Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato di Firenze XXIX edition

Palazzo Corsini, Florence
September 26 – October 4, 2015

At the next Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato in Florence, in his sculpture selection Walter Padovani will exhibit two terracotta portrait busts of a Lady and a gentleman by Francesco Orso (active in Piedmont and in Paris, died Paris, 1799), both signed and dated 1791. Sculpted in Paris, they are an extremely rare example of work in terracotta by Orso or Orsy, as he signed himself in France. His speciality was wax portraiture as can be attested by his ruthlessly realistic busts of Victor Amadeus III of Savoy and Maria Antonia Ferdinanda de Bourbon (now in the Franco Maria Ricci collection) and that of Victoria of Savoy-Soissons (Castello di Agliè, Turin). The only other known works in terracotta by the artist are a bust of a Lady in the Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris and another bust of a gentleman also in the Franco Maria Ricci collection.

Amongst paintings exhibited is this oil on copper by Alessandro Turchi called l’Orbetto (Verona, 1578 – Rome, 1649), depicting the Madonna and Child with Saint Peter Martyr, Saint Zeno, Saint Toscana and an angel. This small picture, made for private devotion, was exhibited in the Cinquant’anni di pittura veronese 1580-1630 exhibition in Palazzo della Gran Guardia, Verona, 1974 as well as in the Alessandro Turchi detto l’Orbetto: 1578-1649 exhibition at the Museo del Castelvecchio, Verona, 1999 but this is the first time it has appeared on the art market. It is a rare work both for its iconography and for the fact that it is painted on copper, an unusual surface for this artist. It is datable to the first decade of the seventeenth century and the preparatory drawing for this painting is in the Galleria di Palazzo Bianco, Genoa.

Stand 64