Five Italian oval ivory portrait medallions of Roman emperors

Ships from The Netherlands

KOL
Kollenburg Antiquairs BV
Premier Seller

Five small, oval portrait medallions containing ivory plaquettes carved with the likenesses of Roman emperors and empresses, with their names in subscript. The plaquettes are fitted within oval frames, each featuring a handsomely curling foliate ornament at the top, which incorporates a small ring for affixation to the wall.

The emperors and empresses portrayed are:
TI  CLAV ; Claudius I (10 BC – 54 AD)
TI  CAES ; Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus  (42 BC – 37 AD)
AVG ; Imperator Caesar Augustus (63 BC – 14 AD)
CALPHV ; Calpurnia Pisonis, the fourth and last wife of Gaius Julius Caesar
LIVIA ; Livia Drusilla II, the wife of Emperor Augustus (58 BC – 29 AD)

The Grand Tour was a traditional journey undertaken by young men and women from the affluent layers of society, the purpose being to introduce them to the artistic wealth of France and Italy, thereby completing their education. This long period spent abroad became common practice among the social elite from the late seventeenth century onwards, and continued to grow in popularity until the mid-eighteenth century. As part of the tradition, travellers would collect artworks and souvenirs to serve as mementoes of their Grand Tour. The Grand Tour’s ultimate destination was Rome, where Grand Tourists purchased expensive souvenirs to take home: marble and bronze statues of Roman emperors and gods, paintings of cityscapes, or portraits of themselves with Grand Tour attributes. These portrait medallions are an excellent example.

Name
Five Italian oval ivory portrait medallions of Roman emperors
Categories
Figurative Sculptures
Periods
18th Century ca. 1775 Antique
Materials
gilt bronze, carved ivory
Styles
Louis XVI
Measurements
Height: 8 cm, Width: 6 cm
Reference
KOLA100644
KOL
Kollenburg Antiquairs BV
Premier Seller
Artlistings seller since 2015
Located in Oirschot , The Netherlands

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