Grand Tour Style Shadow Box, depicting, 6 Architectural example vignettes

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Grand Tour Architectural Study Shadow Box with Neoclassical Vignettes, Circa Mid-20th Century

An elegant and educational Grand Tour-style architectural study … Read more Grand Tour Architectural Study Shadow Box with Neoclassical Vignettes, Circa Mid-20th Century

An elegant and educational Grand Tour-style architectural study shadow box, presenting five miniature vignettes of classical Western architecture in wood and print. Standing 21 inches high, 11 inches wide, and 4 inches deep, the box features precision-carved elements in natural maple or beech wood, arranged against a backdrop of engraved architectural illustrations inspired by 18th- and 19th-century pattern books.

The top left features a 5" x 6" temple façade with a domed roof and columned portico. To the right, a composition of staircases and urns is framed by four carved finials, set before a graphic of a neoclassical urn (5" x 8"). Below, a Gothic pointed arch supported by turned columns (5" x 9") evokes ecclesiastical architecture, while a balustraded stair vignette in the lower right (5" x 7") suggests a Renaissance palazzo. At the base, a Roman-style arcade with five columns (10" x 4.5") is arranged before printed archways, completing the tableau.

Protected behind a removable clear plexiglass front, the architectural elements are fixed within a black-painted wooden case, intended for display either wall-mounted or standing. This piece is both a sculptural object and a didactic tool, recalling the Enlightenment-era tradition of the Grand Tour and the study of classical design. See less