"Manfredi, Iconoclast, Aesthete, Polymath. A man from a more refined and romantic age, straight out of a Florentine painting of the Cinquecento. He had an eclecticism and the wildest taste in Art tempered by his incredible eye and absolute conviction. A rare star who lit up our firmament for much too brief a time.”

~ Lady Getty

Born in Florence in 1961 and raised surrounded by the architectural beauty and artistic significance of the streets, museums and galleries of the city, Manfredi built within him a robust awareness of his own taste and the critical role decorative arts has played in the foundation of Western culture. The youngest of three children to Count Guelfo della Gherardesca and Countess Adriana Guillichini from the aristocratic Florentine della Gherardesca family; for centuries Castello di Castagneto Carducci- set high on a hill top overlooking the Tuscan coastline. Infamously, an ancestor Count Ugolino della Gherardesca, features prominently in Dante’s Divine Comedy. Having been accused of treason, he was imprisoned with his three sons, whose corpses he supposedly later ate in a futile attempt to survive.

After graduating from the University of Florence in 1983, Manfredi read History of Art at Hunter College, New York and became director of L’Antiquaire & the Connoisseur Gallery, further honing his deep knowledge of Old Master paintings and European decorative arts. It would be during his time in New York that his mind would be captured by the draw of the contemporary and the way it challenged entrenched tastes and set ideals. It was the act of balancing these two important and enriching themes which would consume the rest of his professional life. The thrill of placing two seemingly incongruous objects side by side without diminishing the importance of either, but instead creating a wonderland where onlookers could learn and see something ‘different’, was something of a compulsion. He would go on to spend eight years with Citibank as an art adviser which would enter him into the rarefied world of the globe’s most prominent art collectors, whom he advised on their major acquisitions and often became great friends. This was followed by a stint in the Sotheby’s Chairman’s office and then later as Chairman of Sotheby’s Italy.

In 1998, Manfredi married Princess Dora Loewenstein, the renowned event impresario and daughter of Prince Rupert Loewenstein, the business manager of the Rolling Stones. Together, they had two children, Count Aliotto and Countess Margherita.

"Life with Manfredi was never dull - from beginning to end. All the objects, both whimsical and kitsch or truly important and beautiful had their own sense of purpose. They told a story always, and thus we lived as if in a richly embroidered tapestry - vibrant and alive. My children and I hope that by sharing some of his collection we can give this joy to many others and whatever they choose that they will be enriched by it, as we have been.”

~ Dora Loewenstein

In 2000, Manfredi founded the art consultancy MDG Fine Arts, based in St James’ – the pre-eminent art district in London. With its early success he later expanded it into an interior design consultancy business, with prominent clients around the globe. This was born out of his client’s desire for him to step outside of being just their art advisor but instead intimately involve himself with decision making about what that art should be surrounded by. In so doing he brought his characteristic passion, impeccable knowledge, and original design flare to create paradises of domesticity for his clients which both enthralled, off set, and entertained using colour, wit and interest. Many of these projects would eventually gain notoriety, gracing the pages of choice interior publications.

"I was always struck by Manfredi’s passion for art and his very eclectic taste. He had a most interesting eye which covered many centuries and categories which he put to good use in his latest career as a decorator and exhibition curator. He will be greatly missed."

~ Henry Wyndham

Manfredi died unexpectedly in his family’s Castello di Castagneto Carducci in 2022, surrounded by the familiar beauty of the objects and art which connected him to the architecture emblematic of his character and the place he called home. The culmination of over three years of planning, initially working with Manfredi, it is a longevity of sale production which bears testament to the passion he had for the art and objects he collected around him and an unwillingness to decide which items to eventually part with. His sale explores the artistic worlds he created for both himself and his clients as well as his many diversions, spanning Modern and Contemporary art, design and photography, to Old Master paintings, English and Continental furniture and sculpture, as well as the many exceptional decorative objects he used like alchemy to balance and curate his eclectic harmony. All point towards the pop-like multicultural sensibility of this much missed tastemaker and his discerning eye to create distinct yet personal environments.

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Auction Details

Wednesday 24 April, 10.30am BST
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

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VIEWING:

• Viewing in Newbury (full sale):
  • Saturday 20 April: 10am-3pm
  • Sunday 21 April: 10am-3pm
  • Monday 22 April: 10am-4pm
  • Tuesday 23 April: 10am-4pm
  • Wednesday 24 April: 10am-4pm
• Dreweatts 360 Virtual Auction Tour | Available from Saturday 20 April