Collection Antique Grand Tour Plaster Intaglios Framed Neoclassical For Sale

A handsome and highly decorative collection of four 19th-century plaster intaglios, beautifully presented as miniature works of art and evocative of the Grand Tour and Neoclassical tradition. Each finely molded relief depicts imagery drawn from the classical world, recalling the engraved gems, cameos, sculptures, mythology, and antiquities that fascinated European travelers and collectors throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.These small plaster impressions were produced as collectible representations of celebrated ancient gems and classical subjects. Particularly appealing, each intaglio retains a small identifying number along its edge, which would originally have corresponded to a descriptive catalogue or reference sheet accompanying a much larger collection. Such numbered examples offer a wonderful glimpse into the scholarly nature of Grand Tour collecting, when these miniature impressions served both as souvenirs and as portable records of admired works from antiquity.The four examples display a pleasing variety of Neoclassical figural imagery, including profile portraiture and elegant mythological or allegorical scenes rendered in crisp white relief. Their diminutive scale only enhances their charm, inviting close examination of the remarkably detailed modeling. Around the 1950s, the intaglios were given an elegant new presentation in substantial wood shadow-box style frames. Each is mounted against a rich golden-brown velvet backing and protected beneath glass, with the warm figuring of the wood providing a particularly handsome contrast to the pale plaster. Brass hanging rings complete the presentation and give the group the appearance of objects from an established collector's cabinet.Each framed intaglio measures approximately 7.5 inches wide × 6.75 inches high × 1.25 inches deep. Each plaster intaglio measures approximately 2.25 × 1.75 inches. Good antique condition, one frame has an abrasion loss to the left side border. There are a few chips to the plaster that have fallen inside the frame. Please review the photos for further condition assessment.Displayed together, the four make an especially striking arrangement. Their combination of 19th-century Grand Tour history, classical subject matter, sculptural relief, and mid-century custom framing makes them ideal for a library, study, gallery wall, English country interior, or traditionally decorated home. They would be equally appealing to collectors of intaglios, cameos, classical antiquities, and Grand Tour memorabilia.Check out our other antique listings.