From 22 to 24 September 2026, the auction “Gerolamo Etro - A Love Affair: creativity through the memory of objects” brought together the expertise of seven departments at Il Ponte, concluding with a total turnover of over €950,000 and an average revaluation of 117%.
The results confirm the market’s appreciation for collections that move beyond traditional canons, embracing the decorative, the unusual, the sophisticated and the almost eccentric.
Portraiture, one of the defining themes of the collection, achieved some of the auction’s strongest results. Leading the selection were John Wells’s “Portrait of Edulji Dinshaw”, dated 1938 (€38,400); “Portrait of James Stuart in a Red Uniform”, by the 20th-century English School (€28,160); and “Portrait of Dennis Cohen with White Gloves and Cane”, painted in 1910 by London-born artist Glyn Warren Philpot (€23,040).
Lot 97
John Wells (Active in England during the first half of XX century)
"Portrait of Edulji Dinshaw" 1938 oil on canvas (190 x 100 cm) signed and dated in the center on the spine of the book
Sold € 38,400
Lot 221
English School, 19th century, after Thomas Lawrence
"Portrait of James Stuart in Red Uniform" oil on canvas (120 x 100 cm)
Sold € 28,160
Lot 75
Glyn Warren Philpot (London 1884 - 1937)
"Portrait of Dennis Cohen Wearing White Gloves and Holding a Cane" 1910 oil on canvas (120 x 80 cm) signed and dated lower left
Sold € 23,040
The other highlights of the paintings section were equally notable, led by Janis Rozentals’s captivating “In the Artist’s Studio” (€44,800), which achieved the highest price of the sale. Two Anglo-Saxon artists followed: William Henry Margetson, whose “Picnic", dated 1921, realised €19,840, and John Dwight Bridge, whose “Lady Golfer”, dated 1936, achieved €19,200. Among the Italian artists, notable results included Lionello Balestrieri’s “Beethoven” (€25,600) and Alfredo Savini’s “The Nymph” (€14,080).
Lot 27
Janis Rozentals (Saldus 1866 - 1916)
"In the Painter's Studio" 1885 oil on canvas (57 x 40 cm) signed and dated lower right
Sold € 44,800
Lot 104
William Henry Margetson (Camberwell 1861 - Wallingford 1940)
"Picnic" 1921, oil on cavas (cm 110x90), signed and dated lower right
Sold € 19,840
Lot 28
John Dwight Bridge (St. Louis 1893 - Palm Beach 1974)
"Lady Golfer" 1936, oil on canvas (100 × 80 cm), signed and dated lower right
Sold € 19,200
Lot 501
Lionello Balestrieri (Cetona 1872 - Siena 1958)
"Beethoven", 1950, Oil on canvas (40 x 80 cm), Signed, dedicated, and dated lower right
Sold € 25,600
Lot 92
Alfredo Savini (Bologna 1868 - Verona 1924)
"The Nymph", oil on canvas (150 x 90 cm), signed lower right
Sold € 14,080
The furniture and decorative arts also attracted strong interest, reflecting the collector’s own creative sensibility. Highlights included the striking 1950s two-seater “bag” armchair with a sculptural double-seat frame (€21,760), a French Art Deco centre screen embodying the spirit of the Roaring Twenties (€20,480), and a large London silver cup dated 1838 (€19,200).
Lot 172
'Handbag' two-seat armchair with shaped double-seat frame, central dividing back incorporating a chromed metal frame modelled as a clasp fastening, and large rigid leather-covered handle. Circa 1950
Sold € 21,760
Lot 13
Art Deco five-fold centre screen decorated with Greek-key and sunburst geometric motifs. France, circa 1925. Lacquered and gilt wood. Inscribed 'JEAN DUNAND' lower right (165 x 130 cm)
Sold € 20,480
Lot 110
Large silver cup with fern-cast stem, body with geometric reserves including a Maori village scene, full-figure handles representing Justice and Industry, foliate borders and circular base inscribed 'Smith Nicholson & Co., Duke Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London'. London, 1838 (7200 g; h. 55 cm)
Sold € 19,200
Particularly noteworthy was the interest in the Historica section, where portraiture once again stood out with “Ivan Alexeevich Tiurin’s Portrait” of Alfred Fedorovich Grot (€7,680), alongside a gala-dress cuirassier helmet adorned with the insignia of Vittorio Emanuele, King of Italy (€7,680).
Lot 62
Ivan Alexeevich Tiurin (1824 - 1904)
"Portrait of Alfred Fedorovich Grot" 1880 oil on canvas (130 x 105 cm) signed and dated lower right
Sold € 7,680
Lot 292
Cuirassier’s helmet in full dress uniform. Crest adorned with a crowned eagle and insignia of Vittorio Emanuele, King of Italy; gilded metal comb in the form of a dragon’s head with black mane (29 × 30 cm)
Sold € 7,680