‘It’s my spiritual sanctuary’

David Maude-Roxby-Montalto di Fragnito is one of the world’s most renowned glass engravers. His work is in collections that include the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum in New York as well as private collections worldwide. With his wife, Patsy, he divides his time between homes in Chateaux D’Oex, Switzerland, London and the Palazzo Ducale in Fragnito Monforte, a hilltop village in Southern Italy.

Tell me about your home in Fragnito.

The ancient castele of Fragnito is documented in the national archives of Benevento, the nearby city. It refers to Fragnito as dating back to the 11th century. The name comes from the word fragna, which is a species of tree dominating the main square in the village, under which locals through the ages have always sat to escape the hot summer sun playing dice games on the stones. The palazzo ducale came into the possession of the Montalto family as a reward for winning a battle in the 15th century. In the second world war the castle defended the only road dividing the north and south of Italy and Rommel apparently stopped there on his way to the south.

How did you come to inherit the ducal title and estate?

The Montalto family is the original Italian branch of my family, the Maudes. Each branch of the family passed this information down from father to son and therefore when I was a student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence in 1957 with their son and heir, Don Ruggiero, Prince of Lequile, I was considered one of the family and stayed with them on numerous occasions. Don Ruggiero, who was an only child, died in a tragic accident in 1966 and his parents, Don Francesco and Donna Anna Maria, Duke and Duchess of Fragnito, asked my parents if they could adopt me. They gave me the ducal palace and other land and properties and I took up full time residence in Italy.

What were your feelings about your new home and responsibilities?

From the moment I inherited Fragnito I felt inspired to create something more than just a home. I had many plans and ideas for its future and started working on them straight away so that I could share parts of it with the community. Everyone in the village was aware of who I was and how the situation had arisen and after my adopted father’s death in 1977 they called me Il Duca.

Were you married at the time?

I married Patsy after my adoption but before the death of Don Francesco, by which time we already had our two children, Alexandra and Daniel. They always spent their school holidays at Fragnito and brought friends to stay. Their great excitement was finding secret passages, lost keys and armour. If they were naughty, instead of a normal punishment they were made to clean some of the old neglected objects in the attics and cellars. They love the place and the Italian way of life, particularly the cuisine. My wife has always supported me in all aspects of life in Fragnito. She is not only a great wife and mother but a great organiser.

What was your vision for Fragnito.

Well, before I answer that question, I want to mention my vision generally for the crafts. As a glass engraver I was elected as one of six top craftsmen in Florence to be a founder member of the Consorziortigianali, responsible for creating a consortium of craftsmen for the city. This made me aware that there was no government responsibility in the UK for crafts and in 1967 I wrote to every member of parliament lobbying them to appoint a minister. Eight years later Viscount Eccles took on the role. This led to other interesting developments for me, which included being a director of the Crafts Council of Great Britain and, through an introduction from my friend the violinist Yehudi Menuhin, a trustee of West Dean, the home of the eccentric collector Edward James. These experiences gave me the idea of bringing cultural events to Fragnito. The village was divided by petty political squabbles and I wanted a way of bringing these to an end. In 1972 I introduced a hot air balloon festival in the grounds of the estate, which had an astonishing impact. From a tiny event it is now the largest in Italy and brings international visitors and of course revenue to the village. It became a vehicle for developing my dreams for other cultural events in the province. Next year we are starting a programme of opera masterclasses at our home under the directorship of the baritone Roderick Williams.

Tell me about some of the major renovations you have made to the house.

The latest renovation was cleaning and improving the coach area which had been used for burning enormous fires to heat the house. This huge job of work was achieved miraculously in only six weeks thanks to our brilliant local craftsmen. At times they looked like moving sculptures, smothered in dust from the old plaster and stones. Another major renovation is a derelict Masseria (farmhouse) in a magnificent setting for which the Italian government has awarded us a generous grant. And the next plan on our agenda is to cover the court yard so we can stage theatrical and operatic events confidently come rain or shine.

Tell me about your beautiful gardens. Who was responsible for the concept and design?

The terraced gardens and courtyard were re-planned by our good friend, landscape gardener Spindrift Al Swaidi, who has won prizes at the Chelsea Flower Show. Patsy was adamant that the gardens should be formal and complement the architectural lines of the buildings. It is linear and the colour scheme has been kept to cream and a palette of pale greys and greens.

You are renowned as one of the world’s leading glass engravers with studios in your home in Chateau D’Oex, Switzerland, and also in Fragnito.

My work is a unique form of engraving called diamond-point stippling, which I took up in 1961 having seen the magnificent work at the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam and the V&A. It felt like a gate across my path of life swinging open. When Britain entered the EEC I was commissioned to engrave glasses for each head of state and also goblets that were presented to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. I have worked on a variety of unusual commissions, including a unique “peace pen” for Monegrappa, Italy’s oldest company. It involved designing a box with the help of Baccarat with a handle, moulded by me, of a dove sitting on an open hand. Another glorious commission came when jewellers Harry Winston asked me to make a necklace using a 50 carat ruby. I moulded the figures of Adam and Eve around the ruby and used ruby cabuchons for the forbidden fruit and marquise diamonds for the leaves. It was bought by a client in Japan. But I think my most thrilling work recently completed was inspired by seeing Andy Warhol’s four portraits of Beethoven. I felt compelled to create my own interpretation of this moody man, who only sat for one portrait for a major sponsor when he was composing the Missa Solemnis. The portrait of Warhol appears in a somewhat ghost like form on top of the image of Beethoven. I have had a long and productive collaboration with Baccarat and currently a film is being made about me and my philosophy expressed through poetry.

You are so passionate about your extraordinary home. What, above all, most inspires you?

The craftsmanship in every stone of the palazzo ducale, the proportions and the atmosphere. It’s my spiritual sanctuary.