Pace di Valentino (also known as Pacino; Pacino Orafo) was a

Sienese Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

goldsmith active from 1257 to 1296. Little is known about his early life, but he was probably born between 1230 and 1235. Though working chiefly in Siena, he also was established for a time in

Pistoia Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typi ...

, and received numerous commissions from different popes.

Commissions

The first documented reference to Pace di Valentino is for two

seals Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...

made in 1257. In 1265 he received two significant commissions: the first was for a large golden chalice ("''calicem magnum di auro''") weighing about 11 pounds and a corresponding

paten A paten or diskos is a small plate, used during the Mass. It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Western liturgical denominations, the p ...

, both of which are now lost; the second was for an elaborate gold-plated silver book cover. These were items not made for daily use, and having received these requests suggests that he was well known and well regarded in his field. Other notable works attributed to him include the chalice of San Atto made , and numerous figures in the late 13th-century Altar of St. James found the

Pistoia Cathedral Pistoia Cathedral, or Cathedral of Saint Zeno ( it, Duomo di Pistoia or ''Cattedrale di San Zeno'') is the main religious building of Pistoia, Tuscany, central Italy, located in the ''Piazza del Duomo'' in the centre of the city. It is the seat o ...

. Some art historians suggest that he made the

reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including ''wikt:phylactery, phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it i ...

San Galgano Galgano Guidotti (1148 – 3 December 1181) was a Catholic saint from Tuscany born in Chiusdino, in the modern province of Siena, Italy. His mother's name was Dionigia, while his father's name (Guido or Guidotto) only appeared in a document ...

's head, now found in Siena's Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, although this is disputed by others. In addition, other extant documents indicate the details of his purchases of gold, silver, pearls, beads, and precious stones for use in his shop, as well as details of payments for works commissioned. He was the first Sienese goldsmith to work for the papal court (under popes Nicholas III,

Martin IV Pope Martin IV ( la, Martinus IV; c. 1210/1220 – 28 March 1285), born Simon de Brion, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1281 to his death on 28 March 1285. He was the last French pope to have ...

, Honorius IV, and Boniface VIII) and was actively working for Boniface VIII in the region of

Montefiascone Montefiascone is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Viterbo, in Lazio, central Italy. It stands on a hill on the southeast side of Lake Bolsena, about north of Rome. History The name of the city derives from that of the Falisci (''Mons Fa ...

until at least 1296. He was influential on other goldsmiths of the following generation, including

Guccio di Mannaia Guccio di Mannaia (Malnaia; Malnaggia; Manaie; Mannaie) was an Italian goldsmith from Siena, Italy active from 1288 to 1322. He is best known for a 13th-century decorated gold-plated chalice which contains the first documented use of translucent en ...

Images

Altare argenteo di San Jacopo 01.jpg, The Altar of St. James in the Pistoia Cathedral File:Opera San Galgano 01.JPG, Reliquary of the head of San Galgano File:Opera San Galgano 02.JPG, Reliquary of the head of San Galgano (detail) File:Opera San Galgano 03.JPG, Reliquary of the head of San Galgano (detail)

References

External links

Website of the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Siena

Website of the Diocese of Pistoia
{{Authority control Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Italian goldsmiths 13th-century Italian artists People from Siena