- Exhibition
- Artist
- Artworks
- Press
Presentation
What comes to the fore in this exhibition is Luigi Valadier’s multifaceted personality as an artist and creator. A goldsmith and silversmith, but also a sculptor and bronze artist, he produced sacred and profane art, and furnishings in precious materials of ancient and modern provenance, which launched the most refined and innovative style of his era.
The inspirational motif of the exhibition is the deep bond between the Galleria Borghese and Valadier, who worked for the family for over twenty-five years. The Galleria Borghese, in its completely modern concept of decoration that underpins the extensive renovation of the palace in the city and the villa, is the best place for understanding the great artist, the villa’s genius loci, one of the most brilliant and creative minds at the service of Prince Marcantonio.
Preserved in the museum are masterpieces such as the Herm of Bacchus and the pair of dodecagonal Tables; the precious ornamental details of the fireplace in Room XVI, and the four granite and gilded bronze columns exhibited on this occasion in Room XIV are his creations.
Approximately ninety works of international provenance – sacred sculptures and liturgical furnishings, profane silver, bronzes, table furnishings, gilded metals with marble and semi-precious stone, and drawings – have been collected in the museum’s rooms to create a unique and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn more about his vast body of works and study them further.
The exhibition VALADIER. Splendore nella Roma del Settecento [VALADIER. Splendour in Eighteenth-century Rome] is curated by Anna Coliva.
The exhibition catalogue, published by Officina Libraria, is edited by Geraldine Leardi.
The exhibition has the support of FENDI, institutional partner of Galleria Borghese, and Intesa Sanpaolo, title sponsor, and received funding from the Giulio and Giovanna Sacchetti Foundation.
Artist
Luigi Valadier was born in Rome on 26 February 1726 to Andrea, a French silversmith who had been working in the city since 1720.
Together with his brother Giovanni, Luigi worked with his father, and in 1756 married Caterina Della Valle, daughter of the sculptor Filippo.
Having inherited his father’s workshop in 1759, he moved to a new one on Via del Babuino in 1762, the same year in which his son, Giuseppe, was born.
The artist continued to work for the Borghese family, who had been patrons of his father, as well as for the other leading noble families in Rome, including the Chigi. After the Pauline Chapel in S. Maria Maggiore in Rome, he executed his monumental lamps for the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and works for international patrons, such as the large bronzes based on ancient sculptures for the Duke of Northumberland. Major sacred works date from 1771-1772: the altar for the cathedral of Monreale, the liturgical service for Cardinal Orsini, and the statue of St.John for the Lateran baptistery.
In 1775 he started working for Pope Pius VI Braschi, who in 1779 appointed him superintendent of the restoration of ancient bronzes and cameo mountings. In the same period, he executed his famous deser for the Baillì de Breteuil. His wife died in 1780. Other precious deser were commissioned by the Archduke of Austria and Duke Braschi Onesti, while for Marcantonio Borghese he produced precious furnishings in both the Palazzo and the Villa, in addition to the famous gilt table service. One of his last works was the casting of the bell for St. Peter’s.
In 1785 he ended his life by drowning himself in the Tiber. His son Giuseppe carried on the business until 1827, when, “with a great loss”, he sold the workshop to dedicate himself to his career as an architect.
Setup
Valadier. Splendor in Eighteenth – century Rome
Giuseppe Valadier and Carlo Albacini
Reduction of the Temple of Isis in Pompeii, 1805‑1806
Alabaster (fiorito, rosa, cotognino, erborizzato),
Corsican jasper, rosso antico, lumachella,
porphyry, and gilt bronze
Naples, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte
Valadier. Splendor in Eighteenth – century Rome
Giuseppe Valadier and Carlo Albacini
Reduction of the Temple of Isis in Pompeii, 1805‑1806
Alabaster (fiorito, rosa, cotognino, erborizzato),
Corsican jasper, rosso antico, lumachella,
porphyry, and gilt bronze
Naples, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte
Valadier. Splendor in Eighteenth – century Rome
Luigi Valadier
Chandelier of St. James the Great, 1764
Silver and gilt bronze
Santiago de Compostela, Cathedral
Valadier. Splendor in Eighteenth – century Rome
Luigi Valadier
Chandelier of St. James the Great, 1764
Silver and gilt bronze
Santiago de Compostela, Cathedral
Valadier. Splendor in Eighteenth – century Rome
Giuseppe Valadier and Carlo Albacini
Artemis Ephesia, 2nd century C.E. (torso), restored in 1786‑1788
Alabaster, bronze
Naples, Museo Archeologico Nazionale
Valadier. Splendor in Eighteenth – century Rome
Giuseppe Valadier and Carlo Albacini
Artemis Ephesia, 2nd century C.E. (torso), restored in 1786‑1788
Alabaster, bronze
Naples, Museo Archeologico Nazionale
Valadier. Splendor in Eighteenth – century Rome
Luigi Valadier
Oil lamp in the choir, 1760
Silver and gilt bronze
Santiago de Compostela, Cathedra
Valadier. Splendor in Eighteenth – century Rome
Luigi Valadier
Oil lamp in the choir, 1760
Silver and gilt bronze
Santiago de Compostela, Cathedra
Valadier. Splendor in Eighteenth – century Rome
Luigi Valadier
Columns decorated with festoons and
bucrania, 1780
Granite, white statuary marble, gilt bronze
Rome, Galleria Borghese
Valadier. Splendor in Eighteenth – century Rome
Luigi Valadier
Columns decorated with festoons and
bucrania, 1780
Granite, white statuary marble, gilt bronze
Rome, Galleria Borghese
Valadier. Splendor in Eighteenth – century Rome
Giuseppe Valadier
and workshop
Pier glass, 1785‑1799
Gilt bronze, wood, glass
Private collection
Valadier. Splendor in Eighteenth – century Rome
Giuseppe Valadier
and workshop
Pier glass, 1785‑1799
Gilt bronze, wood, glass
Private collection
Valadier. Splendor in Eighteenth – century Rome
Luigi Valadier
Dodecagonal table, 1773
Porphyry, gilt bronze, marble (giallo antico,
verde antico, bianco e nero antico), gilt wood
Rome, Galleria Borghese
Valadier. Splendor in Eighteenth – century Rome
Luigi Valadier
Dodecagonal table, 1773
Porphyry, gilt bronze, marble (giallo antico,
verde antico, bianco e nero antico), gilt wood
Rome, Galleria Borghese