Luigi Valadier (1726–1785)
Soup Bowl with Dish and Spoon (Écuelle), 1778–79
Gilt silver
tureen, 6 1/8 × 12 × 7 1/8 in. (15.5 × 30.5 × 18 cm);
spoon, h. 7 1/4 in. (18.5 cm)
Museo di Roma, Palazzo Braschi, Rome
© Roma — Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali — Museo di Roma; photo Mauro Magliani
A small covered bowl accompanied by a dish and a spoon, an écuelle, was sometimes given — particularly in France and Germany — to a new mother to celebrate the birth of her child. The two doves at the top of this écuelle may represent the love between the parents of a newborn. This particular object, which is indebted to French models, is close in style to works designed by Luigi’s father, André.