There is an old saying that an 'Italianated Englishman is the devil in the flesh', but what happens when an Italian becomes an Anglophile? In the case of Mario Praz you have the man who wrote the Bible of interior decoration, the hard to find 'An Illustrated History of Interior Decoration from Pompeii to Art Deco" [might have been reprinted recently, according to Amazon]. Mr. Praz was an English teacher by profession but an avid collector of all things decorative, especially 19th c furnishings. His apt in Rome was left intact after his death, his will stipulating that his daughter could live in it or sell it to the State. Thankfully, the State bought the contents and created a wonderful house museum, open to the public, for free. In a city like Rome where everything is something this is an unrecognized, thankfully, jewel.
Portrait of Mario Praz
The door to the flat is on the left. This was his downsized apartment. Only nine rooms, but filled to the rafters with wonderful objects....some 4000 odd pieces in the collection. All of the books were left to the foundation.
A vingette in the Entrance Hall.
Walking into the main salon
A corner with an Empire settee and a painting of a royal living room that was inspiration for Mr. Praz' work
The double height Drawing Room with balcony
One of 4 theatre designs on glass inset into the bookcases
A reading nook at the center of the room
19th c cupid and fireplace
The Study
Detail of a table top
Looking into the study
The Master Bed room with a bed from Fontainebleau
Part of the 350 plus 19th c watercolor collection
Portly George IV on an Italian bookcase
The library. two sides to Mr. Praz which are clearly visible in these two bookcases. One Italian and over the top, the other a restrained English example.
Going down the hall and looking into the work area
The apartment has no kitchen, so Mr. Praz would set up a table in front of this window every day and have lunch brought in. It's said that looking out this window made him feel as if he lived in a much grander house.
His daughter's bed room
The pink Dining Room
The Music Room
One last look at the Library
and part of his extensive collection of wax work
It's funny that decoration has become a dirty word. In the past decoration was looked upon as a good thing. Beauty was to be our salvation not our demise, but today Pottery Barn and minimalism reign. Our interiors have extruded all life out of them. Now I don't advocate living like Mr. Praz did, he was an avid collector, passionate to the point of being a magpie, but how wonderful to have such a passion and a life so full of of beauty. I'm thinking there's a good middle road somewhere.
Hope you enjoyed our visit to Museo Mario Praz as much as I.
What a treat! After studying his book for years, it was great to see this tour of his own apartment.
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ReplyDeleteThanks John, it's really lovely in person and so good of him to want it to survive and for the state to buy it all....I did covet quite a few of the items tho.....