ROLLING STONES SINGER MICK JAGGER PAYS TRIBUTE TO HIS FRIEND INTERIOR DESIGNER & ART COLLECTOR COUNT MANFREDI DELLA GHERARDESCA AHEAD OF AUCTION NEXT WEEK

As Dreweatts prepares for next week’s sale of the private collection of celebrated art collector, curator and interior designer, Count Manfredi della Gherardesca (1961-2022), Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones recounts his friendship and the times they spent together. Manfredi was admired as one of the most colourful, culturally erudite and well-loved figures in the international art and design scene. Jagger met him through Princess Maria Theodora zu Löwenstein – Wertheim – Freudenberg, (known as Dora), the daughter of the late Prince Rupert Loewenstein (1933-2014), who was financial manager for the Rolling Stones from early in their careers until his death. When Dora and Manfredi married in 1998 Jagger, with his then wife Jerry Hall, were among the guests. They remained firm family friends over the years and Jagger tells us: “The death of Manfredi della Gherardesca at only 60 takes from all who knew him, a friend who was effortlessly charming and stylish, hilariously funny, or acerbic as occasion demanded and always full of fun. We all spent much time together over the years, on holiday and otherwise, throughout their time together and beyond.”

It is evident from the works in his collection that Manfredi was very knowledgeable, culturally astute, with a passion for art, history and travel. Jagger says: “Manfredi had a profound love and knowledge of art, which informed his life and his work as an art adviser and interior designer. One of Manfredi’s many charms was his joy of discovery, be it places, people or art. Our families travelled a lot together, we visited Châteaux in the Loire, the Leonardo da Vinci Museum at Château du Clos Lucé, museums in Florence, St Petersburg and even the wilds of the African Savannah! Whether looking at suits of armour, works of Renaissance art, or Audubon prints of animals Manfredi always had some knowledge to impart.”

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Count Manfredi della Gherardesca (1961-2022)

MDG family archive

Commenting on Manfredi’s unique taste, Jagger says: “In certain design circles, such taste can be called eclectic or even Bohemian, but it’s really just being confident about what you like. Having this particular sense of style gives these designers the ability to combine great artists and their artworks, with more diverse objets d’art, in a way in which they are comfortable and make rooms seem welcoming. Manfredi had this talent well honed.”

Manfredi had homes in London and Italy. His London home was an extension of him and represented his collecting ethos. Jagger comments: “You only had to visit one of Manfredi’s houses to appreciate his sense of style and decor. I have been in most of them over the years and during the pandemic, I spent some months at Castello di Castagneto, Manfredi’s family seat in Tuscany. Manfredi was around there at the same time, so we saw each other occasionally – Covid rules allowing and I became more familiar with how profound his knowledge and connection with the history of art was. Manfredi’s family have lived there for centuries.

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He then references a distant relative of Manfredi’s, Count Ugolino (circa 1214-1289) an Italian aristocrat, military leader and influential politician, who appeared as a character in Dante’s Divine Comedy, where he is sent to the ‘lowest circle of the Inferno’, a place reserved for betrayers of one’s people and country. Due to the cannibalism insinuated in Dante’s work, (it is thought that Ugolino devoured his offspring’s corpses after being driven mad with hunger), he became known as the ‘Cannibal Count’. Ugolino was encapsulated in art and sculpture by the greats, such as William Blake, Auguste Rodin, William Blake and Jean-Baptise Carpeaux. The sculpture of Ugolino by the latter, can be seen in an archive photograph, with Manfredi standing in front of it in the Petit Palais in Paris.