Galleria Simonetti

DF221, 1897-1913, Rome

Letterhead: Galleria Simonetti / Collezione D'Oggetti D'Arte Antica / Roma / Via Vittoria Colonna, N. 11 - Palazzo Simonetti

Abstract: The Galleria Simonetti of Rome is an eloquent example of a global art business that originated from the studio of an artist. As a well-known painter, Attilio Simonetti (1843–1925) started buying art primarily to use it as a model for his own paintings; only later he became passionate about collecting and selling. His collection of art was therefore influenced more by his fellow artists – including his master Mariano Fortuny – than by the latest market trends. In fact Simonetti’s collection of exotic elements and fine antiquities gradually became more appealing that his own paintings. After a few years in the business, he acquired a great palace in Rome to display his collection, turning The Galleria Simonetti into one of the city’s most renown private galleries and one of the finest shops. As a dealer, Simonetti contributed to the rediscovery of the decorative arts and set a new taste for their use and display. This essay will outline the figure of Simonetti though his relationship with Wilhelm von Bode (1845–1929). Since at least 1889 Simonetti kept a yearly correspondence with the German art historian sharing information about objects in his gallery as well as personal notes. Bode made several acquisitions from the dealer's Roman gallery for the Royal museum as well as for other German collectors. Starting from the unpublished correspondence between the two this contribution aims to shed new light on Bode’s suppliers in Rome and his network in the neo elected capital of Italy.

Chapter 6 Between Florence and Berlin: the International Art Market in Post-unification Rome

In: Florence, Berlin and Beyond: Late Nineteenth-Century Art Markets and their Social Networks

Author: Virginia Napoleone