ROOM 11 – THE SITTING ROOM

The sitting room features typical early 19th-century décor, which modulates between Neoclassicism and Neo-Rococo. The furnishings, almost all dating from the 1840s and 1850s, were made by craftsmen from the Marche region.

Alongside the wooden sofa with damask cotton upholstery, on which rests a silk cushion embroidered with floral decorations, there is a walnut armchair with armrests supported by two lion figures and covered with embroidered fabric. The initials CGS can be seen on the backrest, indicating Celeste and Gaspare Spontini, while the recurring zither is embroidered on the seat.

On the wall there is an embroidered tablecloth with the initials of Celeste Spontini. It is unclear whether this is one of the many tributes dedicated to the composer’s wife or whether it was made by Celeste herself during her stays in Maiolati. Next to it is a silk cloth with floral designs embroidered by Isabella Cespi.

In the centre is a table with a circular top on a square base, while on the rectangular table against the wall are a brass carbide lamp and a painted metal and brass table oil lamp. Above is a painting depicting Don Venanzo Spontini, the composer’s brother.