Private villa in Crimea

Private villa in Crimea

Art as a structural element: collaboration with the architect, 24-carat gold reliefs and monumental inlays

Client: Interior Architect for an International Private Client

The Context: Furnishing a residence of the highest prestige

In 2015, Bottega Tifernate was chosen as the exclusive partner to define the visual identity of a majestic private villa in Crimea. The project involved a large-scale ‘total look’ artistic intervention, designed to enhance the entire residence. Bottega oversaw the creation of numerous paintings specifically designed to enhance the long corridors, living areas and elegant bedrooms. However, the nerve centre of the commission — and the most fascinating challenge for Stefano Lazzari’s team — lay in the reception hall.

The Challenge: The Precision of Architectural Integration

The architect in charge of the interior design project had a very clear vision: he did not want a simple work ‘hanging’ on the wall, but a complete fusion of art and architecture. The brief called for the creation of a monumental fresco, almost 5 metres high, depicting a specific detail from Benozzo Gozzoli’s Procession of the Magi (the famous Renaissance masterpiece in Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence). The architect provided the workshop with the exact photographic and perspective ‘cut’ that the work was to have, imposing tolerances measured in millimetres: the fresco, in fact, had to fit perfectly within a specially created structural niche in the wall of the room.

The Workshop’s Work: Hot-pressed reliefs and pure gold for a wall-mounted masterpiece

By taking on the challenge, the Tifernate Workshop demonstrated its ability to work in perfect harmony with interior design professionals. The master craftsmen scaled and reproduced the required design, but did not limit themselves to simply applying the paint. Just as the Florentine master did in the 15th century to highlight the wealth of the Medici family, the Bottega has embellished the fresco by applying the ancient and complex technique of hot plaster reliefs to give a true three-dimensional quality to the brocades, the garments and the horses’ harnesses. The entire composition was then magnificently illuminated through the hand-application of the purest 24-carat fine gold. The panel, so richly crafted, was engineered and tensioned to fit impeccably into the architectural recess, creating a ‘flush-to-wall’ effect of striking elegance.

The Result: A showcase of perfect collaboration in the world of luxury

The final result had a stunning aesthetic impact. The Procession of the Magi, gleaming with gold and seamlessly integrated into the villa’s modern architecture, has become the magnetic heart of the entire project. This commission represents a flagship project in Bottega’s portfolio, as it demonstrates to leading international interior design firms that they have found the ideal partner: a company capable not only of reproducing art to the highest standards, but of enriching it with jeweller’s craftsmanship and engineering it to measure so that it blends seamlessly with the architectural design.