Francesca Antonacci, who hails from an old-established family of antique dealers that has been doing business in Rome since 1916, pursued her studies at the Istituto di Storia dell’Arte in Rome’s La Sapienza University. Studying in the school of Giuliano Briganti, she conducted research into Italian 17th century painting and built up her knowledge and experience with periods of study and work in Paris and London. Damiano Lapiccirella began his career in London in 1978 and went on to inherit the celebrated antique gallery founded by his father Leonardo in 1959, a focal point for major collectors and international museum curators which continued to occupy its historic premises in Borgo Ognissanti in Florence until 2013.