Attilio Simonetti (1843–1925) was an Italian painter and

Antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

Biography

He was born and resided mainly in Rome: a son of Francesco, a Roman jeweler and engraver, and Carolina née Raffaeli, from a family of mosaicists. He showed a talent for art at an early age, which brought him to the attention of a family friend, the painter Marià Fortuny. At the age of sixteen, he began his formal studies. In 1868, Simoneti submitted two paintings to an exhibition at the Brera of Milan: ''Interior of Kitchen at Trastevere'' and ''Gate at via dei Carbonari''. At the 1877 Neapolitan Esposizione Nazionale di Belle Arti, he displayed a copy of the paintings "L'araldo" and "Il tamburino", which were purchased by the soon-to-be King, Umberto I. While in Naples, he made friends with and was encouraged by Filippo Palizzi, who invited him to exhibit in Campania. In 1875, he was one of the founders of the (Association of Watercolorists), of which he was an active member until 1883. He also served as executor for the sale of antiquarian objects collected by his old friend, Fortuny, who had died in 1874. This would encourage him to establish his own antiques business. Among his works: ''After the Dance''; exhibited in 1877 in Naples: ''Un araldo''; ''Un tamburo''; ''Ogni speranza è morta''; ''Via Giuseppe Mancinelli in Palazzuolo Castracelo''. He also exhibited at the 1883 Mostra of Fine Arts in Rome: some paintings and watercolors, including ''A governor''; ''Gioia materna''; and ''La filatrice''. He also had a good relationship with Adolphe Goupil of the Goupil Gallery of Paris, famed for his patronage of impressionism. In 1904, he purchased the , which became his studio and headquarters for his business. His clients included

John Pierpont Morgan John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age. As the head of the banking firm that ultimately became kno ...

and William Waldorf Astor, who hired him to design and furnish his "Villa Pompeiana" in Sorrento; inspired by the

House of the Vettii The House of the Vettii is a domus located in the Roman town Pompeii, which was preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The house is named for its owners, two successful freedmen: Aulus Vettius Conviva, an Augustalis, and Aulus Vett ...

Pompeii Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...

. He died in Rome. The Simonetti family continued the antiquarian business.Goffi Carboni Antiquariato
on Via Margutta, Rome.

References

External links

More works by Simonetti
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Simonetti, Attilio 1843 births 1925 deaths 19th-century Italian painters 20th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Neo-Pompeian painters Orientalist painters People from Rome 19th-century Italian male artists 20th-century Italian male artists