Red Gold; Sicily to Salisbury
6th January 2025
From the end of the Middle Ages, the city of Trapani on the west coast of Sicily became an important artistic centre due to the discovery of coral reefs in the seas off the city. Coral, highly prized for its colour and unusual texture, had also been considered to possess therapeutic and apotropaic (warding off evil) virtues from ancient times. In the 16th century, local artisan Antonio Ciminello invented a fine chisel, called a bulino, which changed the way that the material could be sculpted and engraved. As a result, the production of Trapani artworks prospered and artisans sold their objects all around Europe (the Prado of Madrid, the Vatican, Munich, Florence, and Palermo).
By the 16th century, coral was considered a highly precious and rare commodity and found its way to European courts as diplomatic gifts. Trapani work of that time is characterised by many small pieces of coral carved into various shapes then set into a ground of gilt-copper, often in the form of devotional objects. These works were widely collected by princely connoisseurs for their ‘Kunstkammer’, or curiosity cabinet.
One iconic Trapani artwork was the 'capezzale', a devotional plaque, often in octagonal form, depicting various religious figures. The fine example pictured here dates to the second half of the 17th century and sold for £34,020 (including fees) on day three of the Furniture, Works of Art and Clocks sale on 16th January.
Before the sale, Furniture, Works of Art and Clocks specialist, Mark Yuan Richards said;
“This fine and rare example from the Baroque period was consigned from a private vendor with historical family links to Sicily. It is a delight to be offering an object of this quality for sale outside of London or Paris.”
