Ilario shares his passion for the art of furnishing with that of collecting, in particular his name is inextricably linked to that of Maria Callas.
Tamassia is in fact recognized as the most important collector in the world of personal soprano memorabilia.
Called all over the world to present his personal collection, Ilario offers the possibility, by appointment, to admire part of Maria Callas’ original collection in the Medolla (MO) showroom.
Interview with Maria Callas, Toronto Daily Star, 1958
“I AM FATALIST”, the Divine confides.
Last night Maria Callas revealed that she never goes on stage without her precious lucky charm.
It is a representation of the Holy Family that was given to her by her husband.
“I forgot to take him to my dressing room only twice and twice my voice was cracked to the point of having to suspend the show.
I don’t think I’m superstitious. These objects have mystical implications in our life.
I am a fatalist and I firmly believe in destiny. “
The Holy Family of Maria Callas
Ilario Tamassia presents the lucky charm of Maria Callas, an eighteenth-century painting attributed to the Veronese painter GB Cignaroli.
Kept in a red velvet case, the picture of the Holy Family is a gift that Gian Battista Meneghini made her on the eve of her debut in the arena in Verona on 1 August 1947.
Without the presence of this little picture in her dressing room, the divine has never sung in any theater in the world.
The picture is painted on a wooden tablet that bears the following on the back:
1 August ’47
22 July ’51
Thank you good God!
M and B
