“Troppo Amanti Degli Oggetti Orientali”? Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes D’Aragona, a Collector of Islamic Art in Nineteenth-Century Florence
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Chapter 12 “Troppo amanti degli oggetti orientali”? Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes d’Aragona, a Collector of Islamic Art in Nineteenth-Century Florence Ariane Varela Braga Once the cradle of the Renaissance, in the second in the internationally shared interest in the half of the nineteenth century Florence became Orient. an important center for oriental studies, thanks to This article3 is devoted to a little remembered scholars such as Michele Amari (1806–89) or An and now dispersed collection of Islamic art: the gelo De Gubernatis (1840–1913). The city’s rele collection of Marquis Ferdinando Panciatichi vance in this area was confirmed when it hosted Ximenes d’Aragona (1813–97).4 Nowadays, his the Fourth International Congress of Orientalists name is mainly associated with his spectacular in 1878. However, this interest in the Orient was Villa of Sammezzano (figs. 12.1–12.2).5 Among the not limited to the sphere of scholars, it also be came tangible through exhibitions, popular festi Franchetti’s collections at the National Museum of Bargel vals, the arts and architecture, as well as private lo. On the Islamic collections in Florence in particular, see collections.1 Provided that the presence of Islamic Giovanni Curatola, “Il collezionismo ottocentesco di arte artefacts in the city can be traced back to the times islamica a Firenze,” Studi e ricerche di collezionismo e museo- of the Medici, during the second half of the nine grafia, Firenze 1820–1920 (Quaderni del Seminario di Storia teenth century Florence became the home of sev della critica d’arte della Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa) 2 eral public and private collections,2 thus partaking (1985): 379–90; Daniela Cecutti, “Commercio di opera d’arte islamica. Note sul mercato a Firenze tra Otto e Novecento,” mdccc 1800, no. 2 (2013), <http: //doi.org/10.14277/2280 1 See Franco Cardini, “Toscana moresca. Ovvero il Turco in 8841/MDCCC2138>; Daniela Cecutti, Una miniera inesau- Toscana e qualche altra curiosità orientalistica dell’ ribile. Collezionisti e antiquari di arte islamica. L’Italia e il Ottocento,” Museo Stibbert Firenze (Turcherie) (2001): 5–8. contesto internazionale tra Ottocento e Novecento, (Flor Giovanna Damiani and Mario Scalini, ed., Islam specchio ence : Maschietto Editore, 2013). Alessandro Diana, “Il col d’Oriente, rarità e preziosi nelle collezioni statali fiorentine, lezionismo d’arte islamica a Firenze fra Otto e Novecento,” published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same in Islam e Firenze. Arte e collezionismo dai Medici al Novecen- title, organized by and presented at Palazzo Pitti, Florence, to, ed. Giovanni Curatola (Florence : Giunti, 2018): 170–185. April 23–September 1, 2002 (Florence: Sillabe, 2002). Cris 3 The Italian quotation in the chapter title is based on a tiano Guarneri, “El Alhambra de Florencia : un ‘país de los statement made by Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes juguetes,’ burgués a caballo entro los siglos xix y xx,” in d’Aragona in 1867, see Alessandro Foresi and Ferdinando Orientalismo, arte y arquitectura entre Granada y Venecia, Panciatichi Ximenes d’Aragona, La Galleria degli Uffizi e il ed. Juan Calatrava and Guido Zucconi. Madrid: Abada, Museo nazionale del Palazzo del Potestà Controversia fra il 2012, 303–25. Filipa Lowndes Vicente, Altri Orientalismi. dottore Alessandro Foresi e il marchese Ferdinando Panci- L’India a Firenze 1860–1900 (Florence: Florence University atichi (Florence : 1867), 9. Press, 2012). Maria Giovanna Stasolla, “The ‘Orient’ in Flor 4 The only reference to Panciatichi’s collection I could find ence (19th century). From Oriental Studies to the Collec was Cecutti, Una miniera inesauribile, 251–52. tion of Islamic Art, from a Reconstruction of the ‘Orient’ to 5 See Maria Cristina Tonelli, “Alhambra Anastatica,” fmr 4 the Exotic Dream of the Rising Middle Class,” Oriente Mod- (1982): 31–60; Claudia Cerelli, “Il Marchese Ferdinando erno, n.s., 1 (2013): 3–31. Panciatichi Ximenes d’Aragona e la Villa neomoresca di 2 Particularly noteworthy are Frederick Stibbert’s collec Sanmezzano,” Master thesis, University of Florence, 2000– tion at the Stibbert Museum, as well as Costantino 1; Emanuele Masiello and Ethel Santacroce, ed., Ferdinan- Ressman, Louis and JeanBaptiste Carrand or Baron Giulio do Panciatichi Ximenes d’Aragona, Sammezzano e il Sogno © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ���0 | doi 10.1163/978900441�644_015 166 Varela Braga Figure 12.1 Regello, Villa of Sammezzano, exterior view, Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes d’Aragona, mid1840s–early 1900s © Bildarchiv Foto Marburg/Rabatti & Domingie Photography richest aristocrats of his time, Panciatichi was a the decorative arts, including ceramics, textiles, very active protagonist of Florence’s political life Chinese and Japanese porcelains and bronzes, as during the 1860s. A liberal, anticlerical, and true well as European and Islamic weapons. amateur, his broad interests ranged from chemis Based on original and unpublished archive ma try to botany, optics, esotericism, architecture, and terial, an first overview of Panciatichi’s collection the arts. A typical gentleman of the nineteenth of Islamic art will be given in the following, with a century, his taste was eclectic. His private gallery focus on his Islamic weapons. The article will offer and museum at Palazzo PanciatichiXimenes in preliminary insights into his strategies of acquisi Borgo Pinti6 displayed a large collection of Renais tion and networkbuilding, while also briefly ad sance paintings and sculptures, several objects of dressing nineteenthcentury restoration practices. d’Oriente 1813–2013, proceedings of the conference of the same title at Castello di Sammezzano, May 31–June 1, 2013 1 The “Orient” at the Palazzo del Podestà in (Livorno : Sillabe, 2014); Ariane Varela Braga, “Building a 1865 Dream: the Alhambra in the Villa of Sammezzano,” in The Power of Symbols. The Alhambra in a Global Perspective, ed. 1865 was an important year for Florence. From the Francine Giese and Ariane Varela Braga (Bern: Peter Lang, capital of the former Grand Duchy of Tuscany it 2018): 335–53. 6 After 1850, Panciatichi chose Palazzo Ximenes as his main residence, to which he transferred the painting collection he had inherited from his family, which had previously “Il Marchese Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes d’Aragona,” been kept at Palazzo Panciatichi in Via Larga. See Cerelli, 93..