From Bernard Quaritch Ltd ABA ILAB, London, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
AbeBooks Seller since 30 June 1998
About this Item
Drawing, fan shaped (c. 165 x 510 mm), in pen and grey ink on wove paper, together with contemporary wooden backing board, with ink inscription on backing board 'Brought over from Italy by Thomas Fonnereau Esq., esteemed very valuable'; very good condition; mounted in fan-shaped green mount.A fine fan leaf drawing, Italian school, late eighteenth century, copied from a print by Francesco Villamena of c.1601. It depicts a street fight between Spanish and French factions in Rome with a view of the villa Mattei in the background. The original copper engraving by Villamena was dedicated to the patron of the arts, Cardinal Mattei. The drawing captures the dynamic energy of the fighting men. The drawing was purchased by the writer and artist Thomas George Fonnereau (1789 1850) while on tour through Italy in 1838/39. Fonnereau was for nearly twenty years a lawyer before he inherited a fortune which enabled him to live a life of pleasure dedicated to his interest in the arts. 'While still a lawyer he occupied chambers in the Albany and as a "great lover and liberal patron of the art" he entertained a distinguished set of artists and wits at "choice little dinners" which are commemorated in the pages of J.R.Planche's Recollections (1872)' (ODNB). With one of these friends, the artist Clarkson Stanfield, Fonnereau travelled in Italy; and on his return he published for private distribution thirteen of his sketches of Italian scenery. In 1840 he built, with the assistance of the architect Decimus Burton, 'a bachelor's kennel, an Italian villa with colonnade and campanile' at Haydon Hill, Bushey in Hertfordshire where he lived out his life among his art collection. The drawing appeared in Christie's South Kensington sale, Fans, 17 September 1996, lot 173, sold for £1035. Seller Inventory # A2113
Bibliographic Details
Title: A fan leaf drawing of a street fight in Rome.
Publisher: [Italy, late eighteenth century.] 18??
Edition: First Edition.
Store Description
Bernard Quaritch Ltd
36 Bedford Row
London WC1R 4JH
+44(0) 207 297 4888 rarebooks@quaritch.com
Registered in England No. 5192459 at 36 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4JH
VAT Number: GB322454331
Payment can be made by VISA, M/C or bank draft.
Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.
Customers outside the UK should be aware that books over 50 years old with a value exceeding £65,000, photographs over 50 years old with a value exceeding £10,000, and all manuscript items or archives over 50 years old require an export licence to leave the UK, which may take around four weeks to be granted. Delivery cannot be made until the licence is granted. If your item requires an export licence we will contact you directly to discuss shipping turnaround times.
Payment Methods
accepted by seller
