(2) Sicilian Majolica Glazed Candleholder & SPILL Vase

Lot description

(lot of 2) Italian majolica dishes, 20th c., both marked Caltagirone at reverse, including: (1) spill vase, signed Alessi (Giacomo Alessi, 20thc.), approx 8"h, 9"w, 5"d; (1) candleholder, shallow basin raised on the tail of a lion sejant-rampant, in all-over lustre finish, approx 6.5"h, 8.5"w, 4"d; 7lbs total Provenance: From the estate of Connie Todd (Constance Clare Todd, Austin, Texas, 1941-2024). For many years, Connie Todd was the personal assistant to prominent Austin-based book publisher, photographer, and author Bill Wittliff (William Dale Wittliff, American, active in Austin, Texas, 1940-2019). Bill Wittliff wrote celebrated screenplays such as "Lonesome Dove" (1982), "Legends of the Fall" (1994), and "Barbarosa" (2000), and founded the regionally-oriented publishing company, Encino Press, with his wife Sally in 1963. Connie Todd later served as the founding director of the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University from 1997-2010, transforming it into an internationally-acclaimed collection through noteworthy acquisitions such as the Cormac McCarthy archive. After retiring from Texas State, Connie Todd spent time traveling the world with friends and family.