by methods so subtle that they remained undiscovered in his lifetime. He was a society leader and an outstanding sportsman with very wide interests. His holdings of forest land on Long Island, in the Berkshires and in the Adirondacks attest to his interest in the preservation of forest land. His stable included many of the best-known racing horses in America and England.

HARRY PAYNE WHITNEY (1872-1930) Inheriting two Standard Oil fortunes from both the Payne and the Whitney families, Harry Payne Whitney followed in the steps of his father in business. He was very active in horse racing and polo. GERTRUDE VANDERBILT WHITNEY (1875-1942) Her father was the financier and art patron Cornelius Vanderbilt (1843-99), and her great-grandfather was Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877), the steamship and railway magnate and philanthropist. In 1896 she married the financier and sportsman Harry Payne Whitney. She studied sculpture in New York and Paris, where she was inspired by Auguste Rodin. In 1908 she won her first prize, for a sculpture of Pan. During World War I she established a hospital and worked as a nurse. Her feelings of horror for war are expressed in many of her works, including Victory Arch (1918-20) and the Washington Heights War Memorial (1921), both in New York. Among her other important works are the Titanic Memorial (1914-31), which illustrates the words in Revelation 20:13: "The sea gave up its dead," and the terracotta Aztec Fountain (1912), both in Washington, D.C.; the Peter Stuyvesant Memorial (1936-39) in New York; the Columbus Memorial (1928-33) in Palos, Spain; the St.-Nazaire War Memorial (1924) in St.-Nazaire, France; Spirit of Flight, for the 1939-40 New York World's Fair; and numerous equestrian statues. All her works are striking and inspired by a traditional simplicity. She was equally well known as a sponsor of aspiring artists, and much of her effort and wealth was directed towards developing and encouraging a national artistic taste. In 1929 Gertrude Whitney offered to donate her collection of about 500 works by modern American artists to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the belief that such artists needed recognition. However, the museum's director, a traditionalist, turned her offer down, and she set about establishing her own institution, which was founded in 1930 and opened in November 1931. She also helped fund the Whitney Wing of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. THE COUNT AND COUNTESS VOLPI DI MISURATA AND THE PALAZZO VOLPI, ROME For a history of Count Volpi di Misurata and the Palazzo Volpi, Rome see the footnote for lot 5
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