LONDON, ENGLAND.- A distinguished private collection of Italian Renaissance furniture and works of art will be offered for sale at Sotheby’s New Bond Street this autumn. The collection was housed until recently at Ca’del Sole, a magnificent villa on the island of Capri and will be sold alongside the Haute Époque sale on Thursday, October 28, 2004.

Capri has long attracted those in search of beauty and respite - the list of those associated with the island is extensive and diverse, from the Roman Emperor Tiberius in the 4th century to Maxim Gorky, Lenin and the Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, who spent years as an exile there in the 1950s. The island has also long been a haven for connoisseurs to house their artworks and there is a strong tradition of fine collections, with modern collectors such as Axel Munthe, Curzio Malaparte and Countess Mona Bismarck among the Capri’s recent residents. More than 15 years after the landmark Sotheby’s sale of the Countess Bismarck’s art collections, the sale of this distinguished collection, assembled over the years on the same island, will generate considerable interest among international collectors.

One of the jewels of the collection is a beautifully preserved Florentine credenza - embellished with various orders of carvings - epitomizing the linear beauty of the best Quattrocento and Cinquecento Tuscan furniture. It features decorative mouldings and beautifully panelled doors with lion mask handles. The credenza was once in the collection of Elia Volpi (1858-1938) - one of the greatest collectors and dealers of medieval and renaissance art at the beginning of the 20th century. It is estimated to fetch £70,000-100,000.

Not surprisingly, an aquatic theme runs through the collection, for example a fine pair of 16th century walnut cassoni are carved with mermaids and detailed terrestrial scenes (estimate: £20,000-30,000). Equally as striking, is a giltwood marriage cassoni, painted in the style of Lodewijk Toeput (1550-1605) - a well-known Flemish maker who worked in Italy and combined Flemish and Venetian styles to great effect. The pair dates from the 16th century and is estimated at £25,000-40,000.

The grandness and stillness afforded to the interiors of Ca’del Sole was complemented by bronze faldistori, metal candlesticks, carrara marble coat-of-arms and the bronze mortars and bells of the collection. The elegant formality of the rooms contrasts sharply with the more simple way of life normally associated with the island. However, the beauty of these artworks, as with the taste of the collectors, dovetails completely with the natural beauty and exclusive community of those who have chosen to settle in Capri.

A fine Italian carved walnut credenza dating from the 16th century is estimated to fetch £25,000-40,000 and a highly decorative carved walnut and parcel-gilt door in the manner of Sansovino is estimated at £20,000-40,000.

A beautiful marble inlaid altar front incorporates flowers and feather motifs into its design and is now mounted on baluster supports (estimate: £12,000-18,000). Majestic, yet romantic, is a stunning Italian walnut and parcel-gilt four poster bed dating from the 17th century (estimate: £6,000-10,000) and a 16th century Tuscan carved wardrobe with attractive egg-and-dart and dentil moulding is estimated at £8,000-12,000.

One of only a few examples of high backed Italian lettucios to have survived, will be offered in the sale. The piece is carved and inlaid with four Corninthian pilasters and features winged masks on the arms. Dating from the 15th century, it is estimated at £15,000-25,000.

Among several striking bronzes in the sale is an important bronze oil lamp in the form of a sphinx, mounted on a marble base. The three-foot hybrid sphinx is shown with puffed out cheeks and pursed lips blowing out an imagined flame arising from a receptacle protruding from its chest. It is estimated to fetch £50,000-70,000.