Mercanteinfiera, the Parmigian event that captivates a vast audience of antiquariato enthusiasts from all over the world and of different generations, has just concluded. It was held until Sunday, March 16, and recorded 55 thousand attendees including 6 thousand international buyers. Boasting 2 annual dates, it will return next autumn from October 11 to 19.
The winning formula of Mercanteinfiera
The Mercanteinfiera formula, captivating even for the title itself, attracts many art lovers but also those not in the field.
This edition featured among other works paintings by Giacomo Balla and Giorgio De Chirico (a painting sold for about one million euros) but also pop icons like the statues of Betty Boop and the Simpsons. In addition to antiques, there are vintage objects and clothing, art deco furniture, gas pumps that transform into furniture items. Wandering among the stands, one can spot marvels of historical design signed by Gaetano Pesce, Tobia Scarpa, and Ico Parisi. An entire pavilion is also dedicated to vintage cars!
One of our favorite pieces was certainly the work of the Venetian Nicolò Bambini known as Cavalier Bambini (1651–1736) which depicts Hercules in female attire and Omphale in male attire. Omphale, in mythology, was the queen of Lydia and daughter of the river Lardanos: she held Heracles in slavery for three years. In the painting, Hercules holds the spindle and is crowned with a garland of roses while Omphale wears the skin of the Nemean lion, killed in the first of the 12 labors by the hero, as a headdress.
Here is the selection of galleries and works of Pavilion 3 dedicated to antiques curated by Econique.
Fabbri Arte, uno degli stand migliori di Mercanteinfiera
One of our favorite stands is that of Fabbri Arte Antica (Mantua) which boasts pieces of museum dignity. The Persian bracelet from the 12th century with two confronting leopards and quartz set in the center is striking.
There are elegant snuffboxes displayed in a showcase. One is in gold and mother-of-pearl, enameled and embellished with small diamonds. It is from the eighteenth century, of French origin with a central male portrait.
A second snuffbox is gold on the inside, tortoiseshell on the outside. On the lid, the game of the spinning top is painted. Additionally, fermacravatta in coral and gold are for sale.
Two grotesque figures, half man and half insect, carved from the working of a stag horn, were created by a German craftsman of the Nineteenth century.
One of the most impressive pieces is a Spanish Renaissance cassa d’armi from the 16th century. It contained weapons and armor and features a military scene on the lid, commemorating battles between Romans and Visigoths in the Asturias area. It was sold to an Italian private collector for 45,000 euros.
Again, a late Gothic sculpture is noted, an example of private devotion. It is a Madonna with child in sandstone, originating from Northern France, from a family chapel.
Galleria Allemandi Milano and the baroque console
The Milanese gallery Allemandi (Via Pisacane) is managed by father and son. The stand is distinguished by many furnishing works.
The entrance console – originating from a Roman palace – sold for 25,000 euros by the Sicilian Giacomo Amato. It is from the seventeenth century and fully embodies the Baroque style. It features two eagles and a top in faux green marble. The wood is gilded “a Mecca,” a technique used to give a golden hue to the silver leaf. The carved eagles are designed by Amato, a Sicilian designer of views.
We immediately recognize a necessaire with drawers and chair by Carlo Bugatti. The cabinetmaker of Milanese origin (1855–1940) responds to the Art Nouveau taste, starting from the fascination for Japanese art. In addition to the necessaire, there is a stand for a flower pot. The triptych is offered around 20,000 euros.
Also proposed is a work (at 2,200 euros) by Agnes Dora Mason (1854-1932), an Australian who found success in the United States. She creates portraits with a boldinian taste.
The Galleria Milani at Mercanteinfiera
At the stand of Milani Antichità (Solesino, PD), we find two monochrome paintings – 25,000 for the pair – by Giuseppe Cherubini, (Ancona 1867 – Venice 1960).
Strikes, furthermore, a painting that depicts three nude women, as if they were the Three Graces. Yet the central one presents characteristics usually associated with vanity.
The gallery owner draws attention to a piece of furniture in walnut burl, from the 18th century Venetian with engraved glass. Price range? 30,000-40,000 euros.
https://mercanteinfiera.com/milani-antichita-srl
Galleria Bocci Fine Art, the first time at Mercanteinfiera
The gallery Bocci Fine Art was established in 2024 in Latina. The field of interest of the young founder, Lorenzo Bocci, is figurative art from the 17th to the early part of the 20th century. Bocci specializes in symbolist art and is in search of art objects that contain a dreamlike or mysterious element.
One of the works presented at Mercanteinfiera is Il trionfo della Malinconia by Adriaen van Stalbemt (1580 – 1662), an oil on panel. It is an unpublished version in the antique market of a subject executed multiple times by the painter from Antwerp. It can be dated to the 1620s.
The gallery of Dario Ghio
The Montecarlo gallery directed by Dario Ghio, specialized in silverware, precious collectible items, ivories, and ancient paintings, offers some small treasures. An example is the Roman Micromosaic (circa 1820) with a wild boar hunt, attributed to Gioacchino Barberi (1772-1857).
Furthermore, the gallery owner highlights a double box in black and gold lacquer Paris (1809-1819), signed Vachette (Adrien-Jean-Maximilien VACHETTE, goldsmith since 1779). Here is the description: “Round box in black lacquer, mounted in gold decorated with a thin blue enamel border and embellished on both sides (very rare) by two miniatures painted in fixé sous verre, depicting the two animated facades of the Hôtel de Roquelaure, residence of Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès, illustrious French politician (1753-1824), today the headquarters of the Ministry of Ecological Transition in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. On the courtyard side, one can probably glimpse Napoleon or Cambacérès on horseback, accompanied by two carriages and his personal guard while, in the garden, Bonaparte and Maria Luisa are likely distinguished on a walk. The miniatures are attributed to: Jean-François Lebelle (active from 1806 to 1831), master of fixe sous verre in Paris at the beginning of the 19th century”.
The Mercante delle Venezie and Pami Antichità galleries
A curious object is the Globe da poche, a pocket-sized globe. A specimen of the “Newton type” from the early 1800s is for sale at the stand of the Mercante delle Venezie. The Vicenza gallery offers it at the price of 9,500 euros. The nobles used them to impress friends and talk about their intercontinental travels.
At the stand of the Roman gallery Pami Antichità on Via Vittoria Colonna (near Piazza Cavour), we notice a Burmese Tusk from the 19th century, meticulously carved. It is for sale for 15,000 euros and has been awarded to a collector. We are captivated by a sideboard by the cabinetmaker Carlo Zen (Verona, 1851–1918), exhibited on the occasion of the First International Exhibition of 1902.
Gallery of Lecce Ship in art
The Leccese gallery Ship in Arte with a very extensive collection intends to soon open a museum in the city, with 2,500 works.
An artwork by the Caravaggesque Wolfgang Heimbach is reported, on sale for 18,000 euros; a work attributed to Elisabetta Sirani (Bologna 1638-1665); a female portrait (5,800 euros) by Pietro Rotari, famous for his “contadine leziose” and much loved by Tsarina Catherine – many of his works are at the Hermitage.
Again, a painting attributed to Francesco Albani (Bologna 1578-1660) and a pair of works by Fischietti, a Neapolitan painter famous for the gold backgrounds, at 7000 euros.
A painting representing Susanna e i vecchioni attributed to Francesco Solimena (Serino, 1657 – Barra, Napoli 1747), painter and architect known as l’Abate Ciccio.
Again, a work attributed to Nicolas Regnier (Maubauge 1591-1667 Venice), a Flemish painter who arrived in Rome around 1615 becoming a famous Caravaggesque. The subject portrayed is la Caritas Romana: a young woman – the daughter – who, in prison, breastfeeds an elderly man to save him from certain death.
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.
