Live Auction 20031Julians Park and Six Private Collections: Live
A PAIR OF NORTH ITALIAN GILTWOOD WALL-CARVINGS
Lot 42 JULIANS PARK, HERTFORDSHIRE

A PAIR OF NORTH ITALIAN GILTWOOD WALL-CARVINGS

MILAN, SECOND QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

Closed8 June 2021

Price Realised

GBP 27,500

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A PAIR OF NORTH ITALIAN GILTWOOD WALL-CARVINGS
MILAN, SECOND QUARTER 19TH CENTURY
Each formed of a ribbon-tied hanging with musical instruments and entwined with berried laurel branches, one with a violin, cello, horns and sheet music, the other with a harp, French horn and sheet music
71 in. (180 cm.) high; 38 in. (96 cm.) wide

From the foyer of the Teatro della Scala, Milan.
Acquired by Mrs Audrey Field (née James; later Mrs Audrey Pleydell-Bouverie) by 1938 (two of the set photographed at the Holme, Regents Park, circa 1938).

Specialist note


Milan's Teatro alla Scala, sometimes referred to as "il Piermarini" after its architect Giuseppe Piermarini (1734-1808), is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. From the inaugural performance of Antonio Salieri's Europa riconosciuta to orchestras conducted by the legendary Arturo Toscanini, the venue which opened its doors to the public on August 3rd 1778 as the Nuovo Regio Ducale Teatro alla Scala, has welcomed an incredible roster of performers and performances to a stage renowned for its gilded opulence.
It is not known when these wall-carvings and the furniture in the following six lots left the foyer of the theatre, which they are reputed to have graced, but it was probably as part of a late 19th or early 20th century redecoration.