Pair of Italian Grand Tour–Style Green & Gilt Jasperware Intaglio Wall Plaques

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Pair of Italian Grand Tour–Style Green & Gilt Jasperware Intaglio Wall Plaques, Circa 1960s

This elegant pair of Italian Grand … Read more Pair of Italian Grand Tour–Style Green & Gilt Jasperware Intaglio Wall Plaques, Circa 1960s

This elegant pair of Italian Grand Tour–style wall plaques reflects the enduring influence of classical antiquity on mid-20th-century decorative arts. Produced in Italy circa the 1960s, the plaques are conceived in the tradition of carved cameos and intaglios long associated with Rome and Naples, where relief portraits after antique gems were sold to travelers as souvenirs of the Grand Tour.

Each plaque features a rich deep green ground, evocative of malachite or verd antique stone, set within a gilt molded frame with classical foliate ornament. The fields are populated with raised portrait medallions in contrasting ivory-white and warm buff tones, intentionally varied to simulate ancient materials such as marble, alabaster, and carved shell.

The reliefs depict idealized Greco-Roman profile heads, including helmeted warriors, classical female busts, and bearded philosophers—archetypal forms drawn from Roman imperial and mythological sources rather than specific historical figures. Their arrangement suggests a curated cabinet of antiquities, translated into decorative wall art.

Both plaques retain their original hanging hardware and notably feature two different hanger styles, a common and accepted variation in decorative production of the period.

Decorative, architectural, and highly versatile, these plaques are well suited to neoclassical, traditional, or eclectic interiors.

Dimensions (each):
8.25" W × 6.75" H × 0.5" D See less