20 - GABRIELLA LA TORRE (1894–1976)

GABRIELLA LA TORRE (1894–1976) Set of 14 bird designs or sketches, on tracing paper mounted on paper, unsigned, some with certificates Approx. 28 x 22 cm Included is a framed piece comprising 4 bird designs or sketches on tracing paper. Total frame dimensions: 105 x 45 cm (a few creases and marks) Source pieces shared with lots 21 and 22; variations in lots 23 through 28 Provenance: Collection of the artist’s family. Assembled under the direction of Fabrizio La Torre, son of Gabriella La Torre, this collection reflects a desire to reconstruct a body of work that brings together the artist’s archives and pieces produced by Hermès. Gabriella La Torre (Rome, 1894–1976) was a porcelain painter. Over several decades, she developed a personal body of work inspired in particular by her love of the decorative arts and antique porcelain, whose designs she studied and collected. Beginning in 1957, she collaborated with Hermès, for which she created numerous designs that gave rise to silk scarves, ready-to-wear pieces, and porcelain objects. Her creative vision gave rise to patterns such as “Insects,” “Flowers and Braids,” “Oranges and Lemons,” “Cherries,” “Roosters,” and “Old China.”