Mercanteinfiera has returned to Parma, and the city welcomes thousands of collectors ready to wander through the enormous pavilions of the fair. It is open to the public from last weekend (7-8) until March 15, 2026. Mercanteinfiera consists of two annual events, the first in Spring and the second in Autumn, bringing together experts in antiques, design modernism, and collecting. It is certainly the largest event of its kind in Europe and precedes the highly anticipated Tefaf in Maastricht. The difference here is the breadth of the offering and its volume. The focus is more on quantity than quality, despite careful selection and the cost of the stands, which is still high for traders. Here is our selection of stands.
https://www.mercanteinfiera.it/
The Pavilion 4
Let’s start from pavilion 4 where some exhibitions are set up. Among these, the one dedicated to Lucio Dalla, curated by Miriam De Nicolò, founder of SNOB Magazine.
https://www.snobnonpertutti.it/category/avant-garde
Giuseppe Solmi – Studio bibliografico
The stand of Giuseppe Solmi showcases precious manuscripts. The bibliographic studio is located near Bologna. To be precise, in Ozzano dell’Emilia, a Roman city that was destroyed but not built over. Among these are also Arabic-Persian materials. A Book of Hours, for example, is a curious prophetic seventeenth-century text written by the bishop of Gaza in the seventeenth century. It testifies to the coexistence with the Christian community in the East
At the tip of the pen: the inkwell in the Mariani collection
Mario Mariani from Florence (89 years old) has built a collection over the span of 50 years, traveling all over the world. The collection counts 1005 specimens, 81 of which are displayed here. You can find them in various forms, shoe, a crab. In the nineteenth century, they become even more elaborate and are made in such a way as to represent the character and passions of the client.
The pavilion 3 of antiques
The stand of Antiques par Force
The furniture and high decoration are the elements that distinguish the stand of Antiques par Force in this edition of MercanteinFiera.
You can find a journey through different centuries and regions of the Peninsula. A table composed of two half-moons lacquered in blue from the late ‘600 and a beautiful Roman bureau lacquered in chinoiserie from the mid-18th century. “In Rome, high antiquarianism endures”.
Dario Ghio and the series dedicated to the 12 months
From Dario Ghio (Montecarlo) you can find a splendid series of twelve Gouache on paper, each depicting a month of the year, identified by a Latin inscription placed at the top of the composition (IANVARIVS, FEBRVARIVS, MARTIVS, etc.).
The Cycle of the Twelve Months, signed Johannes Uldaricus Pfalzer, is dated 1656. It represents the succession of the year through scenes of daily life. Each month is personified by a figure engaged in activities typical of the seasonal period, set among domestic interiors or landscapes. There is a rich presence of animals, tools, and products of the earth. A noteworthy element is the systematic presence of the zodiac signs, inserted with discretion. They appear in the sky, on the clouds, or on the architectures. This component gives the cycle a symbolic reading, in which daily activities are subordinate to the movement of the stars and the cycle of the seasons.
The series is inspired by the Cycle of the Months conceived by Joachim von Sandrart, known as “the Elder” (1606 – 1688), a central figure in German artistic culture.
The stand of Francesco Obligato at Mercanteinfiera
In the stand of Francesco Obligato (Turin) we find a complete bedspread. Experts are still studying it, it was recovered from an ancient noble house in Turin. It could be in taffeta or Gros de Tours. It is very similar to the one preserved at the Accorsi House Museum in Turin and could therefore come from the same context. From the same house from which the bedspread comes also 14 panels depicting gardens with animals. Made in 1780, they are of Piedmontese origin.
From the same house the Day Sofa (1770), called duchesse brisée composed of two en bergère armchairs usually one larger, the other smaller that can be joined, in finely carved wood with an almost classic motif, with Greek key pattern and foliage. Background lacquered in very light cream.
Matromauro and Japanese art at Mercanteinfiera
The stand of the Milanese gallery Mastromauro presents Japanese art objects from the late 19th century. During the period corresponding to the Meiji era, many Japanese creations were intended for the export market. Among these stands out a bronze tiger signed Atsuyoshi and produced by the Maruki Company foundry, appreciated for the high quality of the casting, the significant weight, the fineness of the carving, and the rendering of the patina and fur, capable of conveying the strength of the animal (approximately 3,000–3,500 euros). There is also a cloisonné enamel vase, made with thin silver wires placed perpendicularly to the surface and subsequently filled with polychrome enamels. Satsuma ceramics signed Kinkozan are also on display, unusually large in size and valued between 7,500 and 8,500 euros. Finally, traditional accessories such as tonkotsu, netsuke, and ojime in wood or ivory appear, elements of smoking sets worn with the kimono, now highly sought after by collectors.
Ladies and Knights by Umberto Campi
Due to the peculiarity of the selection, in the third pavilion, Ladies and knights by Umberto Campi attracts attention. The latter is one of the 14 Italian commissioners who provide vetting services, a member of the board, and treasurer of FIMA. In his stand, precious Militaria. Among the various militaria, a significant helmet. The part of the dome is a copper plate covered with 18-carat gold. It belonged to the Commander of the Dragoons of 1854, used only in front of the emperor.
In the showcase stands out a dagger-scepter with 13 waves on the blade, it is a symbol of power, not a weapon. It is an object that transcends the apparent function: it belongs to a Balinese prince. Not to be overlooked is also the Ottoman Wedding dagger, on the handle are depicted wife and husband celebrating the union by toasting.
Raffaello Pernici and ceramics
The Raffaello Pernici gallery is based in Rosignano Marittimo.
One wall is dedicated to Sandro Vacchetti: among the most valuable pieces The Two Tigers (28,000 euros) 1929.
The Miss Grandi Firme (45,000 euros), on the other hand, originates from the design of Gino Boccasile. Illustrator of the 1930s who designed advertisements and posters even during the fascist period: Pirelli, Sperlati, Rinascente. He founded the magazine Grandi Firme. Here appeared the “Miss Grandi Firme,” from which Sandro Vacchetti would draw inspiration in 1939.
To note a pair of plates from the “Venatoria” series and the Vaso della Temperanza by Gio Ponti. The prices for the maioliche are around 20,000 euros.
From the Late 1800s, some works from the Manifattura Cantagalli. The Vaso Kensington is a jug with an anthropomorphic mouth. The quality of execution is high: lustre technique, third firing, gold lustre, ruby, and cobalt. It takes the shape of a 16th-century silver jug, preserved at the Kensington Museum in London, which is now the V&A, (Victoria & Albert Museum).
Another collection to highlight is the Zaccagnini Walt Disney. The specimens are popular and very rare. Their production began in the 40s, when the Zaccagnini Manufactory had obtained the Walt Disney license. It starts in 1938 with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It ends in 1953 with the series of Lady and the Tramp. “Two years ago we lent our collection for an exhibition in Florence, at Palazzo Coveri, hosted by Enrico Coveri Mesonna. It was dedicated to the Walt Disney production of Zaccagnini.” The rarest of all is Raul, the Bulldog from Lady and the Tramp, the last model made in 1953 (9,500 euros). The cost ranges from 650 to 10,000 euros.
Furthermore, some works by Francesco Nonni, a Faenza artist from the 1920s, are on display. The Baiadera sull’Elefante is significant, as is the Pierrot con l’orologio, an unpublished piece.
The focus on Meissen ceramics by Antichità Porta Romana, Florence
In the stand of Antichità Porta Romana you can find a selection of Meissen ceramics. A Meissen good luck charm a bit sui generis with an 18th-century man crouched while doing his business. Some 18th and 19th-century figurines with mythological subjects. Some cherubs playing with astronomical instruments, a cupid sharpening arrows, some groups representing the seasons. Very particular also the statuettes representing the 5 senses like that of hearing.
Odisseus, base gallery in Stockholm
Odisseus, based in Stockholm and Milan, showcases a sculpture with a Canovian taste by Costoli (35,000 euros). It represents a bather with a cartouche. Additionally, we notice a painting depicting Carolina Bonaparte, one of Napoleon’s sisters who married Gioacchino Murat. Together with her husband, she ruled the Kingdom of Naples for a short period. Of French Neoclassical scope, however, an oil on canvas representing Venus and Cupid.
ODISSEUS I STOCKHOLM AB ART & ANTIQUES
Pasetti Antichità
In the Pasetti stand, a copy of Titian’s Venere di Urbino is noticeable. There is also a high relief from the early 16th century, probably created by an artist from Central Italy. The subject is the Miracle of Saint Gregory the Great. The protagonist of the religious episode is a friar, on the right of the composition, who does not believe in transubstantiation. The mass of Saint Gregory the Great is depicted: during the Eucharist, Jesus appears on the altar to demonstrate the incarnation of his body in the host. All around, references to the Passion have been inserted, such as the nails or the pliers. The rooster alludes to the figure of Saint Peter, who denies Christ three times. The rooster itself rests on a column that recalls the one to which the Messiah was tied to be scourged. The scene is also framed by a large arch. This architectural element refers to the Basilica of Santa Pudenziana in Rome, where it is said this miracle occurred.
Via Martinella 16, Bergamo.
www.antichitapasettibergamo.net
I Buy Art Rome
Compro arte Roma is located in Prati. We find a beautiful copy of a painting by Tiepolo by a contemporary artist; the depiction of the Chiesa Etienne du Mont in Paris painted by the Austrian painter H. Schafer; a bust of Margherita of Savoy by Santo Varni, court sculptor. We are also intrigued by a painting from the late 18th-century French school: it depicts a probably allegorical subject, nocturnal with a witchcraft ritual in progress. Indeed, the presence of a brazier is noticeable!
The pavilion 5, still antiquariato
The stand between sacred and profane by Lorenzo Bocci
The M31 stand of Lorenzo Bocci Fine Art offers a selection of ancient paintings juxtaposed with contemporary photographs by Piero Pompili that bring transgression to Mercanteinfiera. It plays between the poles of the sacred and the profane. The shots depict a Pasolinian Rome, rendered in an intimate study of the world of boxing, prisons, and transsexuality. The paintings that stand out represent San Pietro by the Austrian Ignaz Stern and San Paolo by the Flemish Caravaggist Matthias Stomer, both adopted Italians. Then there are the provocative paintings by Alessandro Dupré, an artist from Latina.
The jewelry stand with a section curated by Janina Block
An enchantment of precious stones and refined designs distinguishes the stand where we meet Janina Block, an expert in antique jewelry. A 1950s bracelet produced by Masenza Roma is a piece of artist jewellery, designed by Franco Cannilla.
Janina shows us a Belle Epoque bow with rubies and an engraved chick (1950s) by Buccellati. A nineteenth-century brooch instead takes up the style of a Byzantine rose window, the coral spheres are crafted to hold diamonds in the center, a craftsmanship that will be typical of Cartier. One of the most interesting pieces is a pierced brooch with Orisa pearls, which between the 1930s and the late 1960s, established itself in the Turin elite as one of the first jewelry designers. There are also older pieces such as chandelier (candelabra) type earrings from 1860 with natural pearls and a tie pin from 1910-20 in platinum representing a pointer.
The pavilion 6 between modernariato and vintage
Street Doing vintage couture, Florence
In the Street Doing stand, you can find big names as well as refined tailored garments. There is an abundance of choices between kimonos, 20th-century slips, a 1960s silk tailored piece with floral ornaments, Hermes silk shirts. A 1988 Missoni balloon dress plays with abstract swirling signs and transparencies. A black Versace suit with jacket and sheath dress (silver interior) stands out for its iridescent effect. A YSL fur coat, one by John Galliano, Valentino jackets, emerald green pants, and Gucci bags.
Officine Li Volsi, vintage selection from Treviso
At Officine Li Volsi we are attracted by a 2003 Dior sweater from Hedi Slimane’s Luster collection (very rare). There is no shortage of curious items such as a 1920s overcoat and a Mexican jacket from the late 1960s, highly sought after in blue coloring, a work coat from the 1930s reworked for theatrical or cinematic use.
Warehouse 76 by Federico Bellucci
Magazzino 76 by Federico Bellucci, known to the general public for the program Cash or trash, is the miniature representation of his new show-room inaugurated on January 21 in Milan. The show-room is more than 700 meters wide, here we have a small sample. The ceiling lamp Pentaclinio (5 lights) by Vico Magistretti (for Artemide) is the central heart of the stand, as well as the pair of panels by Jean Prouvé.
She has collaborated for many years with art magazines such as Artribune, XIBT Contemporary, ArtApp, Insideart and Espoarte, preferring contemporary art in its many facets and media drifts.
