An Italian Neoclassical ormolu-mounted white marble mantel clock, attributed to the workshop of Luigi and Giuseppe Valadier Rome, circa 1780-1785

L'oro di Valadier: Un genio nella Roma del Settecento, Académie de France à Rome, Villa Medici, Rome, January 29 - April 8, 1997

Alvar González-Palacios, L'oro di Valadier: Un genio nella Roma del Settecento, Exhibition Catalogue, Rome, 1997, pp. 136-139  

Dial with fine hairline cracks and three very small chips to enamel. Slate base with small chips at corners and edges; not extensive. White marble also with minor chips and one small chip (approximately 1cm) to edge of lower section on right side. Minor areas with infill to marble at around beaded ring surrounding dial. Marble tub finial with restored losses at upper edge at sides. Right lion mask and eale figure loose. Lions slightly loose. Eagle finial and lion figures with some rubbing, all mounts with some rubbing, traces of surface dirt and minor oxidation. Light surface dirt to marble, which is now with slight discoloration in areas due to age. Lacking pendulum. In good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The Valadier family was the most well-known and celebrated dynasty of goldsmiths and founders in the Rome in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The first notable member of the family was Andrea Valadier (1695-1759), whose workshop near the San Luigi dei Francesi church in Rome was continued by his son Luigi (1725-1785). In 1762, he moved his atelier to 89 via del Babuino, where he produced pieces for the Vatican and the Roman aristocracy. In 1764, he finally received the patent as a silversmith, the stamp containing his initials and three lilies. A large group of existing preparatory drawings for silver works of art witness the vast repertory of his workshop. Beside the production of objects, Luigi Valadier added that of bronze sculptures after the antique, some of large dimensions, which received the favor of the public. See for example, those made for the Duke of Northumberland (1765-1779), now at Syon House, for Madame du Barry in 1773, (now at the Louvre) and for the Comte d'Orsay (1799 now at the Louvre). In 1779, he was nominated Cavaliere by Pope Pius VI and from then on he started mounting the famous Vatican collection of antique cameos. The family tradition was continued by one of Luigi's four sons, Giuseppe (1762-1839). He won first prize in the Concorso Clementina in 1775 and was eventually appointed head of the Vatican Foundry and named silversmith to the Sacra Palazzo Apostolico in 1781. As bronzier, he worked in a similar style to his father's. One of his most celebrated Roman neoclassical pieces was a bronze table supported on twelve statues modeled by Vincenzo Pacetti (now in the Vatican Library). Besides working as a silversmith and bronzier, he was also well known as an architect. In fact, in 1786, Giuseppe was appointed architetto camerale of the Vatican by Pope Pius VI. After turning the family atelier over to the Spagna family in 1817, Giuseppe Valadier worked mainly as an architect and urban planner and can be credited with the restoration of some of Rome's most important monuments, such as the Arch of Titus and the Imperial Forum.

Clocks appear in the registro, the inventory of Giuseppe Valadier's workshop in 1810: "una cassa d'Orologio di Marmo statuario, da tavolino, guarnita di Bronzi Dorati con suo movimento alta in tutto circa pal. 2." Furthermore, the Pinacoteca of Faenza holds more than thirty designs for clock cases from the Valadier workshop. These drawings were executed by both Luigi and Giuseppe Valadier as well as other draughtsmen working in their studio and although none are identical to the present clock, there are many with features similar to the present clock, such as the recumbent lion supports and the heavy emphasis on finials. The inventory entries and the numerous drawings suggest that not only did the Valadier workshop produce clocks and clock cases, but they made a profitable business out of it. A partial design for a clock executed at the Valadier atelier and now in the Pinacoteca Civica, Faenza shows a clock with the same rounded top and space for a rectangular plaque or mount under the dial as the present lot, see Alvar González-Palacios, L'Oro di Valadier: Un genio nella Roma del Settecento, Exhibition Catalogue, Rome, 1997, p. 137. A clock with the same rounded top mounted with lion masks, sarcophagus finial, recumbent lions and black base by Luigi Valadier illustrated ibid., p. 137, further supporting the attribution of the clock offered here to the Valadier workshop. A clock with similar rounded top supported by two male figures by Giusppe Valadier is now in the Museo Duca di Martina, Naples, see Giuseppe Beretti et al, Gli Splendori del Bronzo: Mobili ed ogetti d'arredo tra Francia e Italia, Turin, 2002, fig 53 and p. 137, no. 53. A clock by Giuseppe Valadier with ormolu lion supports and very similar ormolu eagle finial was sold Sotheby's London, July 7, 2009, lot 59 and is illustrated ibid., fig. 52 and pp. 136-137.