FRANCO MARIA RICCI
ARCHIVIO SCOPERTO
In 2022, Andrea Zanatelli was invited by the renowned publishing house Franco Maria Ricci to explore their archive of rare and remarkable editions. The publisher’s books are celebrated for their distinctive iconographic and thematic choices, distinguished by a refined aesthetic sensibility. These editions are considered true treasures by connoisseurs of beauty and art.
For the series The Signs of Man, Andrea selected and interpreted three volumes through his unique visual language. The books reflect his deep affinities with England, folk art, and the esoteric.
The first art book Andrea chose for his Archivio Scoperto project tells the extraordinary story of the naïve painter Charles Frédéric Brun, known as “the Deserter.”
This enigmatic French imagier lived in the second half of the 19th century, wandering the valleys of Valais - between Nendaz, Veysonnaz, and the surrounding villages - in an effort to evade the law. The mysterious life of this petit maître is recounted by writer Jean Giono, who journeyed to Switzerland to visit the very places the Deserter had passed through and to admire his surviving works.
Throughout his fugitive existence, the Deserter created a compelling body of folkloric and naïve art, depicting saints, martyrs, and smiling virgins adorned with garlands, sacred hearts, and other devotional motifs.
Andrea’s second choice, The Book of Visions, reflects his passion for folk art. This publication brings together coffin portraits painted by anonymous artists for the Polish and Lithuanian nobility in the late 17th century.
Executed on metal sheets in hexagonal or octagonal formats, these portraits - adorned with black lace, fur caps, and pearls - are distinctive expressions of Sarmatian culture. They represent a unique chapter of Polish Baroque portraiture, unmatched elsewhere in Europe.
These images, both intimate and theatrical, were placed on coffins at face height so the deceased could be depicted as living, their gaze ideally engaging with mourners during elaborate funeral rites. The volume is accompanied by a selection of texts on the afterlife by Jorge Luis Borges, deepening the connection between image and imagination.
The third volume Andrea selected reflects his enduring love for British art.
Dedicated entirely to William Larkin, the book captures the opulence of the English Renaissance through portraits of courtiers from the reign of James I, painted between 1609 and 1619.
Larkin’s highly detailed portrayals - lavish in their rendering of lace, gold thread, and intricate textiles - firmly situate him within the central tradition of British portraiture. This volume is both a visual feast and a tribute to Larkin’s overlooked brilliance, affirming his significance in the canon of European art.
