19th Century Blue and White Fireplace, 1885

This exceptional and rare Della Robbia style fireplace was made in the 19th century by Ulisse Cantagalli, Italian leading designer of pottery and lustre ware. As far as known, there are only 3 of these fireplace in existence; one at Cantagalli’s cousin in Italy, one at the English Villier family in a large hall in an English country house (decorated in Italian style), and this one at Piet Jonker Architectural Antiques (recovered from the kings Island Gamla Stan in Stockholm) Notable is the blue and white shiny pottery, the highly decorative elements and the caryatid on the legs. Cantagalli had a close relationship with the English Guglielmo de Morgan, a well-known Arts and Crafts artist, who was a great collector of Della Robbia pottery. Della Robbia himself has not made fireplaces. De Morgan had a summer house in Florence and had the best oven maker come to Italy to build a new oven, so that Cantagalli could carry out assignments for him, including making this fireplace. This fireplace was exhibited by the Cantagalli company at the world exhibition in Antwerp in 1885, and was purchased by an Italian family that traded in cocoa and brandy. The mantelpiece was taken to Stockholm when the family was fleeing the outbreak of the First World War and the great uprisings against capital in Italy. the black and white photo shows the fireplace in the Stockholm home. Measurements: outside: h 149 x w 199 cm, inside: h 116, width feet 43 cm.