DECORATIVE ARTS DEPARTMENT

The Pacetti tables

Restored thanks to the generosity of the Minnesota Chapter

The Pacetti tables are a couple of monumental tables sustained by bronze statutes of Hercules, along with table-tops of gray granite inside ornamental friezes in chiseled gold-leaf bronze with events from the pontificate of Pope Pius VI. A collaborative effort of the sculptor, Vincenzo Pacetti (1746-1820), the silversmith, Giuseppe Valadier (1762-1839) and the goldsmith, Pietro Paolo Spagna (1793-1861), these two tables are the most prestigious commissions of the Braschi pontificate (Pius VI, 1775-1799). Both these tables survive as splendid examples of the innovations introduced into neo-classical furniture using pre-industrial assemblage techniques.

Embellished Silver Cruet   Restored thanks to the generosity of the Dyson Foundation, New York Patrons The amphora-shaped cruet is subdivided in seven zones by a braid motif. In the central part are the busts of Christ, St. Peter, St. Paul , and two other apostles depicted inside medallions. The vessel, dating from the V century A.D., was used to hold wine or water for domestic or liturgical use. It came to the Museo Sacro from the Albani Collection but was originally unearthed in the Valerii house on the Celian Hill during the pontificate of Benedict XV (Lambertini, 1740-58). The connection with the important late-antique family makes this object of great interest for both historical and religious studies of this period.

Twenty Display Cases in the Library Restored thanks to the generosity of the New York Patrons The Museo Sacro of the Vatican Apostolic Library was instituted by Benedict XIV (Lambertini, 1740-58) in the salon at the end of the Gallery of Urban VIII that is still called by his name (1756). The museum, focusing on displaying the discoveries coming from the first excavations of the cemeteries from late-antiquity, documents the faith and the conditions of life of the first Christians. The twenty bookcases where the objects are located, were designed by the cabinet-makers, Giovan Battista Pericoli and Antonio Ravasi, assisted by the silversmith Bartolomeo Boroni for the gilt bronze appliqué and by Luigi Valadier for the twenty-four busts of the cardinal librarians that line the top of the room. The design, decorations and choice of materials offer an important documentation of the installation of a museum in the late XVIII century.

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