Antique Set Plaster Grand Tour Intaglios Pietro Bracci 18th Century

This is a museum quality cased set of twenty seven Grand Tour plaster intaglios by Pietro Bracci, Rome, Circa 1750 in date.

The intaglios are encased in the original tooled green leather lidded case. The subjects predominantly from classical antiquity with period busts cameos and classical architecture sites.

As these are original 18th-century plaster cast from Pietro Bracci's lifetime you can note the sharpness of the relief, the materials used for the border wrap, the numbering style, and how the collection is boxed.Because Grand Tour workshops used the exact same master molds for over a century, the physical characteristics of the object tell the story of when it was made. As an 18th-Century Original iy features crisp, highly defined microscopic details. Hair strands, facial expressions, and tiny Latin text are sharp because the sulphur or plaster moulds were brand new.  The intaglios have gilt borders of genuine gold leaf applied by hand, which display an irregular deep luster under a loupe.

Sculptor Pietro Bracci was born June 16, 1700 in Rome. He had a long career in the Eternal City and kept a detailed diary of his commissions for almost fifty years. He had a number of important patrons, including Popes Benedict XIII and XIV, for whom he created portraits and tombs. His best known work is the colossal figure of Oceanus that forms the focal point of Rome’s Trevi Fountain, carved after a model by Giovanni Battista Maini. He also created a magnificent tomb honoring Maria Clementina Sobieski, the wife of James Stuart, one of the Catholic claimants to the British throne. Echoing the great tomb ensembles of Gianlorenzo Bernini, the Sobieski monument is one of three in St. Peter’s dedicated to the deposed Stuart line.

Add a classical and cultural dimension to your home with this captivating selection of historic intaglios.

Condition:

In excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 29 cm x Width 19 cm x Depth 3 cm

Dimensions in inches:Height 11 inches x Width 7 inches x Depth 1 inch

Intaglios - were originally used as seals, these carvings or cuttings are moulded out of white plaster, marble dust or wax. The original 19th century intaglios were also made from wood or stone. The depressed designs depicting ancient scenes from Greece, Italy, etc were also used as markers of the land. They were also collected as souvenirs from European Grand Tours in 1830.

Our reference: A5290b