Giuseppe Valadier
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe Valadier was an Italian architect and designer, urban planner and archeologist, a chief exponent of Neoclassicism
in Italy.
in 1762. He also occasionally provided designs for silver, such as the "York Chalice" for Henry Cardinal York
(1800-01) http://www.jacobite.ca/gazetteer/Vatican/Sacristy.htm#note03, the grand silver table service for Monsignor Antonio Odescalchi (1795-97) and the similar Rospigliosi-Pallavicini service, begun in 1803 http://www.rareartlondon.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=6&tabindex=5&objectid=16215 which we partly produced in the silver workshop he directly oversaw and partly sub-contracted to other Roman silversmiths. Valadier also designed some furniture and other decorative arts, such as the rock crystal and silver reliquary for relics of the Holy Crib in Santa Maria Maggiore, for Pope Pius IX
. Valadier worked in Rome and elsewhere in the Papal States
, but many of his projects remained on paper. He was named official architetto camerale of the Papal States by Pope Pius VI
in 1786. He taught architecture at the Accademia di San Luca
was a pioneer archeologist and a restorer of monuments, such as the Milvian Bridge (1805) and the Arch of Titus
in Rome, (1819-21). He retraced the ancient line of the Via Flaminia
(1805) and restored Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola
's neglected Church of Sant'Andrea in Via Flaminia, which influenced his own Church of Santa Maria della Salute in Fiumicino, the newly-establish port for Rome.
He published collections of his designs and drawings:
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
in Italy.
Biography
The son of a goldsmith, Luigi (1726–1785), Valadier was born in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1762. He also occasionally provided designs for silver, such as the "York Chalice" for Henry Cardinal York
Henry Benedict Stuart
Henry Benedict Stuart was a Roman Catholic Cardinal, as well as the fourth and final Jacobite heir to publicly claim the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Unlike his father, James Francis Edward Stuart, and brother, Charles Edward Stuart, Henry made no effort to seize the throne...
(1800-01) http://www.jacobite.ca/gazetteer/Vatican/Sacristy.htm#note03, the grand silver table service for Monsignor Antonio Odescalchi (1795-97) and the similar Rospigliosi-Pallavicini service, begun in 1803 http://www.rareartlondon.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=6&tabindex=5&objectid=16215 which we partly produced in the silver workshop he directly oversaw and partly sub-contracted to other Roman silversmiths. Valadier also designed some furniture and other decorative arts, such as the rock crystal and silver reliquary for relics of the Holy Crib in Santa Maria Maggiore, for Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
. Valadier worked in Rome and elsewhere in the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
, but many of his projects remained on paper. He was named official architetto camerale of the Papal States by Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI , born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, was Pope from 1775 to 1799.-Early years:Braschi was born in Cesena...
in 1786. He taught architecture at the Accademia di San Luca
Accademia di San Luca
The Accademia di San Luca, was founded in 1577 as an association of artists in Rome, under the directorship of Federico Zuccari, with the purpose of elevating the work of "artists", which included painters, sculptors and architects, above that of mere craftsmen. Other founders included Girolamo...
was a pioneer archeologist and a restorer of monuments, such as the Milvian Bridge (1805) and the Arch of Titus
Arch of Titus
The Arch of Titus is a 1st-century honorific arch located on the Via Sacra, Rome, just to the south-east of the Roman Forum. It was constructed in c.82 AD by the Roman Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his older brother Titus to commemorate Titus' victories, including the Siege of...
in Rome, (1819-21). He retraced the ancient line of the Via Flaminia
Via Flaminia
The Via Flaminia was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to Ariminum on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had for travel between Etruria, Latium and Campania and the Po Valley...
(1805) and restored Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola
Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola
Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola was one of the great Italian architects of 16th century Mannerism. His two great masterpieces are the Villa Farnese at Caprarola and the Jesuits' Church of the Gesù in Rome...
's neglected Church of Sant'Andrea in Via Flaminia, which influenced his own Church of Santa Maria della Salute in Fiumicino, the newly-establish port for Rome.
Major works
- Clocks with mosaic faces on top of the façade belltowers, Basilica of Saint Peter (1786-90);
- Villa TorloniaVilla Torlonia (Rome)Villa Torlonia is a villa and surrounding gardens in Rome, Italy, formerly belonging to the Torlonia family. It is entered from via Nomentana....
, Rome (1806 onwards); - General plan for access to the Imperial ForumsImperial forumsThe Imperial Fora consist of a series of monumental fora , constructed in Rome over a period of one and half centuries, between 46 BC and 113 AD. The forums were the center of the Roman Republic and of the Roman Empire.The Imperial forums, while not part of the Roman Forum, are located relatively...
(1811); - General plans for Piazza del PopoloPiazza del PopoloPiazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome. The name in modern Italian literally means "People's Square", but historically it derives from the poplars after which the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, in the northeast corner of the piazza, takes its name.The piazza lies inside the northern...
(first plans, 1793; final plans executed 1816–20), creating its elliptical plan and linking it via stairs and terraces with the Pincio, including the Casina Valadier (1816 onwards) in the Borghese Gardens; - Teatro ValleTeatro ValleThe Teatro Valle is a theatre and former opera house in Rome, Italy.Commissioned by the Capranica family, the architect Tommaso Morelli designed the theatre which was built in 1726. It was inaugurated with the staging of the tragedy Matilde by Simon Falconio Pratoli...
(1819); - Fiumicino (1822); the first planned suburb of modern Rome (1823-28);
- Church of Santa Maria della Salute, Fiumicino
- Restoration of the Arch of TitusArch of TitusThe Arch of Titus is a 1st-century honorific arch located on the Via Sacra, Rome, just to the south-east of the Roman Forum. It was constructed in c.82 AD by the Roman Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his older brother Titus to commemorate Titus' victories, including the Siege of...
, including the outer portion of the arch, and exterior columns)(1821-1822) - opening of via di Ripetta, via del Babuino, and via della Caserma (1822);
- Church of San Rocco, façade, in Ripetta (1831)
- Palazzo Nainer, via del Babuino (1819-21), now a hotel.
- 79, via del Babuino (1826); the architect's own home.
- General plan for the piazza of St John Lateran;
He published collections of his designs and drawings:
- Giuseppe Valadier , (Architectonic projects), Rome 1807
- Giuseppe Valadier, Raccolta delle più insigni fabbriche di Roma antica, Rome 1810
- Giuseppe Valadier, L'Architettura pratica: dettata nella Scuola dell'insigne Accademia di San Luca, 5 vols, Rome 1828– 1834;
Further reading
- Paolo Marconi. 1964. Giuseppe Valadier (Rome)
- Alvar Gonzalez-Palacios, Il Gusto Dei Principi, 1993, nos. 366-368. (designs and wine-coolers from the Odescalchi service)
- Valadier: Three Generations of Roman Goldsmiths: An exhibition of drawings and works of art. London: Artemis Group / David Carritt Limited, 1991.