A Monumental Mosaic Depicting Saints Valeria and Martial, by Salvatore Nobili, Vatican Mosaic Studio, Rome, 1895

after Giovanni Antonio Galli (called Lo Spadarino, 1595-1650); inscribed ‘Sanctus Martialis Epvs Lemovic. et Sancta Valeria V. Decollata J.A. Spadarino – 1595 – 1650 – Pinxis R. F. S. P. V. Fecit 1895 (St Martial Bishop of Limoges and St Valeria Virgin, Beheaded; J.A. Spadarino 1595-1650 painted it R.F.S.P.V - Reverenda Fabbrica di San Pietro in Vaticano, made 1895); with Papal seals.

St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Rome, 1895-1963.

With The Vatican Mosaic Studio, 1963-1983.

In a Private American Midwest Collection, 1983-2012.

Sold Christie's, New York, 29-30 November 2012, lot 352.

Frank DiFederico, The Mosaics of Saint Peter's: Decorating the New Basilica, Pennsylvania, 1983 (illustrated).

This extraordinary object is in good condition. There are two areas of movement horizontally and vertically probably conforming to the stretcher to the back which have been stabilized. This is barely noticeable and is not distracting. There are two small patches in the two top corners which may have been caused when removing the piece from the altar at St. Peter's Basilica. The mosaic within a gilt-bronze frame.
"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."

This monumental mosaic was made specifically for Saint Peter’s Basilica by the Vatican Mosaic Studio, and is undoubtedly the only artwork of its kind to have come on the market in the past generation. With its great scale and refined tonalities, it rivals the other illustrious examples of this art that remain in the Holy See.

The original for this mosaic is The Martyrdom of St. Valeria and St. Martial, a masterwork by Lo Spadarino (fig. 1) completed for the Basilica between 1626-1632, and which hung above the Altar of St. Joseph (fig. 2) until 1824, when it was replaced by a large-scale mosaic after Domenichino’s Ecstasy of St. Francis. In the 1880s, the determination of the Bishop of Limoges - of which St. Valeria is the patron - led to Lo Spadarino’s painting, which in the meantime had been removed to the Sala Capitolare, also being translated into mosaic form.

The creation of the mosaic took over two and a half years, from 1893 to 1895 - when it was dedicated by Pope Leo XIII – and was achieved by Salvatore Nobili, then Head of the Vatican Mosaic Studio, with a team of seven highly skilled artisans: Giovanni Albigi, Pietro Bornia, Ettore Vannutelli, Federico and Lucinio Campanili, Augusto Mogla and Innocenzo Pallini. The result is of arresting impact, with the colour and modelling equalling the painting down to its most minute details, making this perhaps the last great chef-d’oeuvre in the long tradition of the workshop.

In the early 1960’s Pope John XXIII (1881-1963) ordered its removal to the Studio inventory and its substitution with a mosaic in honour of St. Joseph. Eventually gifted in the 1980’s to an American benefactor, it is today the only known example of this series not housed in a museum.

VALERIA OF LIMOGES

The cult of St. Valeria of Limoges, a legendary martyr of the Roman period, has been particularly significant in Limousin, France, since medieval times. Her life is recorded in Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda aurea, a collection of hagiographies dating from around 1260. Beheaded for her faith, she was required to present her own head to St. Martial, her confessor and first bishop of the city.  The singular trait of cephalophory is particularly recurrent in French traditions, with a similar story regarding the capital’s patron saint, Denis – a symbolic assertion of the superiority of faith in the face of persecution.

St. Valeria’s alleged remains are buried together with those of her bishop in the Abbey of St Martial, Limoges. Representation of her martyrdom is a central theme of Limousin art, with perhaps the most refined examples being the stained glass in the city’s cathedral and the famous Limoges enamels.

THE VATICAN MOSAIC STUDIO

The Vatican Mosaic Workshop, or Studio (Studio del Mosaico della Fabbrica della Basilica di S. Pietro) was already active in 1576, by which time the construction of the ‘new’ basilica had turned Rome into a centre capable of rivalling Venice and Florence, which had until then been the major preservers of this venerable, Paleochristian tradition.

The first eminent name associated with the Studio is that of Girolamo Muziano (1532-1592) a mannerist painter who devoted himself especially to the Gregorian chapel; mosaics for the majestic cupola of the Clementine chapel followed in the early 17th century.

In the ensuing years Maffeo Barberini, Pope Urban VIII (1568-1644) encouraged a systematic replica of the paintings and frescoes that already graced St. Peter’s basilica, while in 1727 Pope Benedict XIII Orsini (1724-1730) made this laboratorio a permanent institution. The vogue reached its peak in the second half of the 18th century with the monumental mosaic of Raphael’s Transfiguration (1759-1767; the original removed to the Pinacoteca Vaticana). 

Among the main reasons for such a methodical reproduction was the high level of humidity in the aisles of the basilica, which could have disastrous effects on the canvases. Copy on such a vast scale had been made possible by the discovery in 1731 by Alessio Mattioli of a particular enamel denominated ‘scorzetta’ that eliminated reflections, and thus allowed for a dramatical increase in the range of chromatic gradations available to mosaicists.

Soon after 1757, the decoration of the cupolas completed, the Workshop established a commercial arm specialising in mosaic in piccolo, or micromosaics, of particular appeal to visitors on the Grand Tour, but which were also intended as papal gifts for visiting dignitaries. Today, the Studio happily mixes the continued conservation and restoration of the many mosaics present in the basilica with a select production of new pieces.