Homage to Heritage
December 2007
"I have been surrounded by antiques since I was born," says Francesca Bortolotto Possati, whose father and grandfather were passionate art lovers and avid collectors. This Venetian businesswoman and her two children live in a 17th-century palazzo overlooking the Grand Canal, filled with family treasures, books and the art and antiques she has added to the collection over the years. "One of the first paintings I purchased was a huge contemporary piece by Randy Carboni, an Italian artist who had his vernissage in a gallery in SoHo," says this former New York art consultant. "It was in the 1980s. I loved it the moment I saw it and still treasure it."Possati’s collecting aesthetic was instilled early by her surroundings. Her grandfather Arnaldo Bennati, a shipping tycoon from Genoa, moved to Venice to get married and acquired the Bauer Hotel in the 1930s. Possati grew up on the Grand Canal in the Palazzo Mocenigo, Bennati’s stately 16th-century residence, which is still furnished with family heirlooms, including her ornate crib, which was made by the venerable 18th-century Venetian furniture maker Andrea Brustolon.
Possati, a savvy entrepreneur who combines connoisseurship with business acumen, owns four luxury hotels in Venice: The Bauer Hotel, The Bauer Il Palazzo, The Bauer Casanova and the just-opened Bauer Palladio Hotel & Spa. She also oversees the management of her family’s wine estate, Colmello di Grotta in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, north of Venice.
Recently, she restored the Palazzo Mocenigo, which was built by the family of the same name. The painted frescoes, ornate ceilings and carved woodwork were created by the finest craftsmen of the time. She now leases the space to visitors interested in experiencing an elegant Venetian lifestyle with added touches such as a butler and chef supplied by the Bauer Hotel.
But collecting art is her first and true love. Possati remembers saving pocket money as a teenager to buy a small 19th-century portrait of a Venetian lady. "I was so excited that first night it hung in my room that I didn’t sleep at all," she says. And she delights in the sense of wonder that collecting is instilling in her children, who are in their 20s. Her son collects antique cameras, and her daughter collects posters and vintage reticules (small drawstring handbags).
"I love Flemish paintings and Venetian views, but I like modern and contemporary artists, too," says Possati, referring to her 16th-century floral still life paintings, René Magritte abstracts and several works by Robert Rauschenberg. Her favorite piece is an oversized (63" x 87") painting by Adriaen van Utrecht (1599–1652), which depicts an elegant lady and her maid at a market stall brimming with fruits and vegetables; it dominates La Stanza della Venezia, "The Venetian Room," the salon where Possati often entertains.
Hanging salon-style on the facing wall are 12 paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries depicting some views that can be seen from the window of this room, including Canaletto’s 18th-century painting "Santa Maria della Salute." Atop an 18th-century Venetian walnut console table beneath these paintings, Possati displays a mélange of favorites: a rare Murano hand-blown glass basket, circa 1600; a travertine marble sculpture of a lion, carved in 1750; and a small (16" x 18") Magritte oil painting titled "L’Ombre Monumental."
The focal point of the room is a suite of lacquer benches with open-work backs strewn with hand-painted flowers, which originally came from the 18th-century Palazzo Ca’ Rezzonico, now a museum. These pieces were commissioned specifically for the palazzo and purchased more than 20 years ago at a once-in-a-lifetime sale of some of its treasures.A large yet delicate 17th-century opalescent glass chandelier from Murano adorned with glass flowers and petals presides over the dining room, where a matched pair of 17th-century still life paintings by the Spanish artist Pedro de Camprobín hang over the wood lacquered sideboards. An important, ornately crafted 17th-century silver plateau in the center of the table, which traces its provenance to the Royal Palace in Naples, was purchased by Possati in Rome from the antiques dealer Di Castro.
"Books are almost as important to me as the art and antiques in my home," explains Possati, whose Stanza Rossa ("Red Room"), is home to hundreds of volumes. "In Paris I cannot resist going into an antique bookshop or the bookshop at the Louvre, where I bought so many books they had to be shipped home."
In this room, Possati enjoys her collection amid the other beloved antique pieces she has purchased, such as a pair of gilt Baroque miniature Roman armchairs, ancient bronze figurines, a French 18th-century cartonnière (filing cabinet), topped by an onyx Roman bust, circa 1800, and two circa-1942 Cubist charcoal drawings by André Masson.
Though the collector acquires many of her antiques in Venice (at well-established institutions such as Pietro Scarpa and V. Trois), she also shops in antiques emporiums around the world and attends auctions in Paris, New York and London, where she recently bought a pair of early 18th-century Venetian mirrors that are perfectly suited for the Palazzo Mocenigo. (Refer to the sidebar at right for Possati’s favorite sources.)
Despite the fact that she is often away from Venice, Possati remains a fervent advocate for the city and its irreplaceable treasures. Since 1999 she has served on the board of directors of the Save Venice Foundation, an organization that for the last 30 years has been responsible for the preservation and restoration of endangered buildings, artworks and objects in the city. "Along with privilege, each generation has a responsibility to the future," she says. "I am passionate and optimistic about my beloved city. I hope that the people around the world who love it as I do participate in safeguarding it for generations to come."
Barbara Milo Ohrbach, Art&Antiques’ Editor at Large, is the author of 21 books, including A Passion for Antiques, Antiques at Home and Dreaming of Tuscany.