pair of 18th century plates Attributed to Enrico Hugford (1695-1771) In scagliola on a slate background, depicting harbour views with architectural elements, in later gilded wood frames, red wax armorial stamps damaged on the reverse Marks (on one): the inscription "salottino vicino al salone N°4", and "(...)ford", a printed label numbered "100". Marks on the reverse (on the other): the inscription "salottino piccolo vicino al salone N°3". Size (unframed): 17.5 x 48.5 cm (6 ¾ x 19 in.) Provenance: Former Azzoni collection, Siena. A pair of 18th century scagliola plaques, attributed to Enrico Hugford (1695-1771) This pair of plates can be attributed to Enrico Hugford (1695-1771), one of the most talented masters in the art of scagliole in the 18th century. Born of English parents who moved to Italy around 1686 and entered the service of the Grand Duke Cosimo III de Medici, Enrico Hugford (1695-1771) and his brother Ignazio (1703-1778) were important figures in mid-eighteenth-century Florence. Enrico entered the Abbey of Vallombrosa as a monk in 1711. Trained in the art of scagliole by the monks of the Abbey of Santa Reparata in Marradi, he returned to Vallombrosa, where his talent was soon appreciated and recognised. Enrico Hugford played a fundamental innovative role in the art of scagliole. Thanks to his refined technique, he achieved extreme precision. He treated a wide range of subjects, including landscapes, sea and river views with architecture and figures (cfr. A.M. Massinelli, Scagliola: l'arte della pietra di luna, Rome, 1997, pp.28-32), flowers, animals, genre scenes, portraits and stories of saints. His elegant views drew on the eighteenth-century Vedutian repertoire to which he had access through the graphic works preserved in the library of the Vallombrosa monastery and among the drawings and paintings collected and marketed by his brother. Indeed, it is well known that his brother Ignazio, a passionate collector, dealer, restorer and eminent figure in eighteenth-century Florence, succeeded in promoting and distributing Enrico's scaglioles, particularly in the Tuscan capital. The spread of his work was also made possible by the visit to the monastery of Vallombrosa of Englishmen and, more generally, of Europeans passing through on their Grand Tour. Immediately after his death in 1771, Hugford's works became sought-after collectors' items: one of his sea views was presented to Pope Clement XIV by Monsignor Cesare Massa Salazzo of Tortona and placed in the Vatican Museums. The Grand Duke of Tuscany, Pietro Leopoldo, also bought four landscapes for the Uffizi Gallery in 1779, through the intermediary of the director at the time, Giuseppe Pelli Bencivenni, from the heirs of his brother Ignazio. An aristocratic Sienese provenance On the back of the panel frames are two fragmentary red wax stamps which, when reconstructed, reveal the coat of arms of the Azzoni family of Siena. The ancestors of this illustrious family were Azzone di Tocchi and Pietro di Ghino, who gave rise to the Ghinazzoni branch. The presence of the Azzonis is attested as early as the 14th century in Monticiano, in the Sienese territory, where they had developed a profitable iron extraction and ironworks business. In 1380, they financed the construction of the façade of the Augustinian convent church in Monticiano and lived in a palace in the town's main square. We would like to thank Dr Anna Maria Massinelli for her research, which enabled us to write this note.