ALFONSO MONTELATICI (1880-1948)

ALFONSO MONTELATICI (1880-1948)
The difficult letter
Pietra dura marquetry painting depicting an elderly couple in an interior preparing to write a letter.
Signed lower right.
Based on a composition by the painter Aurelio Zingoni (1853-1922).
Height : 46 cm - Width : 66 cm
In a gilded wood frame.
(Very good condition)

PROVENANCE
- Acquired in 1934 from Il Mosaico di Firenze dei Fratelli Bencini, Florence [invoice dated April 19, 1934], titled "La lettera difficile".
- Then by descent to the present day.

It is to the Montelatici family of Florence that we owe the revival of excellence in the art of pietra dura.
The family firm was founded by Giovanni Montelatici and his partner Galileo Chini, who jointly exhibited at the 1900 Universal Exhibition, where they won a gold medal for a large table inlaid with a scene from the Annunciation.
The Montelatici company flourished in the first decades of the 20th century, and Giovanni was joined by his two sons Mario and Alfonso.