The Valadier family was fundamental to the development of goldsmithing and decorative art in the 18th century in the Eternal City, where Rococo exuberance and nascent neoclassical rigour coexisted. Luigi’s works (Rome 1726 – 1785) are precious and extravagant, both in their materials and in their conception, a trait of originality of the Valadier workshop continued by his younger brother Giovanni and son Giuseppe (Rome 1762 – 1839), capable of dealing with monumental and small precious objects with the same grace, with the same omnivorous thirst for forms that fuses the ancient and the modern through a style of majestic classicism, much loved by the cultured and refined aristocratic travellers who saw imperial Rome as a fundamental stop on the Grand Tour.
The next auction of Silver, Icons and Objects of Russian Art to be held in Milan on 23 June 2022, will feature an enchanting silver plaque with a gilded bronze frame by Giovanni Valadier, depicting the Virgin and Child with St. John the Baptist (lot 140, estimate €1,500 – €2,500) where the quotation becomes the occasion for a timeless journey in search of absolute beauty.
An Italian silver plaque with bronze-gilt frame, Rome, 18th Century, market Giovanni Valadier. Estimate € 1.500 – 2.500