Belgian School, 19th century. A view of a town square with a church tower, signe…
Description

Belgian School, 19th century.

A view of a town square with a church tower, signed (lower right), and annotated with title, and numbered "53/200" (lower left), dim. etching. Dim. 50 x 33,5 cm. Estimate: € 30 - € 50.

4941 

Belgian School, 19th century.

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PAIR OF 18th CENTURY PLAQUES Attributed to Enrico Hugford (1695-1771) In scagliola on a slate background, depicting harbor views animated by architecture, in later gilded wood frames, red wax armorial stamps damaged on reverse. Marks (on one): the inscription "salottino vicino al salone N°4", and "(...)ford", a printed label numbered "100". Marks on reverse (on the other): inscription "salottino piccolo vicino al salone N°3". Dimensions (unframed):17.5 x 48.5 cm (6 ¾ x 19 in.) Provenance: Former Azzoni collection, Siena. A pair of 18th century scagliola plaques, attributed to Enrico Hugford (1695-1771) This pair of plates can be attributed to Enrico Hugford (1695-1771), one of the most talented masters of scagliola in the 18th century. Born of English parents who moved to Italy around 1686 and entered the service of Grand Duke Cosimo III de Medici, Enrico Hugford (1695-1771) and his brother Ignazio (1703-1778) were important figures in mid-eighteenth-century Florence. Enrico entered the Vallombrosa Abbey in 1711 as a monk. Trained in the art of scagliole by the monks of the Abbey of Santa Reparata in Marradi, he returned to Vallombrosa, where his talent was soon appreciated and recognized. Enrico Hugford played a fundamental innovative role in the art of scagliole. Thanks to his refined technique, he achieved extreme precision. His subjects included landscapes, sea and river views with architecture and figures (cfr. A.M. Massinelli, Scagliola:l'arte della pietra di luna, Rome, 1997, pp.28-32), flowers, animals, genre scenes, portraits and stories of saints. His elegant views draw on the repertoire of 18th-century Veduism, to which he had access through the graphic works preserved in the library of the Vallombrosa monastery and among the drawings and paintings collected and marketed by his brother. Indeed, it is well known that his brother Ignazio, a passionate collector, dealer, restorer and eminent figure in 18th-century Florence, succeeded in promoting and distributing Enrico's scaglioles, particularly in the Tuscan capital. The spread of his work was also made possible by the visit of English and other Europeans to the Vallombrosa monastery on their Grand Tour. Immediately after his death in 1771, Hugford's works became sought-after collectors' items: one of his sea views was offered to Pope Clement XIV by Monsignor Cesare Massa Salazzo of Tortona and placed in the Vatican Museums. The Grand Duke of Tuscany, Pietro Leopoldo, also purchased four landscapes for the Uffizi Gallery in 1779, through the then director Giuseppe Pelli Bencivenni, from the heirs of his brother Ignazio. An aristocratic Sienese provenance On the backs of the panel frames are two fragmentary red wax stamps, which, when reconstituted, reveal the coat of arms of the Azzoni family of Siena. The ancestors of this illustrious family were Azzone di Tocchi and Pietro di Ghino, who gave rise to the Ghinazzoni branch. The presence of the Azzonis is attested as early as the 14th century in Monticiano, in the territory of Siena, where they had developed a profitable iron mining and steelmaking business. In 1380, they financed the construction of the façade of the Augustinian convent church in Monticiano, and lived in a palace in the town's main square. We would like to thank Dr. Anna Maria Massinelli for her research, which enabled us to write this note. This pair of plates can be attributed to Enrico Hugford (1695-1771), one of the most talented masters in the art of scagliole in the 18th century. Born of English parents who moved to Italy around 1686 and entered the service of Grand Duke Cosimo III de Medici, Enrico Hugford (1695-1771) and his brother Ignazio (1703-1778) were important figures in mid-eighteenth-century Florence. Enrico entered the Vallombrosa Abbey in 1711 as a monk. Trained in the art of scagliole by the monks of the Abbey of Santa Reparata in Marradi, he returned to Vallombrosa, where his talent was soon appreciated and recognized. Enrico Hugford played a fundamental innovative role in the art of scagliole. Thanks to his refined technique, he achieved extreme precision. He treated a wide range of subjects, including landscapes, sea and river views with architecture and figures (cfr. A.M. Massinelli, Scagliola:l'arte della pietra di luna, Rome, 1997, pp.28-32), flowers, animals, genre scenes, poetry (cfr. A.M. Massinelli, Scagliola:l'arte della pietra di luna, Rome, 1997, pp.28-32).