83 - Luigi e Giuseppe Valadier (atrib.)

Luigi e Giuseppe Valadier (atrib.) A large neoclassical alabaster and gilt-bronze vase Carved alabaster with chased and gilt-bronze mounts Of cylindrical form, carved in relief with a garland of vine leaves and bunches of grapes, centred by a gilt-bronze figure of a dancing Bacchante playing cymbals The domed cover with fluted decoration and vegetal borders, surmounted by a carved alabaster leaf and a gilt-bronze eagle subduing a serpent The lower body decorated with vegetal borders and fluting, with gilt-bronze Bacchic masks to the sides, depicting male figures crowned with vine leaves and bunches of grapes Raised on a foot decorated with acanthus leaves and a tall tapering pedestal, carved in relief with musical trophies including a Pan flute, drum and wind instruments, centred by a gilt-bronze mount with circular ring, bells and pendants Rome, late 18th century (restorations, minor losses and defects) H.: 77,5 cm The present vase belongs to the tradition of Roman decorative objects inspired by classical antiquity, developed during the late 18th and early 19th centuries and characterised by the combination of carved alabaster with chased and gilt-bronze mounts. This idiom found particular expression in the work of Luigi Valadier (1726-1785), continued by his son Giuseppe Valadier (1762-1839), as well as in the production of Francesco Righetti (1749-1819) and his son Luigi. The unusual architectural composition of the vase, with its cylindrical body, cover and elevated pedestal, finds an interesting formal parallel in a design for a cylindrical reliquary attributed to Luigi Valadier and dated c. 1760-1780, now in the Rijksmuseum (inv. RP-T-2015-42-22). Although intended for a different function, the drawing presents a comparable structure and demonstrates the presence of this formal solution within the repertoire associated with Valadier. The conception of the vase may also be related to the taste for classical antiquity disseminated through the engravings of Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778), particularly his series Vasi, candelabri, cippi, sarcofagi, tripodi, lucerne ed ornamenti antichi, published from 1778 onwards, which includes compositions of vases and cylindrical vessels raised on pedestals and combining references to antiquity with elaborate ornamental schemes. The combination of carved alabaster with figural and ornamental gilt-bronze elements finds parallels in a pair of neoclassical vases attributed to Luigi and Giuseppe Valadier, offered at Christie's, Paris, in 2026. Affinities can also be recognised with the work of Francesco and Luigi Righetti, notably an alabaster and gilt-bronze vase related to the celebrated Warwick Vase, sold at Sotheby's, London, in 2011. The decoration follows a Bacchic iconographic programme, with vine garlands and bunches of grapes, masks of Bacchus and a central gilt-bronze figure of a dancing Bacchante playing cymbals. The latter recalls the repertoire of dancing female figures represented in the wall paintings discovered at Pompeii, with iconographic parallels among frescoes depicting dancing maenads, including an example from the Casa del Naviglio, now in the National Archaeological Museum, Naples. The diffusion of these models within neoclassical decorative arts is further illustrated by a series of twelve gilt-bronze figures, possibly executed by Luigi Manfredini (1771-1840) and preserved at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, inspired by wall paintings from the so-called Villa of Cicero at Pompeii. The finial, depicting an eagle subduing a serpent, draws upon a classical iconographic motif widely disseminated since antiquity and frequently associated with victory and dominion over opposing forces, subsequently incorporated into the ornamental vocabulary of the neoclassical period. The architectural composition, richness of the ornamental repertoire and combination of carved alabaster with gilt-bronze mounts display significant affinities with Roman production of the final decades of the 18th century, particularly with the work of Luigi Valadier and his collaboration with his son Giuseppe. These correspondences, together with the formal and iconographic parallels identified above, support the proposed attribution to Luigi and Giuseppe Valadier, although no directly corresponding drawing or object has so far been identified.