It is a very difficult thing to dismantle anything that has been complete, be it a jigsaw puzzle, a tower of bricks, a house, a collection, a life, it leaves one with a sense of loss and bewilderment. For us, in losing our father we have not only to deal with our personal grief, but in curating this sale we have had the impossible task of selecting which of his many objets d’art we are closest to versus those we hope to be able to share with the wider world. We have, through this process, gained an even deeper appreciation of the depth of his knowledge and thirst for collecting. We have learnt that most things had a reason for their acquisition, whether of an historical family nature; a thematic passion; an admiration of a certain craft or, just simply a whimsical flight of fancy. There is also a joy in being able to share these treasures with others – many of whom we expect are also passionate collectors – and for us to feel that our father’s taste and eye will be appreciated by many and not just reserved for ourselves and the few clients he had.

Our main home has always been a North Kensington townhouse, generous in proportion and decorated with many different artefacts. From the get-go we were exposed to a sophisticated and varied array of pictures and decorative arts. Even our baby rooms were hung from top to toe with Brunelleschi water colours, which were charming and evocative of childhood fancy. The stairs leading to our landing also always had multiple pictures hanging – some funny, some whimsical and others even scary – from Jane Fonda as Barbarella, to Cindy Sherman as a clown, to Margherita Manzelli’s row of spooky faces. If ever we were to comment or express a doubt over some of those pictures it was always met with an explanation of why it was there and why it should remain. Fear or wonderment was met with equal measure but there was no question of removal – just an understanding that art provoked reaction – good and bad!

Then there were the trinkets, some housed in a cabinet of curiosities, and others just placed on tabletops, mantelpieces and consul tables, or even the floor for lack of space. These, for us as children, were fun. There were skulls, sawfish blades, skeletons, marble funerary hands even a small collection of bone pornographic figures which we would giggle about without our parents realising. These objects fired our imaginations and our curiosity from an early age, and we count ourselves lucky to have not lived in a minimalist environment to which our father certainly did not aspire.

As a family we always travelled to Italy, our father’s principal residence and family home. Here we were exposed to more traditional art, much of which resides in a castle which our father and his siblings have carefully spent thirty years renovating. Our father would scour auction houses, antique shops and picture galleries worldwide in the hope of tracking down lost family heirlooms and paintings that were pertinent to his family’s history. Having his eye and a detective like nose for an artistic find he was often victorious, and he managed over the years to add to the family collection, as well as also picking up those things he could not resist at the same time!

We were also fortunate enough to have our father as a guide in many a museum or exhibition around the world. His knowledge of history of art was inexhaustible. There wasn’t an art establishment that we visited where he didn’t know the provenance of the picture on the wall – whether America or Europe. It was an amazing treat as well as an education to go around these galleries and art fairs with him, especially in his hometown of Florence. The only caveat was that the extent of his knowledge meant these trips required great stamina.

So it is with great poignancy that we put these items up for sale. We only hope that everyone and anyone who is successful at this sale will enjoy what they purchase and know that there is a story that surrounds each and every item. We would be happy to share that with you, if and ever you would like to know. We are only sad that the one person who really, truly knows about them is no longer around to ask.

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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