Luigi Valadier (1726–1785)
Vase, ca. 1775–80
Rosso Appennino marble and gilt silver
8 3/4 x 5 7/8 x 3 7/8 in. (22.2 x 14.9 x 9.8 cm)
The Frick Collection, New York
This vase resembles the drawn modello by Valadier. It is small but of exquisite quality and made with an exotic and seldom used marble, rosso Appennino. This is the only known marble object by Valadier to have gilt-silver mounts. The acorn on the top suggests that the vase may have been commissioned by the Chigi family, whose coat of arms included oak branches.