New-York tribune., 1921-02-12
Orselli Collection
A Symposium of
Unusual Objects
Opportunity Offered Design
ers of Modern Italianized
Interiors to Pick Up ALI
Manner of Antiquities
By ROYAL Cortissoz

hSAo 40 SpeClhl hJtIacClVenebS
about the collection of antiquities now
filling the American Art Galleries, the
attractiveness of a collection which
does not, as it were, take itself too
seriously. The owner Is a dealer of
this city, Luigi Orselli, and he seems
to have had "a flair for interesting
things, not waiting for the things that
are obviously important" The Davan-
7ati, Volpi and Bardni collections had
about them suggestions of the museum.
This Is not museum collection at all,
though there are occasional pieces in it
which would fit into a public gallery.
1t is Enthusiastically dealers collection,
which is to say pell NELL of all man
rer of old objects. The occasion is one
for the picking up of curious and
charming things by the designers of
our modern Italianized interiors
We can imagine the effectiveness
with which some of these souvenirs
Of the Renaissance might be adjusted
to an eclectic scheme of decoration.
There are, for example. the early
florentlne door frames mos. 78S-789)
OF gllded and painted wood. They
would set the key for one of our char
acterlstlc new-old rooms. Nor did Mr..
Orselli stop at these readily useful bits
of construction. One of the pleasant
group of predellas and the like, which
1t would not take some ingenuity to
turn into over-mantels. Here and
there is piece which might quite
battle the architect, but clever deco
rator would find some way of placing
It to advantage. We have in mind the
wooden Florentine tabernacle (No 764),
which was made in some seventeenth
century workshop.
Many Renaissance Articles
There is q perfect wilderness here
Of the things put forth by Renaissance
craftsmanship, old cabinets of Um-
brian and Florentine walnut, French
and Italian ecclesiastical furniture,
lecterns and so on, and, of course.
those ancient tables upon which time
has conferred particularly gracious
patina. Mr.. Orselli has had the cour
age of his antiquarian taste. He has
not hesitated to secure the nominally
difficult piece, like the sixteenth cen
tury Florentine door (No. 1927. We
call it difficult because it is in the
nature of fragment, with heavy
wrought iron bolt breaking one of
the handsome panels. Again, the
architect might be baffed in placing
5hls bit OF carving. But with q little
trouble, and giving it the right set
ting, he might restore to this beauti-
full thing all of its former utility.
The constructively decorative posi-
bilities in this mass of material con-
c%o ~ SlTr II, -.
are any number of the 900 exhibits
which are of a nature to stand by
themselves, beautiful pieces of old
Italian majolica, pieces of Della Rob-
bian ware, examples of Hispano-Mo
rescue luster and Venetian glass, Ital-
ian bronze bowls, bells and utensils
and especially large group of Spanish
and Italian statuettes in wood These
last make some of the most delightful
passages in the exhibition. They are
not. as we have limited, of museum
rank, but they would fall perfectly into
some casual studio or living room en-
semble of miscellaneous antiquities.
FIorentine Reliefs in Stucco
The Florentine retiefs n stucco in
vite much the same comment. The
paintings arc OF modest import but
include some likable old panels, such
GO SA'S N10S- <tS4OAl NSfO. ~OS }, ALLFlD-
uted to Fungai, or the picturesque
Saint George and the Dragon" (No.
269), by CataIonian Primitive A
rather hammered but revertt eless
graceful piece of decoration is the
eighteenth century Florertine ceiling
(No. 275j
As in every collection Of this kind,
there is a generous supply of objects
in wrought iron, early candlesticks,
andirons, lanterns. door knockers and
so on, and there is equally of course.
along with the usual Oriental rugs. a
rich array of Italian velvets. In the
division of textiles special attention
should be given not only to the en-
broidered vestments but to the seven
teenth century tassels and the es-
cutcheons of that period snd earlier
date. The crowded procession is
brought to close with a number of
Flemish tapestries, in which there are
some good verdure pieces.
The sale carries through five ses-
sions. These begin on the afternoon
of February Is and continue Oh the
following days. There will be no SEN
sation comparable to that which was
provided the othe. day by ne dispersal
of the Lawrence glass. But discerninr
amateurs will find their account in this
affair