A wood carving of Sennin Tekkai, Japan, late Edo or Meiji period, signed, 30 cm high (chip)

Provenance: Ghezzi family collection from Zurich, jewellers and antique dealers for almost a century. Purchase from Piguet Hôtel des Ventes, Geneva, 11 December 2013, lot 576

The Ghezzi family collection

Piguet Auction House is pleased to present a selection from the Ghezzi family collection, jewelers and antique dealers for nearly a century.

In the 1940s, Giacomo Ghezzi (1914–1995) opened two jewelry stores—one in Zurich (near Bahnhofstrasse) and another in Saint Moritz—while his wife Philomena ran an antique shop in Zurich. Through their frequent travels, particularly to China, they developed a deep fascination for the arts of the Far East. They passed on their passion to their son, Fermo (1938–2006), who became a jeweler in 1958 and worked as a consultant for prestigious auction houses before joining the family business. A true art enthusiast, he avidly collected Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and the arts of China and Japan.

United by this shared passion, Fermo and his wife travelled the world, enriching their collection with each new discovery. Tireless and insatiable, they assembled a vast array of artworks, carefully decorating their residences in Saint Moritz and the canton of Vaud with these treasured pieces.