CHATSWORTH FINE ART SALE April 29th, 30th & May 1st 2026

126 IMPERFECTIONS NOT STATED Fonsie Mealy’s Est. 1934 1175. 20th Century Indian School An attractive and colourful large pair of Landscape Paintings, of prowling Bengal Tigers, in opposing stance, oils on cloth, approx. 270cms x 106cms (175” x 69”). (2) €1000 - €1500 1176. Giovanni Focardi (1842-1903) “Portrait Bust of a Gentleman, c. 1880,”marble, Signed on reverse “Focardi mod. / P. Barzanti exec. / Florence” approx. 82cms (32”) high. (1) Provenance: Fortwilliam & Macrory Presbyterian Church, Belfast; Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest; Private Collection.
Modelled in clay by Giovanni Focardi, an Italian sculptor who worked in London, and translated into a marble by P. Barzanti in Florence, this portrait bust of a gentleman is a good example of the naturalistic sculpture tradition that flourished in Tuscany in the mid-nineteenth century. Depicted head and shoulders, the middle-aged man wears a frock coat and bow tie. Traditionally he is thought to be a member of the Italian royal family.
Born in Florence in 1842, Focardi studied sculpture with E. Pazzi at the Academy of Fine Arts. He first exhibited in 1866 and among his early works was a portrait of Dante Alighieri. His sculpture is characterised by a naturalism that traces its roots back to Hellenistic times. Focardi specialised in sculptures that seemed to arrest time; he loved to depict everyday actions, almost like snapshots. In 1870 he settled in London, where he made a living by producing caricatures, chromolithographs, figurines and other commercial work. He also sculpted portraits from life, from people he observed in the streets. These were often grotesque or picturesque. In 1871 he exhibited Lucrezia Borgia at the Royal Academy, and four years later showed a group of newspaper vendors entitled I’m first Sir! at the Grosvenor Gallery. His sculpture You Dirty Boy!, representing an old woman trying to wash a recalcitrant boy, was rejected by the RA committee and only exhibited with a subterfuge. It was a success with the public and many copies were made in terracotta. The original was purchased by Windsor Soap company, and used as an advertisement. After a brief stay in Florence in 1879, Focardi returned to London where he continued to produce satirical and picturesque sculptures, such as You Ragamuffins, which dates from 1881. His masterpiece Sweet Rest was shown at the RA in 1884, and five years later at the Universal Exposition in Paris. A bronze version is in the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome. In his later years, Forcadi sculpted portraits of the Marquise de la Granga, and a funerary monument to Lady Robertson. His last work was Othello and Desdemona. He died in Florence in 1903.
For years this sculpture was in Fortwilliam & Macrory Presbyterian Church in Belfast, until the church was taken over in 2018 by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, at which time the present owner acquired the work. Peter Murray 2026 €3,000 - €4,000 1177. An early 19th Century ormolu decorative Table, with circular top inset with blue ground gilt decorated Sevres dish, with hand painted medallion portraits of Ladies & Gentlemen, the base with figural head uprights and floral garlands, terminating on a triform base with hoof feet, approx. 46cms diameter x 74cms high (18” x 29”). (1) €400 - €600