AN ITALIAN NEOCLASSICAL GILT-BRONZE-MOUNTED WHITE MARBLE MANTEL CLOCK ROME, LATE 18TH CENTURY

In overall very good conserved condition. There are some restorations to the rim of the marble sarcophagus at the top. The gilt bronze feet of the sarcophagus have been re-glued to the arched top of the clock. There is a small chip to the back of the black marble socle. One feet has been re-gluedto the black marble base. The bronze mounts could benefit from a slight clean according to taste. Old minor marks, stains and scratches consistent with age and use. An impressive piece by the leading Roman bronzier with beautiful detail to the chasing of the gilt-bronze mounts.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparative Literature:
Alvar González-Palacios, L'Oro di Valadier: Un genio nella Roma del Settecento, Exhibition Catalogue, Rome, 1997, p. 137.
Giuseppe Beretti, et al, Gli Splendori del Bronzo: Mobili ed ogetti d'arredo tra Francia e Italia, Turin, 2002, pp. 136-137, figs. 52 and 53.
Enrico Colle, A. Griseri, R. Valeriani, Bronzi Decorativi in Italia, Milan, 2001, pp. 224-225, no. 63, for various neoclassical clocks by Valadier.

This glorious clock case can be attributed to the workshop of Luigi and Giuseppe Valadier. The activities of this celebrated dynasty of Roman goldsmiths and founders including Luigi Valadier (1726-1785) and his son Giuseppe (1762-1839), have been well documented. However, it was Alvar González-Palacios, who first proposed that both Luigi and his son Giuseppe made clock cases. 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, it is illustrated by González-Palacios, op.cit., p. 137 and reproduced here in fig.1. The attribution of the present clock to the Valadier workshop is further supported by a clock with the same rounded top mounted with lion masks, sarcophagus finial, bow and arrow trophy and recumbent lions by Luigi Valadier. This piece is also illustrated by González-Palacios, op.cit., p. 137. A clock with a similar rounded top supported by two male figures by Giusppe Valadier is now in the Museo Duca di Martina, Naples, see Beretti, op.cit., p. 137, fig. 53. A clock by Giuseppe Valadier with gilt-bronze lion supports and very similar ormolu eagle finial is also illustrated by Beretti, op.cit., pp.136-137, fig. 52 and was sold Sotheby's London, July 7th, 2009, lot 59 for £87,650.
A neo-classical mantel clock related to the one sold in 2009, attributed to Giuseppe Valadier and originally from the collection of Baron Réde, Hôtel Lambert Paris, was sold Sotheby's, Monaco, 25th-26th May 1975, lot 249. It was subsequently sold Christie's, New York, 18th October 2002, lot 367.
The movement and the dial signed Berthod are later additions.

Luigi (1726-1785) and Giuseppe Valadier (1762-1839):
The Valadier family was the most well-known and celebrated dynasty of goldsmiths and founders in 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 favour 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), see fig.2. 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 a 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 modelled 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.