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