The Campidoglio Oval tray

This tray in 18/10 stainless steel is a homage to Michelangelo, whose greatness has been admired by Robert Venturi since his student days at the Princeton school of architecture. It is a homage especially to Rome, a city Venturi deeply loves and explores as an example of historic continuity of architecture. The decoration is inspired by the Piazza del Campidoglio, but the reference is more evocative than literal: the original design, on a circular plan, was modified to adapt it to the ellipse of the tray and to the technical requirements for creating the decoration, which is executed on steel by mechanical incision and subsequent galvanic gilding, and is the fruit of careful research with Alessi's engineers.