Italian maiolica bust of the emperor Octavius in the manner of Angelo Minghetti, estimate $2000-3000 at Kaminski Auctions.
A successful architect and developer and long-time Palm Beach resident, his Mediterranean-style home named Casa Phippsberger housed many European antiques, including a vast array of mainly Italian tin-glazed earthenwares. These will be offered by Kaminski in more than 70 lots.
While Italian maiolica or faience enjoyed its greatest moments in the 16th and 17th centuries, it experienced a significant revival in the 19th century as part of the wider revival of interest in medieval and Renaissance works of art. Most of the pieces in the Eigelberger collection date from this later – and significantly more affordable – period.
Among the most celebrated names in the 19th century canon is Angelo Minghetti of Bologna whose large-scale models in the manner of Lucca della Robbia were sometimes mistaken for antiques. A regular at national and international exhibitions from the 1860s until his death in 1885, he was probably the maker of a large bust of the Roman emperor Octavius that carries an estimate of $2000-3000.
Standing 2ft 10in (81cm) high with its polychrome plinth adding a further 7in (18cm), Octavius was one of a series made by Minghetti, another of which is in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum.
