A PAIR OF NORTH ITALIAN GILTWOOD MIRRORS

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PROPERTY REMOVED FROM VILLA D’ACQUARONE, ITALY LOTS 1-29, 301-340 & 398-402Driving into the hills to the east of Verona, one eventually comes upon the 900-acre private estate of Musella. A road with cypress trees on either side leads the visitor past a gatehouse beyond which lies vine yards. A further iron gate and ahead a courtyard flanked by stables, provides the visitor access to the imposing 17th century-style façade, covered in statues of Roman Emperors, of the magnificent Villa d’Acquarone. However, although the first records of the villa date back to the 17th century, it was not until the late 19th that it took on its present guise. The entrance hall with its stunning white stucco ceiling and impressive marble staircase provides access to the main building, and an inner central cloister courtyard and chapel, built between 1654 and 1709 by the Muselli family from Verona. It was probably Cristoforo, or Giovan Francesco, first Marquis of Tenuta Musella, sons of the illustrious Veronese art collector, Giacomo Muselli (1569-1641), who owned at least seven works by Paolo Veronese, two works by Giovanni Bellini, further works by Parmigianino and Giorgione and the famous Noli me Tangere by Titian (the latter now in the National Gallery London), who transformed an existing mansion into a noble residence. Several centuries later, between 1860 and 1894, plans to refurbish the villa were commissioned by the last descendant, the Marquise Matilde Muselli (wife of the mayor of Verona), and then executed by the subsequent owner, the banker and cavaliere, Luigi Trezza, who purchased the villa in 1861. Between 1861 and 1862, the architect, Giacomo Franco, carried out extensive and radical work on the villa, completely changing its appearance, but preserving all the frescoed rooms, like the imposing central Salone dei Venti (Hall of the Winds) with its emblematic ceiling frescos, dated 1687, by Lodovicio Dorigny. The piano nobile was completely altered, as were the bell-tower, taking on a neo-Gothic appearance, and the chapel, a neo-Romanesque style. The southern and eastern façades were rebuilt in Moorish style, and the north façade was altered with the addition of a covered porch. The northern façade, covered in statues of Roman emperors, also dates from this period. At the end of the 19th century, Cesare Trezza, the son of Luigi Trezza, undertook further renovation by superimposing a neo-classical front and adding a high terrace overseeing the Marcellise valley. In 1920, Casare’s only daughter, married Pietro d’Acquarone, Minister of the Royal House from 1939, and the estate was bequeathed as a dowry to the d’Acquarone family, and thereafter took the family name. The descendants of Pietro d’Acquarone are turning their last page by offering the Villa’s content in the present Christie’s sale and a new chapter of the villa’s history has started last year with the acquisition of the Villa and Estate by a new owner.

A PAIR OF NORTH ITALIAN GILTWOOD MIRRORS

MID-18TH CENTURY

Details

A PAIR OF NORTH ITALIAN GILTWOOD MIRRORS
MID-18TH CENTURY
46 in. (117 cm.) high; 28 in. (71 cm.) wide

Special Notice

Specified lots (sold and unsold) marked with a filled square not collected from Christie’s by 5.00 pm on the day of the sale will, at our option, be removed to Cadogan Tate. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Cadogan Tate Ltd. All collections will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.

Brought to you by

Harriet Bingham

hbingham@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2035

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