With over six thousand objects coming largely from Europe and Asia, Villa San Luca, in Ospedaletti (province of Imperia) - the splendid villa-museum set up by antique dealers and collectors Luigi Anton and Nera Laura donated to the FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano in 2001 - it is one of Italy's most important private collections dedicated to the decorative arts. This catalogue presents a selection of the most representative pieces of the vast and diverse collection of silver produced in various European nations from the 17th to the first third of the 19th century: from the old Germanic States to those of the Italian peninsula, from France to England, the objects described in these pages testify to the great skill of master silversmiths in forging the precious metal while following the artistic trends of the moment, as well as proposing a 'nearly complete' compendium of the main types of tableware and household utensils in use on the tables of the upper classes over three centuries of European history.
