SCALA REGIA #8
SPREADS AND
LIST OF CONTENTS
1.
A WHIM FOR WONDER
PERAMBULATING IN
THE FOOTSTEPS OF
WILLIAM BECKFORD
William Beckford, a towering figure. Dubbed by Byron as ‘England’s wealthiest son’, he was simultaneously epitome and rara avis of his time. Venturing countries and careers, Beckford was a man who indulged in all excesses bringing dreams into reality and infusing a sense of reality into his dreams. His whims, of one nature or another, were performed always in bold, brave and brilliant fashion. Wonderful!
Words by Tiago Lorga
2.
A ROMAN SOJOURN
AN ARCHITECTURAL SURVEY
“All roads lead to Rome.” The proverbial saying was true in the past, when the city convened the hordes of the whole empire, and is true today with visitors from the whole world succumbing to the city’s irresistible call. So did fine art photographer Dale Goffigon who, on a personal mission of portraying the baroque interiors of Rome, spent there some weeks in 2020 immediately before global lockdown. Such Roman perambulations, captured by Dale both in pictures and words in the pages that follow, provided her, she states, with the images and experiences that would enliven her work and imagination for a great while.
Words and photography by Dale Goffigon
3.
THE WORLD
KEEPS TURNING
ELEVEN TURNED IVORIES
BY MANFREDO SETTALA
Working in Paris alongside her father and uncle, Laura Kugel represents the sixth generation of a family of art dealers originating in early 19th-century Russia. Galerie Kugel offers a uniquely wide range of specialities, one of its focus being Kunstkammer works of arts. The exhibitions organised by the gallery always focus on specific themes and often feature collections of artworks sharing the same origins, makers, or provenances. Among the many treasures of the 16th and 17th centuries that they present, turned ivories stand out to contemporary audiences for their sharp geometric shapes and sophisticated structures. The little-known history behind these pieces is much deeper than one might think.
Words by Laura Kugel and
photography by Guillaume Benoit
4.
PAST DREAMS REBUILT
THE HISTORY OF SCHLOSS
BRUCHSAL IN GERMANY
Like the palace itself, the past dreams of souls long gone have been rebuilt. The palace structure rebuilt after its bombing in WWII, and the past dreams of its builders rebuilt here on these pages through the words of Andreas Froncala. Amusingly, a third past dream is told here, through the remembrance of past experiences from the writer’s childhood lived nearby Schloss Bruchsal. Furthermore, the palace is an architectural gem hidden in the countryside of Germany, one that should ideally not be missed.
Words by Andreas Froncala and
photography by Manfred Schneider
Discover more photography here
5.
BOOKS OF HOURS
AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART
Books of Hours, magnificent manuscripts with numerous miniatures and ornamental decoration painted in bright colours and burnished gold, are Christian personal prayer books dating from the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Prized by their owners not only as inspiring mediums for worship but also as valuable art objects, these became fashionable especially amongst women, whose aesthetic perceptiveness, compassion and contemplative nature made them especially cognisant of beautiful and imaginative devotional books. For the creation of this article, our team is thankful for the contribution of Dr. Ina Nettekoven, specialist at Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books, an establishment based in Stalden and Basel, Switzerland, that provides scholarly services, expert advice and deals in the acquisition and sale of manuscripts, miniatures and rare early printed books from these periods.
Words by Ina Nettekoven and
special thanks to Dr. Jörn Günther, Rare Books
6.
TWO OF A KIND
THE COVER STORY
WITH CHANEL
A boy and a girl. Dressed and undressed. A baroque palace and a modern studio. Brothership, fellowship or a love affair? Open to interpretation... And imagination. Duality and resemblance explored with two models and two locations. The usual team has reunited for the creation of the new issue’s cover with the Fall collection of Chanel.
Photography by Maria Rita and
art direction by Diogo Mayo and Pierre Roffe
7.
VIEWS OF INTERIORS
THE ARTWORK OF
DIEGO DE MORA
Depictions of actual interiors, usually in watercolours or gouache, flourished as a minor genre during the middle decades of the nineteenth century. Some were the work of professional painters with grand clients such as Queen Victoria or the Russian Czars, others were painted by amateurs. Photography led to the demise of this short-lived phenomenon, but in the 1930s and 1940s Neo-Romanticism sparked a revival, albeit on a much reduced scale. Diego de Mora is a proud follower of that tradition and his exquisite work, infused with romance and reminiscent of times past, stands out even more remarkable in our time and day.
Interview by the team
8.
BETWEEN FAKE OR FACT
THE RUBENS HOUSE
IN ANTWERP
Installed in a discreet street in Antwerp, is the patrician and apparently demure House of Rubens. What the outsider’s eyes don’t know is that facing inwards, overlooking an elegant garden, the house reserves exuberant facades that are a triumph of the Flemish-Italian Renaissance style. But not everything is as it seems as the old was born from the new and the past was recreated.
Words by Barbara Stoeltie and
photography by René Stoeltie
9.
THE EARTH ITSELF
A DISCOVERY
THE PAINTINGS OF
WILHELM BENDZ AND
CHRISTEN KØBKE
A fascination felt by the quiet and unassuming allure of works of art pertaining to the artistic movement named Danish Golden Age, which occurred during the first half of the 19th Century, encouraged the creation of an article round a few of such paintings. This would offer also no better context for an art criticism piece, that so suitably fits these pages, resulting in a bit of history and a bit of philosophy round paintings that, as in the writer’s own words, present “a sense of mystery, kept in check by a poetic sense of restraint and genuine humility”.
Words by Jordan Anderson
10.
RENAISSANCE REVERIE
THE JEWEL PORTRAITS
OF THE BAVARIAN
KLEINODIENBUCH
Omnipresent in the portraiture of the period, jewellery of the Renaissance is rare and rather less present in the art collections and museums of our day. Intricate, sumptuous and bold, these pieces bear testimony of the luxuries of the past and of the skill and sophistication of the artisans who engendered them. Long known under the imprecise name of “Jewel Book of the Duchess Anna of Bavaria”, and depicting seventy-one pieces of jewellery in minute detail, a small book exists that is a veritable catalogue raisonné of styles, techniques, materials and thematics of jewellery from the sixteenth century. A feast to the eye, the delicate tome is also a key document for the study of the arts of the Renaissance.
Words by Hugo Miguel Crespo and
special thanks to the Bavarian State Library
11.
SLEEPING BEAUTY
A NEW DAWN AT
HÔTEL DE LA MARINE
Long-time friends of the magazine, Joseph Achkar and Michel Charrière, whose residence, Hôtel de Gesvres, has graced two past issues, have kindly helped us produce an article about their latest feat: the eighteenth-century apartments of the administrative officials of the historical Garde-Meuble de la Couronne recently restored at Hôtel de la Marine in Paris. The article took shape over a couple of phone calls, and some of which have inspired the following words. The article would also be unimaginable without Francis Hammond, whose photographs have captured the magical, mysterious and welcoming atmosphere of the rooms at dawn and early morning light, and which are satisfyingly suggestive of the metaphorical new dawn that has occurred at Hôtel de la Marine.
Words by the team and
photography by Francis Hammond
SCALA REGIA, 2021
