Antique Grand Tour Red Sulphur Intaglios (priced individually)

A group of Grand Tour intaglio impressions, each cast in deep red and set within a gilt paper border. Impressions like these were taken from celebrated antique gems and carried home from Rome by travelers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, then kept in cabinets, trays and desk drawers as a portable library of the classical world.

Each is sold individually. They are lettered F through J in the second photograph; choose yours from the menu.

F · Cupid's Procession
The most animated of the group. A winged Cupid presses forward at the head of a crowded procession, the figures massed together in high relief across a broad horizontal oval. A scene full of movement, and a fine centerpiece for a desk or a cabinet shelf.
Approximately 1" across.

G · Standing Cupid
A small winged Cupid stands at ease in a graceful contrapposto, one arm reaching toward a low altar at his side. Delicately modeled within a deep, softly rounded border.
Approximately 0.75" across.

H · Classical Head in Profile
A youthful classical head in profile, the hair falling in loose, deeply carved curls and bound with an ornamented fillet, in the manner of an antique portrait gem. Rich in detail and quietly commanding.
Approximately 1" across.

I · Cupid with Raised Arm
A lively little Cupid in motion, one arm lifted high, a small creature at his feet. Set within a stepped gilt frame that gives it real presence for its size.
Approximately 0.8" across.

J · Laureate Head
A bearded head in profile, crowned with a laurel wreath, in the manner of a Roman portrait gem. Compact and densely modeled, framed by a raised double border.
Approximately 1" across.

Each shows the soft wear of age to its gilt edge, entirely in keeping with pieces that have been handled and admired for generations.