Merry Christmas 2023To All!

Buon Natale 2023 to all our Montici Society members from Umbria, Italy where we had a magical pre-Christmas visit with my sister (and Society Director) Rosie in Italy.

The annual Christmas Fair stalls on Corso Vanucci were bursting with locally made cheeses, wines, Italian cashmere scarfs, and dark chocolate Perugina Baci. Rosie’s husband, poet and musician Giuseppe, entertained us with a moving original organ recital, as their snowy Maltese, Molly, wagged along with her tail. We ate very well, laughed heartily,and toasted the deep family ties that have bound us tightly together in love since childhood. May you and yours experience the same joy this holiday season!

Michael Schmicker

Richard the Lion-Hearted

Richard Blow would have loved Disney’s “Lion King.”

Our Society’s database includes camels (1); giraffes (1); bulls (1); cats (4); horses (7); snakes (2); lemurs (1); salamanders (1); goats (1); sheep (1); elephants (3); snails (1); owls (2); and roosters (3). But a pride of lions rules Richard’s Montici bestiary.

Here for your enjoyment are seven, Panthera Leo artworks (mosaics, paintings, sketches) that we’ve logged to date in Richard Blow’s artistic zoo.

MSID “Olivia’s Lion” is the largest, and arguably the most artistically sophisticated Montici lion mosaic in our society database. Measuring 15 x 22 inches, it was personally gifted to our mother Rayanna by Richard Blow in 1969. It is signed on the back “Richard Blow, Montici, ’68.” It came directly from Richard’s private collection, and has never been up for auction. It incorporates elements of De Chirico’s metaphysical style, with its brooding, night lighting, and broken pieces of marble temple pillars. The intricate, detailed stone workmanship and complex shading employed on the head and eyes of “Olivia’s Lion” mosaic is notable, compared to other lion mosaics found in our database. See the “Authentication and Valuation” tab on the Home Page for additional commentary.

***“JEFF GREENBERG’s LION” (oil painting)***

In October 2019, long-time Montici mosaic collector Jeff Greenberg (see Michael’s Blog “Collector Profiles #1: Jeff Greenberg,” 9/14/21) put up for sale on EBay a Blow painting he originally bought at the Menegatti workshop in Florence, Italy that could be the original “cartoon” (from the Italian word meaning a large sheet of paper) design for the “Olivia’s Lion” mosaic. The MSID “Jeff Greenberg Lion” oil on canvas painting is 15 x 27 inches, slightly larger than the finished mosaic, which meant the mosaic maker had a life-size illustration to work from as he and Richard planned the mosaic. The painting is an extremely close match to the Olivia mosaic in terms of composition, colors, and elements. According to Greenberg, the painting was executed about 1962, six years before the “Olivia’s Lion” mosaic was created.

MSID “Coliseum Lion #2” mosaic is later (1972), and smaller (6.25 x 9.25 inches) than “Olivia’s Lion.” It appeared on EBay on Nov. 26, 2022, with an asking price of $6,500. It sold within 24 hours. It appears to have been signed on the verso “R. Blow Montici ’72.” While the color palette is similar, the lion’s facing position is reversed; the pillar fragments are greatly multiplied; and the workmanship/colors employed on the face are more limited. Of note, the photo supplied by the seller shows a strange blurry effect on some of the intarsia pieces. At first glance, it suggests a photo glitch, or perhaps damage to the stone. But the blurred sections end in sharp borders, which suggests otherwise. Could it have been an intentional artistic decision? If so, it’s the first and only Montici mosaic we’ve seen with this feature. the cleverly hidden Montici logo in the right bottom corner.

MSID “Coliseum Lion #2 Sketch” appeared in the Wright catalogue “From Medici to Montici” accompanying the historic, October 2019 blockbuster Adam Edelsberg auction of 87 Montici mosaics. A half-million dollars’ worth of Blow artwork sold in single hour, setting record prices for all categories. To our understanding, the sketch came from the archives of Bruno Lastrucci, maestro of the Montici workshop and Richard’s close friend.

The sketch appears to be an extremely close match to “Coliseum Lion #2”, in terms of the placement and number of Coliseum arches (4 X 4); and pillar fragments (3 pairs of two). The sketch artist (presumably Richard Blow) had originally penciled in 7 pillar fragments, not 6, but subsequently deleted the seventh with a red “X.” Lions in both the sketch and subsequent mosaic face left.

***“LION AND PYRAMID BY CALDERANI” (mosaic)***

MSID “Lion and Pyramid by Calderani” features a face that’s monochromatic and almost featureless, though the mane around the neck is artful. The Coliseum featured in the previous four Blow lion artworks here is replaced by an Egyptian pyramid; but the De Chirico, moody, black night sky is retained. This Calderani Montici mosaic was offered as Lot #161 in the 2019 Wright/Edelsberg auction. It had an estimated price of $3,000-$5,000 but ended up selling for $9,375 – the highest price fetched to date for a Montici lion mosaic. Incised on the verso is “Made in Italy 18, Calderani” (The “18” does not refer to the year made; possibly it refers to the 18th signed piece Calderani created for Montici (see “Authentication and Valuation” tab on Home Page). According to the Wright catalogue, it was produced “c. 1960,” which would make it the earliest Montici lion mosaic in our Society database. At 4.75 x 9.75 inches, it’s close in size to “Coliseum Lion #2”

MSID “Myer’s Lion” is artistically different from all other Montici lions in our database. It lacks sophistication in its stone selection and workmanship. If it didn’t include the Montici logo, you might even question its authenticity. Because it is unsigned and undated, we have no clue as to who created the design, or during which period in Richard Blow’s active Montici career (1946-1973). Is it a clue to a new artistic direction Richard was pursuing? -- a low-cost design that could be executed quickly to meet a surge in demand? A spontaneous exercise in playful experimentation? All we know is that it includes the official Montici logo – and bidders liked it. Myers Fine Arts in Florida brought it to market in February 2019, along with 8 other Montici mosaics. Measuring 3.8 x 7.5 inches, it sported an estimated price of $1,000-$2000. It garnered 15 bids, and sold over estimate for a hammer price of $2,200.

We came across this image, MSID “Mystery Lion #1,” during a Google internet search that brought us to an Australian library site called Trove. The image is low-res, and we can’t spot a Montici logo, but we believe this image (drawing? mosaic?) might be a product of Richard Blow or his Montici studio. It includes multiple elements found in Richard Blow’s lion artworks – Coliseum, pillar fragments, lion with curved tail, downturned mouth, square legs/feet, etc. Like “Olivia’s Lion,” this lion features pupils you can see. Hopefully, someday a Montici lion mosaic matching this image will pop up at auction.

Michael Schmicker

The Mystery Art on Sebastian's Wall

The more he looked, the more Sebastian M. wondered.

Where did the many paintings and artworks in his mom’s home come from? She lived in a sleepy, suburban town sixty miles north of New York City, not exactly a hotbed for art collecting.

They included three stone wall mosaics with an intriguing “M’ logo; an odd oil painting signed with a simple letter “B”; two botanical watercolors filled with butterflies, and an antique marble desk obelisk. How on earth did the family end up with these curiosities, he asked his mother one day.

The surprising answer turned out to be a World War II friendship forged between Sebastian’s grandfather and a Chicago millionaire artist turned Navy pilot named Richard Blow.

The two men had met as naval officers during the war, and stayed in touch after V-J Day. According to family lore, Richard would stay with them at times when traveling in the area from the late 1940s into to late 1970s. During those visits, Richard stored artworks at the house, which he sometimes gifted to the family. Sebastian’s mom distinctly remembered getting in trouble for playing in Richard’s studio with her sister as children.

Intrigued and eager to learn more about his grandfather’s good friend, Sebastian started googling, found the Montici Society website, and fired off an email to me. Was I interested in seeing what they had?

More than interested, I quickly replied. A single new Blow artwork was a cause for celebration; eight was extraordinary. Could Sebastian send me photos?

I reminded Sebastian that the Society doesn’t offer authentication or valuation services. But I could compare his artworks with any similar pieces in our database, and provide some hopefully helpful commentary.

He sent the photos, and I set to work.

Ready to take a look at Sebastian’s wonderfully eclectic collection of Blow/Montici artworks?

Andiamo!

This piece could be special. It’s unsigned but seems to match the obelisk that appears in a photo of Richard sitting at his desk in Montici in the 1950s.

The shape, format, and sequence of geometric elements appear to be the same (unfortunately we can’t compare the colors since the 1950s photo is black and white). The obelisk also comes from a family with both a known, personal connection to the artist (war buddies), and a geographic connection (Richard owned a home/workshop near Sebastian’s family home). How did it end up with them? One possible scenario: when Richard retired, sold his Italian villa and workshop in 1973, and returned to the States, he brought the obelisk back with him. It subsequently passed to his friends, Sebastian’s family. The obelisk itself has a noticeable crack that has been repaired, which would likely affect its value if sold, but if it really is the Blow desk ornament, its sentimental value is still very high.

Richard loved obelisks, and incorporated them into the landscape of his Villa Piazza Calda. Above is a photo of two villa guests (date unknown) standing next to two magnificent garden obelisks.

The wild card? Maybe it’s not Richard’s desk obelisk, but simply one of multiple Montici obelisks produced and sold over the years. Egyptian-themed marbel obelisks were popular desk objects during the Victorian and post-Victorian era in both England and the USA. They often sported old-fashioned, mercury weather thermometers.

This early 1950s Montici advertising photo confirms that Richard’s workshop produced, advertised, and sold obelisks.

In the end, we’ll never know if Sebastian’s obelisk is from Richard’s desk, but based on the obelisk’s design, provenance, and the Montici workshop’s history of selling obelisks, we feel confident that, at minimum, it’s a Montici work. This make it the first and only obelisk to date to be officially logged into the Society’s database.

This is the first of three Montici mosaic photos Sebastian sent us. All three mosaics feature the Montici logo, making them genuine. This one becomes the 8th variant of this popular design logged into our Society database to date. Richard started producing this iconic Montici design as early as 1952, based on an exhibition photograph we came across in the files of the Opificio in Florence. The smallest artwork of this design in our database measures a mere 2 x 3.25 inches; the largest is 10.5 x 7.75 inches. Richard experimented with a full palette of stone colors — crimson red, lapis blue, lemon yellow, wispy aurora green, bright orange; he even executed one employing nothing but alabaster white for the geometric shapes (with black onyx shadows).

This pretty piece is a variant of the familiar “Pyramids, Ball, Block” design – it lacks a block, and doubles the normal number of pyramids, making it first of its kind in our database. It’s unclear whether the black mark on the ball is by design or an accident/error.

This delightful work becomes the first Cancer Crab astrology mosaic logged into our database, joining two Capricorns, three Sagittarius, and one Pisces. Stylistically it’s close to “Capricorn #3. Both use an oval shape background to represent the heavens, and a blue stone with gold veins to suggest the starry night sky. It is the first Montici in our database to feature a round inventory sticker.

According to Sebastian, Richard gave to the family some artworks that were “supposedly practice paintings.” This painting, a winter scene showing bare trees and snow on the ground, appears to be a genuine Blow work, as seen by the stylized letter “B” in the lower right corner. This was one of two known painting signature styles used by Richard. The painting is also very similar in style to the Blow painting used as a model for the “Cat and Water pump” mosaic (see Michael’s Blog 9/14/21, “Collector’s Profile #1 Jeff Greenberg”). That Blow painting is shown in the 2019 Wright/Edelsberg catalogue, along with a painting of a ring-tailed lemur executed in the same style. Last but not least, the odd, brown, background/sky color scheme, is also found in at least two other verified Blow paintings --portraits he executed of Montici workshop maestro Bruno Lastrucci’s father Guido, and grandfather Giovan Battista. In short, the evidence strongly suggests that Sebastian’s painting was done by Richard Blow. For cataloging purposes, we’ve given this painting the MSID title “Bare Trees.”

This artwork apparently lacks a signature. Is it a Blow work? Who knows? But it’s interesting nonetheless. To me, it looks like a mother and child strolling along the waterfront in a European town at sunset. What suggests a possible connection to Richard is the theme; the reddish-brown color scheme found in three known Blow paintings; and the fact the painting was found among the larger trove of Richard Blow art owned by Sebastian’s family,.

Paintings #3 and #4

Neither of these two works have a signature, so we’ll never know if they are Blow watercolors. But like Painting #2, you can make an argument. First, we know Richard Blow painted watercolors as well as oils. Second, both butterflies and Nature were big themes in Richard’s art. As we mention in his “Illustrated Biography” on the Home webpage, “Richard’s interest in art blossomed early, stimulated by watching his mother, who had studied art in Paris before her marriage. It was her habit to roam the estate, sketching from nature, and Richard recalls following her around making his own drawings. It is certain that his interest in nature, animals, birds, and insects began early also, for he kept many odd pets and began collections of butterflies.” Lastly, it was found among the larger Montici art collection.

And there you have it.

All in all, a quite remarkable collection of art for Montici Society members to enjoy.

A big mahalo (Hawaiian for “thank you”) to Sebastian for sharing his fascinating finds!

Michael Schmicker

Drunken Butterfly

“Cin Cin!”

A toast to our latest Montici mosaic find, and what a delight it is.

I was surfing the Net today and came across on First Dibs a previously sold Montici not currently found in our Society database.

Richard Blow was an urbane raconteur and wine connoisseur, as befits a millionaire’s son raised in Great Gatsby wealth. Here he combines his love of wine with an ubiquitous Montici icon – the butterfly. It’s vintage Richard. The poor Lepidoptera is rapidly sinking into a Bacchanalian sea of vino rosso, an imaginative drowning that could only have sprung from the mind of an artist who famously appreciated both. It is personally signed by Richard, and was executed in 1960, at the height of Italy’s celebrated, sybaritic, post WWII “La Dolce Vita” era. The artwork is now officially logged into our Society database as MSID ‘The Drunken Butterfly.”

Grazie, Richard, for this cheerful, artistic surprise.

Michael Schmicker

PS: Apologies for the distortion in the image. I couldn’t download it cleanly. Click below to see it clearly.

Drunken Butterfly

The Bejewed Montici

The Wolfsonian-FIU Art Museum in Miami, Florida recently contacted us, requesting additional information on seven Montici mosaics they’re using in an upcoming 2024 exhibition of jewelry.

A photo sent to us of one of the seven artworks made us smile.

We’ve given it the MSID “Surreal Face #2 (FIU)”

It won’t be the first time this particular Richard Blow Mid Century Modern artwork has brightened a jewelry exhibit.

In 2019, we came across this striking photo on Webstagram.

Notice any similarities to the Wolfsonian-FIU work?

The Webstagram and the Wolfsonian-FIU mosaics are the same artwork. (the slight color and contrast shifts are most likely an artifact of different lighting/jpeg copying). Everything matches.

In a delightful bit of Jungian synchronicity, the Wolfsonian’s bright idea of using this Montici mosaic as part of a jewelry exhibit was accomplished years before by an unknown someone. The Montici mosaic beneath the gemstones and diamond rings is a classic Blow surreal masterpiece. The person art directing the mystery photo shoot obviously understood the wonderful artistic synergy sparked by pairing the two. The Instagram post included no additional information. We have no idea when, where or by whom the artwork ended up bejeweled, nor does the Wolfsonian evidently.

If there is a surreal face #2 in our database, is there a surreal face #1?

Yes, there is.

MSID “Surreal Face #1 JFS” is the first surreal face variant logged into our Montici Society database. Richard Blow personally gifted it to our Society president on a visit to our house in Connecticut near the end of his art career. It’s also unique – the only signed and dated surreal face variant in our database (“Richard A. Blow Montici ‘70”). The composition is the same, but the stone selections and color palette are different, most notably the deep green onyx agate (?) face and muted gray/white background.

The Society owns a photograph of Richard Blow and his short-sleeved Italian maestro, Bruno Lastrucci, together in his Montici studio circa 1970.

If you look closely, the young Lastrucci is standing over a just completed surreal face mosaic. To his right on the table is what looks like the drawing used for the mosaic.

Here’s a close up of the face mosaic, rotated to view it from our perspective. Many of the same compositional elements are there: triangles, teardrop, angular face, pointed nose, half circle. But it also features what looks like a large eye in the face, something not found in the two variants we currently have.

The seven Wilsonian-FIU Montici mosaics included five which were already logged in our database, plus two we had never seen before. Besides the new “Surreal Face #2 (FIU),” the collection included a never-before-seen, ninth variation of Blow’s very popular “Nine Fruits” composition.

When the Wolfsonian-FIU jewelry exhibit date is finally announced, we’ll let you know. If you’re in the Miami area, you might want to stop by and view the Montici mosaics.

The Museum is located in the Art Deco district of Miami Beach.

Michael Schmicker

No Logo, No Montici?

For us, yes.

The Society does not offer authentication services to the public. We do however have our own internal process of authentication. It leads us to decide – for the Society’s purposes -- whether to consider a mosaic a verified Montici or not.

For us, authentication requires a logo (see Authentication and Valuation” link on Home Page) We continue to cover all offered, claimed Montici artworks in our Market Report, but will flag any missing a logo.

Our position is based on Matila Simon’s official biography of Richard Blow (see “Academic Biography” on the Home Page), In it, she describes the process Richard used to create his mosaics. “All of the pictures were worked over long and lovingly, subjected to the artist’s final approval…When completed and accepted, each piece was marked with a tiny M stone inset as a Montici signature, and signed on the back by Blow himself.”

She was wrong about the signature; most of the mosaics in our database are unsigned. But she was right about the logo. Per our database, of the 350 Montici- claimed mosaics offered at auction over the last 23 years, 341 included a logo (97%).

Our position is that a buyer should expect to find a logo.

Could a mosaic be genuine without a logo? Yes. But absent one, the seller should cite a reason.

Example: Blow issued a limited number of mosaic pieces with no logo between the start of his mosaic career circa 1947 and the creation of the first Montici logo in 1951. The seller has reason to believe that his piece was executed before 1951.

Another example : the mosaic has one or more distinguishing features strongly suggesting it’s genuine. The seller believes they’re enough to allow him to claim it’s a Montici.

In May 2023, the reputable auction house Leslie Hindman offered up “Two Cats #2.” We couldn’t spot a logo (and none was claimed), but an accompanying photo of the back showed what appears to be a genuine Richard Blow signature, together with a Montici inventory tag. Perhaps because of those elements, the missing logo didn’t seem to bother the winning bidder. It sold for $8,820 (including the 30% buyer’s premium). Perhaps the buyer also did his homework: Wright sold in Jan. 2017 a logoed Montici very similar in style, which is logged in our Society database as “Two Cats #1.”).

Three weeks later, the reputable auction house Wright offered up another claimed Richard Blow mosaic (“Richard Blow, Untitled”).

It features a prancing white horse behind three arches. Reading the very short seller description, and examining the three accompanying photos, we found no Montici logo; the back of the mosaic was covered up (typically this is viewable to potential buyers); no provenance comments, no original hanging hardware. Wright is a leader in selling Montici pieces; they put together the historic 2019 blockbuster Adam Edelsberg auction. We’re sure they have their reasons for calling this piece a genuine Richard Blow artwork. But no explanation is offered.

Instead, curious bidders are invited to ask a question. We emailed them to seek more information, asking them to confirm the lack of a logo, and requesting them to provide a photo of the back of the mosaic without the covering. They kindly sent us five photos of the back, confirming that it showed no signature, date, inventory tags or other markings. Our logo question was left unanswered.

So how did the auction house determine the work is a genuine Montici?

Meanwhile, we had our own reasons to suspect it might be genuine.

· Blow produced multiple horse-themed mosaics. We have five in our database, including a signed Calderani. In Bruno Lastrucci’s privately published biography, he includes a photo of Montici maestro Fernando Nenci (who ran the workshop in the early 1950s?). On the wall is either a horse sketch or mosaic. Richard liked horse mosaics.

· One of the first Blow horse mosaics appeared in 1950, before the first use of the Montici logo. It appears as part of the traveling exhibit “Italy at Work: Her Renaissance in Design Today” (click Illustrated Biography” link on the Home Page). Perhaps “Richard Blow, Untitled” was produced before Richard started using the Montici logo?

· In our database, we have two other Blow mosaics featuring very similar rearing horses and arches. They’re shown in the 2018 Opificio publication “Il Novecento per il Museo dell’Opificio delle Pietre Dure” (page 29). They’re dated circa 1950-1955).

*Richard Blow. “Cavalli e Cavalieri” 1950-55 ca (Foto collezione Mauro Bini).*

Bottom line? Despite missing a logo, signature, date, stickers, or original hanging hardware, it’s still possible the Wright “horse and arches” mosaic is a genuine Blow artwork.

Or not.

Interestingly enough, we have a third “horse and arches” mosaic n our database. David Mayer Antiques on West 25th Street in NYC brought it to auction.

It features several key elements found in “Wright’s “Richard Blow, Untitled” – a horse and marbled arches arranged in a similar composition It does have some dissimilar features – it’s a daylight scene, not nighttime; the horse is walking, not rearing up on its hind legs it shows four arches, not three. But it’s similar enough overall to make someone wonder if it’s a Montici. But like the Wright piece, it too lacks a logo, signature, stickers, or typical Montici hanging hardware In this case, the galley played it safe and declared it “Attributed to Richard Blow.” (Doing so can negatively affect the price. A work merely “Attributed to Richard Blow” should sell for much less than a work “by Richard Blow”).

Ironically, we believe an eBay seller set the standard for explaining an absent logo.

MSID “Acrobat,” a 1956 mosaic signed by Calderani, appeared on eBay on Sept 18, 2020, asking price $2,500. It’s missing the Montici logo, but the knowledgeable seller provided potential buyers a very detailed, reasonable, credible list of reasons for why the piece is genuine:

“…This Richard Blow pietre dure plaque is missing the iconic ‘M’ cipher, which apparently became dislodged and lost sometime during its previous ownership. I acquired the work in its current condition. The hole for the missing Murano glass cipher ‘M’ is there, and is three millimeters in diameter, which is consistent with the diameter of the cipher signature possessed by all other known Montici works, large or small. The frame is clearly an original Montici. The design is definitively in Blow’s style, with the characteristic subtle touches of his vision, such as the bowl held for the acrobat’s reflective gaze, the charismatic selection of stone, and the intricacy of the overall composition. On the reverse is the signature ‘X – 1956 Calderani’. This form of dating & signature (of the shop and/or craftsman that implemented the design) appears on the verso of perhaps a dozen Monticis I’ve observed, virtually always from the 1950’s, and usually with either Calderani’s or Fracassini’s name. A majority of them date from the period following Richard Blow’s auto accident in the US in 1954, the severe injuries from which kept him from returning to his atelier in Italy until 1957. I have included photos of the versos of two other Monticis that also possess this dating & signing – these are the last two of the seven photos, and are not representations of the work for sale, which itself is shown in the first five photos. This work measures 10.25 x 9.875 inches framed, and 6.25 x 5.875 by sight. The frame condition is good, with normal wear commensurate with its age. The plaque has an apparent repair to the left lower corner, which may be related to the missing cipher, and a few scratches.”

In the end, the Society believes that:

1. A buyer should expect to find a logo on any Mosaic claiming to be an authentic Montici.

2. Absent a logo, the seller should cite a reason; ideally in the description itself.

Montici mosaic prices are rising steeply.

If you’re paying $9,000-$10,000 for a claimed Montici mosaic with no logo, we suggest you at least make the seller explain its absence.

Happy collecting!

Michael Schmicker

Hindman Auction 5/24/23 - Results and Commentary

In the last month, 11 different Montici mosaics have come up for auction – six from Myers Fine Art in Florida, and five from Leslie Hindman in Chicago. In the space of just one month in 2023, we’ve logged more works put up for bid than in all of 2022 (eight Montici works).

Why the surge in availability? I’ll venture a guess. The World Wide Web.

Anyone who owns a Montici work, is remotely curious, and has an internet connection, has probably stumbled on us. We launched the Montici Society website back in January 2021. Then, you had to scroll down a dozen pages before we appeared. Today, If you google the term “montici,” our site tops the search results. Same thing if you search “montici mosaics.” If you search “Richard Blow” the first result that pops is his great-nephew, an author who wrote a controversial bestseller biography of John F. Kennedy Jr. But the Montici Society still makes the main page, right on his heels (7th result). We’re closing in on 12,000 page views. Visitors to our site with a Montici for potential sale can follow the market. If they’re looking to sell, they know it’s a great time to do so

On the flip side, the Society has helped educate a new generation of collectors eager to own and open to spending.

Richard’s artworks continue to blow way past estimates.

The just completed May 24, 2023 Hindman auction (see Market Report) was an eye-opener for me. The five Montici mosaics snatched up are fun pieces, but in my humble opinion not exceptional. Two years ago, they would have sold in the $1,000- $3,000 (hammer) range. The estimates set by Hindman seem to have reflected hat thinking. Maybe it’s time for us to re-calibrate expectations

Every one of the 5 Hindmsn pieces exceeded the high estimate – three wildly:

· MSID “Two Cats #2” estimate: $1,000-$1,500; price including 30% buyer’s premium: $8,820

· MSID “Ram” estimate: $1,500-$2,500; price including 30% buyer’s premium: $10,710

· MSID “Snail” estimate: $2,000-$3,000; price including 30% buyer’s premium: $9,450

· MSID “Owl” estimate: $2,000-$4,000; price including 30% buyer’s premium: $8,190

· MSID “Cockfight” estimate: $2,000-$4,000; price including 30% buyer’s premium: $6,300

The average sales price per mosaic was $8,700.

Besides educating buyers and sellers, the Web has boosted Montici sales in a third, key way: Online bidding now allows anyone anywhere on the globe access to the auction floor. The Society itself has visitors from 39 states and 31 foreign countries following the market online and able to bid remotely. During this auction, Hindman had 54 potential collectors linked in via LiveAuctioneers, tracking and/or bidding. The bidding was spirited: The battle for “Two Cats” ran 28 consecutive bids. It took the winner 27 rounds to secure the “Ram.

If you want a Montici these days, be prepared to compete.

Michael Schmicker

FOOTNOTE: We couldn’t find a Montici logo in the photos supplied by the seller of the “Two Cats #2” mosaic. We include this mosaic for information purposes only. For more commentary on “Two Cats #2,” see Michael’s Blog, 6/1/23 “No Logo, No Montici?”

Myers Auction 4/30/23: Results and Commentary

The current hot market for Montici mosaics shows no signs of cooling off.

That’s my main takeaway from the recently completed Myers Fine Art auction held in St. Petersburg, Florida. (see “Market Report” for full details).

The auction included six pieces representing four different Montici mosaic genres -- Abstract Geometrics, Buildings and Arches, Moon/Celestial, and Occult. All sold very well. Bidding was conducted both online and floor; it was spirited and sustained (including 39 bids for one of the works); and five of the six pieces fetched record prices for their genre.

Prices continue to climb.

The average price of a Montici mosaic in 2021 was $5,000; in 2022 it rose to $7,800 (See Michael’s Blog, 1/16/23, “2022 Montici Art Sales Recap.”). In the first four months of 2023, some 9 pieces came to market, fetching $86,900, resulting in an average price of $9,700.

Meanwhile, the six Myers pieces just sold fetched $63,900, giving them an average price of $10,650.

I was a bit surprised by the prices paid for the “Rock Sampler” mosaics. These colorful, artistically uncomplicated, easy-to-produce works have typically been quite affordable. As recently as 2018, a bidder landed rock sampler MSID “Geometric Pink” for just $500. The previous record price for a Rock Sampler was $3,250. It’s notable that both Myers rock sampler mosaics topped that record, with “Rock Sampler #5” skyrocketing to $8,500 (includes 22% buyer’s premium).

I also greatly underestimated the final price bidders would pay for MSID “Inverted Pyramids, Ball and Crescent #4.” It’s a very beautiful piece, but appeared to have some notable blemishes, flagged by the seller in a close-up photo. I thought its condition would dampen the price. It’s didn’t. I guess when you love a piece, you love it, warts and all.

I loved MSID “Dog and Arches” and guesstimated a price of $10,000 hammer. It fetched $14,000. I can understand it. Richard’s “Surreal Arches” mosaics are among the best examples of his revolutionary artistic impact on the ancient Medici-era Florentine art of pietra dura. Each piece is a dramatic reminder that Richard radically expanded the stale iconography of traditional Italian pietra dura. Any serious collector familiar with the history of Montici mosaics would love to have one.

I’m delighted Montici prices are rising. Richard Blow’s art deserves to be appreciated and celebrated.

I just hope that his art always remains affordable to the average collector.

Down the Rabbit Hole

It sits on a wall for years. A pretty work, but artist unknown.

Curiosity finally kicks in, and the chase is on.

That’s how it happened for Naomi R, who emailed me April 3rd with a photo and a fun story:

“I recently came across your website after identifying a Richard Blow pietra dura work in Charles’ parents’ apartment. It was quite the challenge with the ‘M’ being the only marking, but we were so thrilled to learn more about the artist who created this piece we’ve both admired. We loved that it’s been on the wall of Charles’ childhood apartment in Chicago for years. We assume his father bought in the ‘60s or so. We’ve always admired it and neither one of us had ever seen anything quite like it (but his mother didn’t know anything about it). So I went down the internet rabbit hole. ..”

A big mahalo to Naomi (aka “Alice”) for dropping down that rabbit hole and returning from Wonderland with this fascinating addition to our Society database. The work features what seems to be two eyes staring out of an inverted black pyramid — a little touch of the surreal worthy of Naomi’s adventure.

She concludes her email: “Here’s one more for your amazing online library, in case you haven’t already got it. ”

In fact, we do have two other variants in our database. The first, MSID “Crescent Eye Pyramids #1” appeared in October 2019 as Lot #107 of the historic Wright/Edelsberg auction. It sold for $4060. (unsigned, 7.5 x 10.5 inches). Like Naomi’s mosaic, it also features a two-eyed pyramid. The Wright-Edelsberg auction catalogue itself includes a photo of a black and white sketch of what could be the original “cartoon” used as the model for the mosaics in this series. The second variant in our database, “Crescent Eye Pyramids #2,” showed up on Chairish in June 2020 with an asking price of $4800 (unsigned, 8 x 13 inches, final sales price unknown). But this Chairish mosaic only features a single “eye.”

In Naomi’s honor, we are giving her newly discovered mosaic the Montici Society ID (MSID) “Naomi’s Crescent Eye Pyramids #3”

Michael Schmicker

2022 SOCIETY REPORT TO MEMBERS

Saluto a tutti!

Here’s our capsule annual “Society Report to Members,” recapping a busy 2022.

WEBSITE

The Society launched its public website in January 2021, In its inaugural year, we hosted over 2,700 visitors from 35 U.S. states, and 23 foreign countries.

In 2022, visits to the website ticked up to 2,800, we added 4 new states (pushing the total to 39), and our global reach expanded to 31 foreign countries. Our cumulative 2021-2022 page view total now surpasses 11,000 views. When we first launched this website, we honestly expected a few hundred visitors. We’re still a bit in awe at the response.

In 2022, the U.S. kept its spot as the country most frequently clicking onto the website. But Italy moved ahead of Canada to take second place; the United Kingdom bumped France into 6th place; and Switzerland moved up to 5th place. Notable new country surprises included visitors from Yemen, Seychelles, and Madagascar. How on earth did people in those countries discover Montici mosaics? I’ll bet there’s some interesting human stories behind that.

Richard Blow exported and sold most of his Florentine mosaic artworks to the United States, but Italians also collected his works. We were pleased to host site visitors from 18 different Italian cities in 2022, led by Firenze, Turin, and Napoli. (Rome fell to 7th place).

*Ponte Vecchio Bridge, Firenze, Italia.*

Within the U.S, the click brigade was led by Montici appassionati from Texas, Virginia, New York, Ohio, Utah, California, and Florida, in that order.

CATALOGUED ARTWORKS

In 2022, we added 9 new pieces to our database of catalogued Richard Blow art. It now stands at 345 artworks.

NOTABLE CORRESPONDENCE

*Brooklyn Bridge, New York City. Photo credit: LiteraryYard.com*

In May, 2022, George R. Blow, the great-nephew of Richard Blow, contacted us, kindly sharing family stories on his famous artist uncle. “I remember one funny story my late father told me about Uncle Dick. He apparently had the audacity to fly his propeller plane underneath the Brooklyn Bridge (or one of the bridges connecting Manhattan to the other boroughs). Also, Dad says he invited him to fly in this plane, but it caught fire as they were starting it up:) I vaguely remember meeting the aging artist once when I was a very young boy at our home in NW D.C. Also met his son David when I was a little older. George PS I'm going to copy my siblings on this email since they will enjoy the website ,and perhaps have some stories of their own they can share. Nice to know his work is being appreciated. I think he was very good at what he did, and liked his paintings as well.”

In addition, George R Blow’s sister, Mary Prevost, shared some of her recollections of Richard Blow and Richard’s two late sons, David and Richard Marco. “… My Uncle Dick frequently visited our home on Kalorama Road where George, Wendel and I grew up. I am the oldest so perhaps I have a few more memories…. Uncle Dick's nickname was Kokomo Joe. You may already be aware of this. …Uncle Dick was a larger than life man. He was unique and complex. As you are aware he had two sons- Mark and David. David was very close to my parents and our family at one time spending a number of weeks with us while recovering from a bout of depression. He was the son of Marya Mannes as I am sure you are aware. We stayed as a family in her home one summer during the Watergate hearings! David was kind and gentle. Towards the later years of his life, he was content and happy. David and Mark grew up mostly apart from each other. The story goes that Mark's Italian mother (a princess as the story went) was shot and killed by her lover and footman.” (Editor’s note: See the “Illustrated Biography” of Richard Blow on the website Home Page for details). “Uncle Dick was not an attentive father to either child as they grew up and at one time saw my father on a cruise ship and promptly gave him David to care for while he continued his travels. Mark distanced himself from the Blow family and we never met him nor had any contact from him. At one point my father was contacted by the consulate in Uruguay and notified that Mark had died. (Editor’s note: Mark had moved to South America sometime after college). They were not able to find any other family- Italian nor American- and my father- having not seen Mark since he was a young child- paid for Mark's proper and respectful burial in Uruguay. I never had the chance to visit my Uncle Dick in Manhattan but my father did. I was a bit entranced with my Uncle Dick and I have always loved his work and hearing about his unique life. I wish I had had more time with him. Thank you for your efforts- David would be SO pleased. As you know David put together a small book of his father's work.”

Thomas Gardner, a cousin of Richard Blow through his mother, added a few additional thoughts about Richard’s son David: “Sorry to hear about David, knew he had moved to Kentucky and lost touch sometime after that. I think having two high powered parents, the divorce and no siblings except the estranged half-brother, wounded him for life. He was always painfully shy.” (Editor’s note: see Michael’s Blog, 11/11/20 “David Jeremy Blow R.I.P.” )

2022 MONTICI ART SALES RECAP

You had to open your purse or wallet to play Montici collector in 2022.

For the second straight year, sales prices climbed steeply, often doubling, tripling, or even quadrupling estimated prices.

What’s going on?

My guess? We saw more bidders chasing fewer available pieces. The Society’s membership continues to grow, along with members’ knowledge of the history, diversity, and value of individual Montici mosaics. With knowledge comes greater interest and appreciation, leading to more active collecting.

I can’t wait to see what happens in 2023!

2022 Highlights:

Only 9 Montici artworks came to market in 2022, compared to 14 in 2021.
But the average price per Montici artwork sold soared to $7,800, up 56% compared to the previous record of $5,000 set in 2021 ( a word of caution on “average” price: 9 artworks is small sample size. Once we get 4-5 years of data, we will have a better idea of the price trend).
The total dollar volume of Montici artwork sold was $62,285.
A record sales price of $19,200 was paid for a transportation mosaic (MSID “Steamboat and Fishes”) – almost eight times its estimated sales price of $2000-$3000 The next highest price paid for a mosaic in this category was $4,000 for MSID “Steam Engine #3” back in 2014.
A record sales price of $11,600 was achieved for an animal mosaic (MSID “Two-Headed Elephant”). This was quadruple its estimated price of $2500-$3500.
Paintings: 2022 saw the first Richard Blow painting in 3 years to come up for auction. MSID “Water Pump and Farm Double Oil Painting” sold for $1,625, triple its estimated sales price of $400-$600. Over the last 20 years, we’ve recorded only 5 Blow paintings (oil or watercolor) put up for auction.
Furniture: The only Montici table brough to market in 2022 was MSID “Tiger Table #2” (LiveAuctioneers via Wright). Bidders passed on the lot. It had an estimated price of $10,000-$15,000.

Framing a Tiny Gem

Richard Blow created some exquisite small mosaics.

Richard’s son David gifted this little 2-inch by 4-inch Montici geometric (MSID “Pyramids, Ball, Block #7”) to our family friend, attorney/art collector Arthur Anderson, in 1983. Arthur had traveled to Florence at David's request to help settle Richard's estate.

Tiny mosaics can disappear on a wall unless handled creatively. In this case, an oversized walnut frame, with an inset, gilt border, picks up the colors of the left pyramid and the ball, pulling the whole piece together. The large frame catches your eye on a wall, and directs your attention into the artwork. We don’t know whether Richard or his workshop maestro Bruno Lastrucci came up with this frame design, but it’s an inspired solution to the challenge of spotlighting a small mosaic.

Our Society database includes seven, different variations of Richard’s popular “Pyramids, Ball and Block.” They tend to be affordable, falling mainly in the $1,000-$3,000 range. Richard started producing this iconic Montici design as early as 1952, based on an exhibition photograph we came across in the files of the Opificio in Florence. The smallest artwork of this design in our database measures a mere 2 x 3.25 inches; the largest is 10.5 x 7.75 inches. Richard experimented with a full palette of stone colors — crimson red, lapis blue, lemon yellow, wispy aurora green, bright orange; he even executed one employing nothing but alabaster white for the geometric shapes (with black onyx shadows). This work is currently for sale on our “Market Report” page.

Mahalo (Hawaiian for “thanks”) to Art Anderson for sending John this photo. One work closer to our goal of identifying all 1,500 Montici works Richard is estimated to have produced in his prolific career.

P.S. Arthur is best known for his decades-long, passionate collecting of artworks produced by the historic Woodstock Art Colony in upstate New York. Long before the iconic, Vietnam War-era, 1969 Woodstock rock concert, Woodstock was home to what is considered America’s first year-round arts colony, founded in 1902 and still thriving over 100 years later. Arthur recently donated his entire collection — some 1,500 objects by almost 200 artists — to the New York State Museum.

Check it out here: Woodstock Art Colony exhibit

Buon Natale 2022!

From all of us here at the Montici Society — John, Rosemary and myself — best wishes for a Happy Holiday to you and yours! See you next year!

Montici Catalogue Raisonne Reaches 336 Artworks

Our research continues.

Between Jan. 2021 and July 2022, the Montici Society added 19 previously uncatalogued Montici mosaics to its master database.

Our continuously updated amateur catalogue raisonne now includes photos and information on 336 Richard Blow artworks -- 320 mosaics, plus 16 paintings.

The 320 mosaics are less than a quarter of his estimated 1,500 pietra dura pieces, but collectively provide striking proof of his artistic talent and rich imagination. Our mosaics database currently includes:

· 15 TABLES (dining and coffee)

· 9 DESK OBJECTS (cigarette boxes, paperweights)

· 296 WALL MOSAICS

Those 296 wall mosaics feature a wide variety of artistic themes:

· 17 SURREAL

· 39 ABSTRACT GEOMETRICS

· 28 HANDS

· 30 BUTTERFLIES

· 18 CLASSICAL/MYTHOLOGICAL

· 17 BUILDINGS & ARCHES

· 24 PEOPLE

· 13 LANDSCAPES

· 28 SEALIFE

· 23 ANIMALS & BIRDS

· 29 STILL LIFE (fruits, vases and bottles, flowers)

· 12 VEHICLES (trains, boats, balloons)

· 11 OBJECTS (guns, weighing scales)

· 7 OTHER (celestial/astronomy, symbols)

Michael Schmicker

A Montici by Picasso?

Did Picasso ever design a Montici mosaic?

How about famous French painter and sculptor Georges Braque, or the celebrated Spanish painter Joan Miro?

It’s possible.

I recently came across a Time magazine article profiling Richard Blow and his mosaics entitled “Pictures in Stone.” The holiday season story, covering Richard’s latest Manhattan exhibit, landed on newsstands across America on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 1951.

Towards the end of the piece, the writer noted “With his current exhibit almost sold out, Blow has already commissioned designs from Italian painters Giorgio De Chirico and Massimo Campigli, and is hoping to interest Picasso, Braque, and Miro.”

Wow!

Richard’s pursuit of Picasso and other giants of modern art makes sense.

Blow was determined to free the once cutting-edge, 16th century, Medici craft of pietra dura from the boredom of the stagnant iconography it had fallen into by the early 20th century -- stale reproductions of classical artworks, and corny, sentimental scenes of happy peasants hawked to tourists. He set out to commission mosaics featuring, modern art iconography -- surrealism, metaphysical, abstract, Pop.

Early on, Richard commissioned mosaic designs from his good friend, Italian artist Massimo Campigli (1895-1971), whose human figures were strongly influenced by both Picasso and by French painter Fernand Leger (Leger foreshadowed Pop Art).

***Campigli-style Montici mosaic “Two Figures,” 1968, artist gift to Oregon State University.***

He also commissioned mosaic designs from the Metaphysical artist Giorgio De Chirico (1888-1978), described by Christie’s as “a Surrealist before Surrealism even existed.’

***Giorgio De Chirico “Piazza d’Italia” painting, 1948***

***Giorgio De Chirico style Montici mosaic, “Classical Arcade and Sculpture”*** (MSID)

So, Richard’s idea to recruit Picasso, Braque, and Miro was both logical and smart.

Especially since all three artists also created mosaics.

True, their mosaic works were typically larger, not measured-in-inches, Montici-sized wall art. Their mosaics were also executed in the more traditional, Roman, “tesserae” style, featuring small squares of common clay or glass, instead of the hard, semi-precious stones cut in jigsaw shapes in the Florentine pietra dura mosaic style. But they understood and worked in the mosaic medium, and Richard could offer them the opportunity to see their creativity executed in a more elegant style of mosaic.

***Pablo Picasso, “Star Face” glass mosaic, 1957, Aalborg Modern Art Museum, Denmark.***

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), living on the Cote d’Azur in South France in the 1950s, was creating mosaic panels in collaboration with mosaicist Hjalmar Boyesen, who executed Picasso’s designs.

**Georges Braque, “Les Poissons”, 1963**

French painter and sculptor Georges Braque (1882-1963) - created this delightful fish mosaic, embedded in the reflecting pool at the Fondation Maeght museum, Saint Paul de Vence, France.

**Juan Miro, "Mosaic del Pla de l'Os" 1976.**

Meanwhile, Spanish painter/sculptor and ceramicist Joan Miro (1893-1983), born in Barcelona, was creating monumental, public art mosaics, like this 26-foot-in-diameter, colorful work embedded in a street in his home town.

So, did Richard succeed?

Did any of the three, internationally celebrated artists ever design a Montici mosaic?

If they did, today those Montici works would be worth a fortune.

Unfortunately, I can’t identify any reasonable suspects in our Society database. Combing through our catalogue of 350 Montici works, nothing jumps out as a Picasso. Braque, or Miro design.

But my eyes are now officially open. I’m actively looking.

Richard produced an estimated 1,500 Montici artworks.

A Montici Picasso – or Braque or Miro – remains a possibility.

Michael Schmicker

Driving Me Crazy

What IS it?

I’ve wrestled with this for over a year now (see Michael’s Blog 01.29.21).

I still don’t have a clue.

I’m talking about the mystery object in the bottom left corner of the “Cat Boot” (MSID) mosaic above.

What the devil IS it?

“Cat Boot” is an iconic Montici mosaic, the crown jewel in our family’s personal collection. Richard Blow gave it to my mother in 1969. He may have told her what it was but, if so, none of us recall her ever mentioning it to us. So it’s both delighted and puzzled us for over a half-century. It’s a rare, early, signed, 1959 Fracassini. It’s also the second largest Montici mosaic in our Society database, measuring 18 x 14 inches. Add in the mystery symbol, and it’s truly unique.

Three of the objects in the mosaic are immediately recognizable – a fish, a cat of some sort (leopard?), and a snake.

A fourth object might be a woman’s Victorian-era, button-up boot.?

Richard Blow was born in 1904, just three years after the British monarch died. Victorian-era clothes and furniture undoubtedly graced his childhood so the boot showing up in a Montici is no surprise.

The fifth object is the frustrating mystery that gives the piece its additional cachet.

I started out thinking it might be the top half of a human figure, with arms raised, but eventually moved on to occult symbols, or a letter from some arcane alphabet.

Pursuing this theory, I’ve spent a dozen evenings digging through symbol dictionaries. I’ve looked for a match against horoscope signs; gender symbols; Western and Eastern religious symbols; mathematics symbols; Egyptian hieroglyphics; Nordic runes; Chinese and Japanese ideograms; the Phoenician alphabet; and wicca signs.

I only found two potential matches.

The first is the Viking rune for “Protection” (above). It has the basic shape, but I’ve never come across information suggesting Richard Blow had any interest in Norse mythology. I don’t find it convincing.

The second potential match is the Greek letter “Psi”

The Greek letter “Psi” (above) is used to spell the Greek word “psyche” which translates as “soul” or “consciousness.” The English words “psychology” and “psychic” are derived from this Greek word.

Could our Montici mystery symbol be the Greek letter “psi”?

This makes some sense.

Richard was an artist -- artists by nature exhibit and value intuition, inspiration.

Richard created a number of metaphysical and occult-themed mosaics.

So I can imagine a scenario where he tipped his hat to the artistic psyche by slipping in a “Psi” symbol.

After wracking my brain for two years, that’s the best I can come up with.

My sister Rosemary in Italy offers up one wild card for our consideration.

She recently visited the Southern Italian city of Matera. It’s one of the oldest human settlements in the world. People have been living there since the Paleolithic era..On the walls of a building dating to the 1700s, she came across an unusual stone decoration.

If you turn it upiade down, It is very close to Richard Blow’s mystery symbol.

Here’s a possible scenario: Richard lived in Italy for over two decades. He had the money, the time, and the artistic motivation to travel all around Itl;ay seeking inspiration for his Italian mosaics. He would have been drawn to Matera ‘s ancient history and culture. He roams the city, and stumbles across the same ancient building — and enigmatic carving — my sister chanced upon. He decides to add it to one of his Montici mosaics.

Certainly possible.

If so, we’re still left with a mystery. What IS it? A human half-figure?

The investigation continues….

POST SCRIPT 6/15/22

Rosemary just sent me another possible model for the enigmatic symbol. She found an Italian video featuring ancient Etruscan oil lamps from Volterra. One lamp in the video does indeed resemble the mysterious symbol on the Cat Boot mosaic. Rosemary has confirmed through her research that Richard Blow indeed visited the Etruscan tombs at least once while living in Italy We are trying to secure a photo of the lamp to include in this blog

POST SCRIPT 7/3/22

Hold everything. My sister Rosemary has found what we both believe finally solves the riddle of the mysterious object.

What IS it?

it’s a “fascinus” --an ubiquitous, good luck charm worn in ancient Rome to protect the wearer from the Evil Eye.

The famous amulet, worn around the neck, features a stylized phallus (fascinus), and a hand giving a rude gesture (mano fica). You can view examples of this superstitious pendant in many Italian history museums (as well as the Met in NYC).

From Michelangelo to Picasso, artists all through history played with erotic themes. We believe this was Richard Blow’s sophisticated, clever way to add a dash of Italian risqué to his mosaic art. The average American Montici buyer would miss the joke, but a cosmopolitan collector would smile in appreciation and snap it up.

Richard was no prude; he had a good sense of humor. Incorporating a fascinus amulet in his art wouldn’t be out of character for him. Blow lived in Italy most of his life; he was immersed in its history, customs, and folklore. Rude Latin hand gestures pop up in other Montici mosaics.

Take for instance the Nenci-signed Montici mosaic “Corno #1”. Anyone with a knowledge of Italian culture will immediately get this humorous, popular symbol for a cuckhold husband with an adulterous wife. A white moon hangs in the sky suggesting a night-time tryst.

Besides the close visual match, and Richard’s history of featuring hand gestures, Rosemary points to other clues in the artwork that suggest a superstitious amulet. According to symbology books, every one of the five elements in the overall composition has a potential occult interpretation. The cat is associated with witches and bad luck; the snake/serpent is associated with Satan in the biblical book of Genesis. Balanced against this duo of danger and negativity, the fish is considered holy, by ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, pagan Romans, and by Christians as an acrostic symbol for Jesus Christ himself. And that high-topped female boot? In Freudian symbolism the shoe is the symbol of the vagina while the foot symbolizes the penis. So we’re back to where we started -- the phallic “Roman amulet.

If we’re right, the” Cat Boot” Montici mosaic is ultimately an exceedingly clever assemblage of occult symbols, created by Richard in a humorous wink to the naughty side of human nature.

Un lavoro ben fatto!

Michael Schmicker

The Empty Night Piazza

Found a new Montici today, and it’s a beauty.

While googling Montici images, I came across this uncatalogued, wonderfully moody Blow mosaic (above) sold on EBay on Aug. 22, 2021. I love the stone selection, the color palette, and the dark, De Chirico vibe.

This artwork, which we’re giving the MSID title “Empty Night Piazza,” becomes the fourth, night piazza-themed Montici work in our Society database.

Richard saved the best for last.

It’s signed and dated “Richard A. Blow, Montici-72,” just a year before he permanently shuttered his Montici workshop, sold his beloved Villa Piazza Calda, and retired to New York.

Compare “Empty Night Piazza” to this (above) night piazza work, “Five Buildings #1,” executed in 1957. It’s one of three, very close variants in our database. The trio feature the same, heavy, dark sky, the signature leaning tower, the arches, and center-prominent church found in 1972’s “Empty Night Piazza.” But all three mosaics are flat, 2-dimensional works. And none include the deep shadows and black, rain-darkened, piazza floor that gives “Empty Dark Plazza”its darker, De Chirico punch.

Richard was fascinated by the work of Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978).

Richard knew him personally, collected his ar, and commissioned designs from de Chirico. A Time magazie article entitled “Pictures in Stone,” dated Dec. 31, 1951, confirmes this .close working arrangement. It’s possible that “Empty Night Piazza” is an original, commissioned de Chirico design.

Italian public squares were a dominant theme in De Chirico’s metaphysical art (above). The Blow piazza mosaics and De Chirico piazza paintings share multiple elements, including arches, deep shadows, dark skies, and the Scuola Metafisica “sense of dislocation in time and space.” De Chirico had a significant influence on the later Surrealist art movement, including Salvador Dalí, and René Magritte.

The Richard Blow surrealist mosaic that most closely matches a De Chirico is probably this Montici piece (above). We’ve titled it “Classical Arcade and Sculpture..” Rago Arts auctioned it off on Sept. 29, 2018 for $5,625.

Compare it to this De Chirico painting, done in 1948 when Giorgio was working in Rome, and Richard making mosaics in Florence. Note the similar crooked elbow, reclining figure statue; the deep black shadows; the sunlit floor; the arches; the strong red elements. The Venice Biennale prominently featured De Chirico’s work that year, and it’s possible Richard attended. He had the interest, money and time.

Whatever the case, thanks to De Chirico’s influence, Richard injected an invigorating, surrealist shot of adrenaline into Florence’s stagnant post-war, pietra dura industry.

Here’s a toast to Giorgio!

Michael Schmicker.

2021 MONTICI ART SALES RECAP

Montici lovers, rejoice.

Last year brought some superb artworks, along with rising valuations. But Richard Blow’s unique Montici mosaics still remain affordable to the average collector..

Highlights:

The number of Montici artworks brought to market was up 27%, from 11 in 2020 to 14 in 2021.
The average price per Montici mosaic jumped 28%, from $3900 in 2020 to $5000 in 2021.
The total dollar volume of Montici artwork sold increased 63%, from $43,000 in 2020 to $70,000 in 2021.
A record sales price of $8,125 was achieved for a Montici butterfly.
Our database has grown to 336 artworks now catalogued.

Full 2021 Sales Recap Report?

For additional 2021 sales analysis and commentary, visit the “Members Only” Page.

Double Take

Imagine you discovered this mosaic (above) at an estate sale or antiques shop.

It sure looks like a Montici.

If you know anything about Richard Blow’s art, you immediately spot the similar selection, arrangement and colors of fruit. Your mind goes back to the half-dozen verified Montici fruit arrangement mosaics catalogued in the Society database.

For instance, this verified Montici: “Nine Fruits #6”

If you’re really on your game, you may hesitate for a second at the knife in the watermelon. Richard’s seven known fruit arrangements all feature a watermelon –yes -- but none feature a knife.

Hmm…

On the other hand, multiple Montici mosaics feature a stand-alone watermelon with a knife.

Like this verified Montici: “Nenci Watermelon #1”

So it could be a Montici.

But you can’t find a Montici logo on your mystery mosaic.

Uh-Oh.

Looks, like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck — but it’s not a duck.

So who made it?

You flip it over and find the answer: It’s an Ugolini.

Florence’s famous G. Ugolini pietra dura workshop, founded in 1868, predated Richard Blow’s Montici workshop by almost a century. When Richard first started creating his mosaics in the late 1940s, he didn’t have his own workshop. Instead, he gave commissions to execute his art to the existing, established Florentine pietra dura workshops of Giuseppe Fiaschi, Renzo Fracassini, Leopoldo Menegatti -- and Emilio Ugolini, son of Giovanni Ugolini, founder of the celebrated G. Ugolini workshop. On the back of both Montici and Ugoloni artworks, you’ll find similarly incised signatures, stickers, and the ubiquitous “Made in Italy..” Richard borrowed from the industry, and he and Emilio shared ideas for mosaics.

Which suggests a fun question— who first conceived this particular, captivating, colorful, still-life arrangement?

Thematically, fruits and flowers are classic Florentine pietra dura; but the fruits float in empty space, not in a bowl, which may suggest a modern, Richard twist.

Any evidence the Ugolini design chronologically predated the Montici design? According to the seller on First Dibs, the Ugolini fruit arrangement was executed in the period 1960-1969; but some Montici fruit arrangements are similarly dated.

So who copied whom?

We’ll never know.

What we do know is that Richard managed to capture the American market, creating a dominant brand. Based on my tracking of pietra dura auction sales in the U.S., a Montici mosaic will always command a significantly higher price than an Ugolini, all things being equal (size, theme, publicity, etc.)

Bottom line?

If you have the money; or are investing for resale; or gravitate towards a more modern iconography, the magic is with Montici.

Bruno Lastrucci (1943-2021)

*He made the world a more beautiful place.*

A giant of the Florentine mosaic art world is gone.

We just learned that Bruno Lastrucci, master mosaicist and former director of Richard Blow’s Montici workshop, died in Florence, Italy. on Dec. 22, 2021.

The humble but enormously talented artisan was the last major living link to the history of Richard Blow’s celebrated, post-World War II resurrection of the noble, 16th-century Medici-era, mosaic art of pietra dura.

Richard and Bruno were more than work colleagues, more than merely friends; they were bound together by an uncommon level of mutual respect, trust and affection.

Richard created those iconoclastic images, but it was Bruno Lastrucci who turned them into art.

Bruno’s deep knowledge of stone, patient skill in cutting, and unflagging friendship anchored the American Richard in this ancient Italian art, supporting Richard’s artistic explorations and experiments for three decades. Bruno was still in grade school when he began his Montici studio apprenticeship. Over the years he rose to become a maestro of the craft, master of the atelier, and -- upon Richard’s death – default historian of the whole amazing adventure.

Richard returned the affection. He painted portraits of Bruno’s father and grandfather; brought Bruno’s family into the Villa Piazza Calda to live with him; asked his advice on stones and frames used in his mosaics; encouraged and supported Bruno when he launched his own business after Richard began winding down Montici; and when the ailing Richard finally closed his workshop in 1973, he willed the villa farmhouse to Bruno and his family.

For almost 40 years, they shared the same artistic passion, together creating unique works of art appreciated around the globe today.

Please join me, my sister Rosemary, and brother John, in extending to Bruno’s son Iacopo and his family our sincere condolences on his father’s passing.

He made the world a more beautiful place.

Michael Schmicker