A rare Italian oval marble inlaid plaque, possibly by Giovanni Battista Cali third quarter 19th century

depicting a view of Rome in the background with the Forum in the foreground with two seated lovers, within a gilt-bronze oval frame cast with egg and dart motif and beading, with a ring handle

Comparative Literature:
Civiltá dell’Ottocento, Le arti figurative, Electa, Napoli, 1997, pp. 180-181, plate 657.

This panel can possibly be attributed to Giovanni Battista Calí in view of the similarities in treatment of the subject-matter, eg the depiction of buildings and the sky, and the choice of marbles, which can be seen on other pieces signed by Calí. See for example Civiltá dell' Ottocento op. cit., p. 180, fig. 6.57,  for a table top signed by Calí, in the Palazzo Reale, Napoli, inv. 176/80. It features the Gulf of Naples and is reproduced here in fig.1.

There are scant tops signed by this maker, some of  which are in the Museum of San Martino, Villa Rosebery (Naples) and one in a Private Neapolitan collection.

The Catanese artist Giovanni Battista Calí, the subject of a study by Linda Martino, is known to have sold mosaics mainly with views of Vesuvius  and Etna. There is very little information on this maker other than that he was Sicilian and active in Naples in the second half of the 19th century and came from a family of sculptors.

Also see, Sotheby’s Rome, 18^th May 2004, lot 240 for a rectangular plaque signed by Carlo Calí, late 19^th century depicting the eruption of Etna in 1886 with Catania in  the foreground, which  depicts buildings in a similar manner to those on this plaque and the choice of stones around the border are also very similar.