Leading expert of decorative arts in late 19th century Venice, Michelangelo Guggenheim (1831-1910) also was one of the greatest antiquarians and a modern furniture producer in the “City of Water”. His collections stored in the Balbi Palace on the Grand Canal were an outstanding sight, that art amateurs would recomend.
At the age of 20, he founds a "Stabilimento d’arti decorative e industriali" which purpose is the industrial creation of objects bearing an artistic force. The furniture that made him worldwide famous re-imagines ancient styles, freeing their esthetic powers to serve modern imagination. Often in walnut, his pieces of furniture sent to World Fairs impress people by the finesse of their sculptures.
A prized designer as well, he reorganizes princely interiors in the same spirit. His most famous work is the Palazzo Papadopoli's design about 1874, where he unfolds the vocabulary of several periods. He conceives there a richly furnished Neo-Renaissance Cabinet that relived the Italian golden age. For the exceptional result he is awarded the Gold Medal of merit for science and arts by Ludwig II of Bavaria.
