LONDON.- An exquisite private collection of antique paintings, sculpture and furniture owned by one of Europe’s most accomplished former fashion editors will be offered at Christie’s on 1 July 2013. La Rosa di Montevecchia: An Italian Villa will comprise over 200 lots reflecting the collector’s passion for the natural world. An experienced editor of luxury fashion magazines including Harper’s Bazaar Italy, Vogue Italy and Vogue France, she had an eye for design and a talent for mixing different periods and styles. The eclectic nature of the antiques collection, with items ranging from £500 to £25,000, will offer inspiration to interior designers as well as private collectors. The sale is estimated to realise a total in the region of £360,000.

Between the bustling city of Milan and the rolling countryside around Lake Como, the majestic 18th Century villa is set within a spectacular garden, brimming with over 300 species of rare, near-extinct roses. The allure of nature stretches beyond the carefully tended grounds of the villa to the rooms, which have been filled with antique paintings, sculpture and ceramics representing wildlife and flowers. For many years a tranquil haven for an elegant businesswoman, the villa witnessed a more turbulent past. It was once owned by an English noblewoman who was heavily involved in the ‘Risorgimento’, the unification struggle of the 1860s. She sided with Italian partisans, against the Austrian Empire who controlled much of the northeastern areas of modern Italy, helping to bring about the unification of the Italian states.

The sale includes a selection of items that demonstrate the collector’s affinity with wildlife and flowers. Among the highlights are two 18th Century carved wood lambs, estimated to fetch £1,000 to £1,500 and a pair of 19th Century carved wood lions, estimated between £1,000 and £1,500. The natural world is further represented by a striking oil painting of Orpheus charming the animals by a follower of Jacob Bouttats, estimated between £5,000 and £8,000 and a pair of late 17th to early 18th Century paintings by Angelo Maria Crivelli of Turkeys in a landscape and Storks in a landscape, estimated between £6,000 and £8,000 for the pair.

In addition to antique sculpture and paintings, the sale also includes a strong selection of highly decorated Maiolica ceramics depicting flora and fauna. A Castelli Maiolica charger and basin and Maiolica basin showing idyllic landscapes are estimated to fetch £800 to £1,200 and a group of jugs representing a lion, a hound and a female equestrian figure are estimated at £800 to £1,200. Other more unusual items include a French birdcage from the late 19th to early 20th Century (estimate: £700-1,000), which would make a striking focal point for any room, bringing nature indoors.

The sale not only focuses on items relating to the natural world, but also features a wide selection of superb religious paintings and portraits, as well as exquisitely carved furniture. Another unusual lot is a group of 20 engraved Italian maps, estimated between £800 and £1,200.