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Lot Essay
The inspiration for this magnificent and impressively-scaled mosaic is Giovanni Antonio Galli's (called 'Lo Spadarino', d. 1653), masterwork of The Martyrdom of St. Valeria and St. Martial, which was completed between for St. Peter's Basilica between 1626 and 1632. St. Valeria's martyrdom has since become a prevalent subject in Christian art and the depiction of her beheading is frequently retold; most notably in enamel works from the city of Limoges which recognize her as a patron saint. Here the scene is further illustrated through the precision handling of mosaic glass and recounts how Valeria was beheaded for her faith and forced to present her head at the feet of the bishop, St. Martial, who had performed her conversion.
Lo Spadarino's chef d'oeuvre remained above the Altar of St. Joseph until April 1824, when it was ultimately replaced by the Vatican Mosaic Studio with another large-scale work after Domenichino's Ecstasy of St. Francis. However, the end of the 19th Century brought with it a rededication of the Altar and a renewed recognition of the St. Valeria and St. Martial. In 1885, under continued persistence of the then Bishop of Limoges, extensive work began on this fine mosaic by artisans in the Mosaic Studio, which was eventually installed and dedicated by Pope Leo XIII (d. 1903) in 1895. In the early 1960s, Pope John XIII (d. 1963) ordered the removal of the work to the Mosaic Studio inventory and dedicated a mosaic in honor of St. Joseph.
The meticulous assembly of the mosaic began under the supervision of Salvatore Nobili, a celebrated mosaicist and the Head of the Vatican Mosaic Studio during the final decades of the 19th century. As with many of mosaics furnished for the cavernous altars of the Basilica, Nobili was required to assembled a team of seven highly-skilled artisans; among them Giovanni Albigi, Pietro Bornia, Ettore Vannutelli, Federico and Lucinio Campanili, Augusto Mogla and Innocenzo Pallini. Their combined genius brings Lo Spadarino's original new life through exceptional modeling, color, light and definition which are rarely witnessed even in the vast output of micromosaic works produced by the Studio. The Vatican Mosaic Workshop (Studio del Mosaico della Fabbrica della Basilica di S. Pietro) was established in 1576 for the embellishment of St. Peter's. Soon after 1757, the mosaicists of the Workshop had completed the decoration of the cupolas at St. Peter's and established a lucrative commercial arm of the Studio producing mosaici in piccolo, or micromosaics for visitors on The Grand Tour. Today, the Studio survives for the continued conservation and restoration of the thousands of mosaics which grace the chapels of the Basilicas and outlying buildings.
Lo Spadarino's chef d'oeuvre remained above the Altar of St. Joseph until April 1824, when it was ultimately replaced by the Vatican Mosaic Studio with another large-scale work after Domenichino's Ecstasy of St. Francis. However, the end of the 19th Century brought with it a rededication of the Altar and a renewed recognition of the St. Valeria and St. Martial. In 1885, under continued persistence of the then Bishop of Limoges, extensive work began on this fine mosaic by artisans in the Mosaic Studio, which was eventually installed and dedicated by Pope Leo XIII (d. 1903) in 1895. In the early 1960s, Pope John XIII (d. 1963) ordered the removal of the work to the Mosaic Studio inventory and dedicated a mosaic in honor of St. Joseph.
The meticulous assembly of the mosaic began under the supervision of Salvatore Nobili, a celebrated mosaicist and the Head of the Vatican Mosaic Studio during the final decades of the 19th century. As with many of mosaics furnished for the cavernous altars of the Basilica, Nobili was required to assembled a team of seven highly-skilled artisans; among them Giovanni Albigi, Pietro Bornia, Ettore Vannutelli, Federico and Lucinio Campanili, Augusto Mogla and Innocenzo Pallini. Their combined genius brings Lo Spadarino's original new life through exceptional modeling, color, light and definition which are rarely witnessed even in the vast output of micromosaic works produced by the Studio. The Vatican Mosaic Workshop (Studio del Mosaico della Fabbrica della Basilica di S. Pietro) was established in 1576 for the embellishment of St. Peter's. Soon after 1757, the mosaicists of the Workshop had completed the decoration of the cupolas at St. Peter's and established a lucrative commercial arm of the Studio producing mosaici in piccolo, or micromosaics for visitors on The Grand Tour. Today, the Studio survives for the continued conservation and restoration of the thousands of mosaics which grace the chapels of the Basilicas and outlying buildings.