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Rare pair of Neoclassical Alabaster and Scagliola Urns Florence 18th century

About the Item

Pair of neoclassical alabaster and polychrome scagliola urns, Florentine workshop, last quarter del XVIII secolo. Provenance: dukes of Fitz-James and heirs. This rare pair of neoclassical urns comes to us from a prestigious legacy, that of the Paris branch of the Fitz-James dukes. The title Duke of Fitz-James first appeared in France under Louis XIV, created by the same king in 1710 for James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, an illegitimate son of James II of England. James II of England had bestowed the title of Duke of Berwick among the English nobility on his son, who was fathered by his mistress Arabella Churchill. After the glorious revolution of 1688, which dethroned James II, Berwick went into the service of Louis XIV, who appointed him marshal of France in 1703 . His eldest son is the architect of the Spanish branch of the Dukes of Berwick, which, under the name Fitz-James Stuart, now unites several Spanish greatnesses, including that of the Duke of Alba. His youngest son is the architect of the French branch of the Dukes of Fitz-James, which distinguished itself for seven generations until its extinction in the mid-20th century. The Fitz-James' Parisian estate counted on an impressive collection dating mainly from the late 18th and early 19th centuries of art objects, miniatures, "souvenirs," portraits, and historical mementos. In particular, our vases were jealously guarded in the library. Almost certainly this pair of urns was made on commission specifically for the Fitz-James, as no other comparable specimens can be found, and they were almost certainly made by a Florentine workshop in the era of the Grand Tour: in the late 18th and early 19th centuries Rome and Florence were the main centers of production of fine artifacts that harked back to ancient times, but the use of materials such as Volterra alabaster and scagliola as well as the shape of the vases, which echoes Etruscan models, leave no doubt about this. Volterra alabaster, the finest in Europe, with its delicate, opalescent color, almost transparent to light, was masterfully decorated with the technique of scagliola, carving its surface and then filling it with stucco and decorating it in polychrome in imitation of hard stone. Art objects such as these are extremely rare, to etch the curved, thin surface of the vase without breaking it took the great masters of the workshop. The result, which we can still admire today, are two beautifully preserved, softly colored urns. The course of time has, it is true, left its marks: there are some spinning due to stresses on the material and some points where it was necessary to intervene by gluing parts that had become detached, but these are old interventions that required neither reconstruction nor repainting and are most noticeable by exposing the vases to light, as the alabaster is translucent. We are dealing with two practically unique pieces that have come down to us after more than two centuries of history, and we need to be able to appreciate them as they are, without trying to hide the wounds.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 14.97 in (38 cm)Width: 5.91 in (15 cm)Depth: 5.91 in (15 cm)
  • Style:
    Neoclassical Revival (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Alabaster,Scagliola,Engraved,Hand-Crafted
  • Place of Origin:
    Italy
  • Period:
    Late 18th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1780
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Minor structural damages.
  • Seller Location:
    Pistoia, IT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU10131242779162

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