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Lot Essay
The Valadiers
This magnificent inkstand constructed of precious lapis lazuli and porphyry enriched with finely sculpted ormolu mounts is typical of the Valadier workshops oeuvre. The celebrated dynasty of fonditori di metalli was founded by Andrea Valadier (d. 1759) in Rome in 1725 but reached its zenith under his son Luigi who was said to be producing his finest work at the time of his death in in 1785, it was then that the workshops passed to his son Giuseppe (d. 1839). Giuseppe's prime interest however was architecture; he was a skilled draughtsman producing designs both for fine works of art and for building projects such as the Piazza del Popolo and the Pincio. Under his management the workshops continued to produce magnificent objects but Giuseppe never gained quite the acclaim his father had enjoyed. The workshop was eventually sold in 1827, having been the leading silversmith and bronze-founders of Rome for a century.
The Valadiers are known to have specialized in producing spectacular ormolu-mounted architectural objects, often contrasting the specimens of the most colourful and highly prized hardstones in their creations and drawing on Rome's rich architectural history for inspiration. One of the most magnificent architectural fantasias to be produced by the workshop was the surtout de table or deser created by Luigi Veladier employing a multitude of coloured brightly coloured hardstones, which was purchased by Carlos IV of Spain and remains in the collection at the Palacio Real, Madrid. Another work attributed this time to both father and son which bares detail worthy of comparison with the present lot is the figure Rome assise which incorporates both porphyry and lapis as well as displaying foliate swags which seems to be one of the Valadier trademarks (see exhibition catalogue, Luigi Valadier au Louvre ou l' Antiquité exaltée, The Louvre, Paris, 1994, pp. 100-107).
La Fontana dei Dioscuri
The Fontana dei Dioscuri, stands in Piazza del Quirinal outside the Quirinal Palace, Rome. The first fountain to occupy the site was commissioned by Pope Sixtus V in the late 16th century. Following this the piazza underwent various remodellings the most ambitious of which was commissioned by Pope Pius VI in the 1780's but work was slow and had to be suspended from 1798 during the French occupations of the city after which the original fountain was lost. The present version was assembled in 1818, following the expulsion of the French, on instruction of Pope Pius VII and under the direction of the architect Raffaele Stern (1774-1820).
The Quirinal Palace occupies a strategic position lying on top of a promontory offering a fine vantage point from which to survey Rome. The site has been in use since ancient times with the ancient Rome's last complex of baths built nearby during the reign of Constantine I (272-337), from where the statues of Castor and Pollux were brought by Pope Sixtus V to flank the first Quirinal fountain. Construction of the Palazzo del Quirinale commenced on the instruction of Pope Gregory XIII in the 1580's for use as a summer residence. Its elevated site was considered eminently suitable as it offered relief from the humid and unhealthy conditions nearer to the Tiber. The palace remained a Papal residence until 1870. The following year Rome became the capital of the newly unified Italian state and the Quirinal Palace became the official residence of the Italian Royal family. The palace only saw four rulers from the house of Savoy before the Italian monarchy was deposed following the referendum in 1946, when the country became a republic and the palace became the official presidential residence.
Given the Royal provenance of this lot it is possible that it may originally have formed part of the Royal collections housed at the Palazzo del Quirinale.
Various models of the Fontana dei Dioscuri were made as inkstands, the most celebrated of which is the silver, gold and lapis-lazuli by master silversmith Vincenzo Coacci (1756-1794) which was given to Pope Pius
VI, now in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
A closely related inkstand, again depicting the Fontana dei Dioscuri
but instead attributed to Francesco Righetti (1749-1819) was sold,
Ancienne Collection d'Heli Talleyrand Duc de Talleyrand, Christie's
Paris, 26 November 2005, lot 221 (102,000 Euros, inclusive of buyers premium).
This magnificent inkstand constructed of precious lapis lazuli and porphyry enriched with finely sculpted ormolu mounts is typical of the Valadier workshops oeuvre. The celebrated dynasty of fonditori di metalli was founded by Andrea Valadier (d. 1759) in Rome in 1725 but reached its zenith under his son Luigi who was said to be producing his finest work at the time of his death in in 1785, it was then that the workshops passed to his son Giuseppe (d. 1839). Giuseppe's prime interest however was architecture; he was a skilled draughtsman producing designs both for fine works of art and for building projects such as the Piazza del Popolo and the Pincio. Under his management the workshops continued to produce magnificent objects but Giuseppe never gained quite the acclaim his father had enjoyed. The workshop was eventually sold in 1827, having been the leading silversmith and bronze-founders of Rome for a century.
The Valadiers are known to have specialized in producing spectacular ormolu-mounted architectural objects, often contrasting the specimens of the most colourful and highly prized hardstones in their creations and drawing on Rome's rich architectural history for inspiration. One of the most magnificent architectural fantasias to be produced by the workshop was the surtout de table or deser created by Luigi Veladier employing a multitude of coloured brightly coloured hardstones, which was purchased by Carlos IV of Spain and remains in the collection at the Palacio Real, Madrid. Another work attributed this time to both father and son which bares detail worthy of comparison with the present lot is the figure Rome assise which incorporates both porphyry and lapis as well as displaying foliate swags which seems to be one of the Valadier trademarks (see exhibition catalogue, Luigi Valadier au Louvre ou l' Antiquité exaltée, The Louvre, Paris, 1994, pp. 100-107).
La Fontana dei Dioscuri
The Fontana dei Dioscuri, stands in Piazza del Quirinal outside the Quirinal Palace, Rome. The first fountain to occupy the site was commissioned by Pope Sixtus V in the late 16th century. Following this the piazza underwent various remodellings the most ambitious of which was commissioned by Pope Pius VI in the 1780's but work was slow and had to be suspended from 1798 during the French occupations of the city after which the original fountain was lost. The present version was assembled in 1818, following the expulsion of the French, on instruction of Pope Pius VII and under the direction of the architect Raffaele Stern (1774-1820).
The Quirinal Palace occupies a strategic position lying on top of a promontory offering a fine vantage point from which to survey Rome. The site has been in use since ancient times with the ancient Rome's last complex of baths built nearby during the reign of Constantine I (272-337), from where the statues of Castor and Pollux were brought by Pope Sixtus V to flank the first Quirinal fountain. Construction of the Palazzo del Quirinale commenced on the instruction of Pope Gregory XIII in the 1580's for use as a summer residence. Its elevated site was considered eminently suitable as it offered relief from the humid and unhealthy conditions nearer to the Tiber. The palace remained a Papal residence until 1870. The following year Rome became the capital of the newly unified Italian state and the Quirinal Palace became the official residence of the Italian Royal family. The palace only saw four rulers from the house of Savoy before the Italian monarchy was deposed following the referendum in 1946, when the country became a republic and the palace became the official presidential residence.
Given the Royal provenance of this lot it is possible that it may originally have formed part of the Royal collections housed at the Palazzo del Quirinale.
Various models of the Fontana dei Dioscuri were made as inkstands, the most celebrated of which is the silver, gold and lapis-lazuli by master silversmith Vincenzo Coacci (1756-1794) which was given to Pope Pius
VI, now in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
A closely related inkstand, again depicting the Fontana dei Dioscuri
but instead attributed to Francesco Righetti (1749-1819) was sold,
Ancienne Collection d'Heli Talleyrand Duc de Talleyrand, Christie's
Paris, 26 November 2005, lot 221 (102,000 Euros, inclusive of buyers premium).