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Lot Essay
This superb encrier, featuring ormolu-enriched porphyry and depicting the Fontana dei Dioscuri in the Piazza del Quirinale, is characteristic of the oeuvre of the Valadier workshops.
INSPIRATION FROM ROME'S ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY
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 created by Luigi Valadier employing a multitude of brightly coloured hardstones, which was acquired by Carlos IV of Spain and remains in the Palacio Real, Madrid.
A CELEBRATED DYNASTY
The foremost dynasty of fonditori di metalli was founded in Rome by Andrea Valadier (d. 1759) 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 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.
LA FONTANA DEI DIOSCURI
The Fontana dei Dioscuri stands in Piazza del Quirinale 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 1780s, 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 of the fountain 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.
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) gifted 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 (EUR102,000 with premium), while a further related encrier was sold more recently, 'The Late Lord Forte & an Interior by Françoise de Pfyffer', Christie's, London, 12 July 2012, lot 13 (£63,650 with premium).
INSPIRATION FROM ROME'S ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY
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 created by Luigi Valadier employing a multitude of brightly coloured hardstones, which was acquired by Carlos IV of Spain and remains in the Palacio Real, Madrid.
A CELEBRATED DYNASTY
The foremost dynasty of fonditori di metalli was founded in Rome by Andrea Valadier (d. 1759) 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 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.
LA FONTANA DEI DIOSCURI
The Fontana dei Dioscuri stands in Piazza del Quirinale 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 1780s, 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 of the fountain 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.
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) gifted 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 (EUR102,000 with premium), while a further related encrier was sold more recently, 'The Late Lord Forte & an Interior by Françoise de Pfyffer', Christie's, London, 12 July 2012, lot 13 (£63,650 with premium).