256 - Luigi Filomena (second half of the 20th century), for Cartiere Miliani, Fabriano

Luigi Filomena (second half of the 20th century), for Cartiere Miliani, Fabriano The Face of the Virgin, from Michelangelo’s Pietà, 1976 Backlit chiaroscuro watermark 41 x 36 cm (image size) Signature: “L. Filomena” in the plate Date: “1976” in the plate Other inscriptions: “CARTIERE MILIANI FABRIANO” in the plate Provenance: Cassa di Risparmio di Fabriano e Cupramontana; Veneto Banca SpA in LCA Condition. Support: 60% (sheet has shifted, some tears, creases; one lamp incomplete, two lamps not securely fastened; electrical system not tested, cracked glass) Condition. Surface: 90% For direct WhatsApp assistance before and during the live auction: +39 346 12 999 80 // Direct assistance via WhatsApp before and during the auction: +39 346 12 999 80 Up for auction is a piece of artistic chiaroscuro watermark paper, created by Luigi Filomena for the historic Cartiera Miliani paper mill in Fabriano, based on Michelangelo’s famous “Pietà.” As Annarita Librari, daughter of watermark engraver Franco Librari, recalls, “With Giuseppe Miliani (1816–1890), grandson of Pietro (1744–1817), founder of the Miliani company, the paper mill expanded; drawing paper established itself as the finest—so much so that it won an award at the 1851 London Exhibition—and security paper began to be the Fabriano factory’s specialty. By the time of Giuseppe’s death, the paper mill was already a large complex, but it would be his son Giambattista (1856–1937) who would carry out the actual transformation from a craft-based business to an industrial one (...). Giambattista combined technical expertise with a broad vision of industrial organization, thanks to the frequent trips he took—beginning at a very young age—to various European countries and North America. In 1889, he received the Legion of Honor for presenting the finest watermarks for banknotes at the Paris Exposition. Even before this recognition in Paris, there was genuine enthusiasm for Fabriano’s watermarks. In 1886, Ernst Kirchner of Frankfurt am Main wrote: “Your watermarked papers are the most beautiful I have ever seen. Ever since I’ve owned these truly artistic sheets, I no longer even dare to look at similar products from Germany. The portraits, as well as the details that adorn them, are of admirable, perfect finesse and now form the centerpiece of this modest collection, which I cherish with great pride.” In the field of artistic chiaroscuro watermarks for banknotes, Giambattista initially enlisted the help of Prof. Bianchi of Rome—a medalist for the Sacred Apostolic Palaces—for the wax engravings; Bianchi would send the commissioned wax blocks directly from Rome to Fabriano. Subsequently, his foresight and provident planning led him to establish a wax engraving department within the Watermark Workshop of the Fabriano paper mills, where he assigned young and skilled artists who were able to fully meet the company’s needs. The founder of this school was Serafino Cilotti (1868–1943), who created works of remarkable artistic impact, considered a new form of figurative art expressed through wax, Angelo Bellocchi (1880–1939) and Virgilio Brozzesi (1869–1946). Aldo Frezzi (1885–1972), (...) Eraldo Librari (1907–1988), and Luigi Filomena can be considered students of Cilotti. (Annarita Librari, “Cera una volta… Artistic Filigree in Chiaroscuro”). The history of the Miliani paper mill has been reconstructed by Bruno Bravetti in the monograph “Giambattista Miliani,” Affinità Elettive, 2010