Grand Tour Book of Plaster Intaglios by Bartolomeo Paoletti

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Beautifully preserved Grand Tour book-form box housing a collection of twenty-four classical Intaglio Medallions by Bartolomo Paoletti. Paoletti who was … Read more Beautifully preserved Grand Tour book-form box housing a collection of twenty-four classical Intaglio Medallions by Bartolomo Paoletti. Paoletti who was one of the most respected makers of classical intaglio medallions in Italy. Bound in faux-marbled paper, box opens to reveal fitted interior lined in rich blue paper and filed with finely cast plaster portrait medallions depicting figures for antiquity. The book is titled Uomini Illustrui ("Illustrious Men"). The casts are mounted within a book-form case lined in deep blue, with the opposing page bearing an original handwritten text in Italian identifying each figure. The subjects include many of the most celebrated minds of the ancient world, among them, Plato, Socrates, Diogenes il Cinico, Archimedes, Demosthenes, Epicurus, and Alexander the Great. Each portrait is rendered in classical profile, derived from antique Roman prototypes and neoclassical interpretations during the era. The book itself is constructed as an object of study and display: when opened, it presents as a portable cabinet of curiosities, while when closed it reads as a scholarly volume. Objects like these were created as teaching tools and souvenirs, and often kept in libraries or studies.
In modern interiors, this book may be displayed open in a library, study, or office. It is ideal as a sculptural accent on a desk or console and can be layered with books, bronzes, or works on paper. See less