Pair Of Obelisks Decorated With Antique Plaster Cameos Late 18th Century

Exceptional pair of obelisks decorated with plaster cameos Italian work late 18th century The cameos represent ancient scenes in Greek and Neoclassical style interest in the forms and ornamentation of neoclassical style, very fashionable under Louis XVI, the Directory or even the Empire favored the creation and dissemination of works of art with Greco-Roman influence. The craze for castings of engraved gems (cast on cameos or intaglios) corresponds to the era of the “Grand tour”. During their trip to Italy, passionate collectors and artists brought back in their luggage boxes of cast miniatures as typical souvenirs or as study subjects to draw inspiration from antique themes. An intaglio is a hard, thin stone engraved in the mass, often mounted on a ring to serve as a seal or stamp. The stones most frequently used for intaglios are carnelian, chalcedony, agate, jasper and rock crystal. The cameo is a stone cut in relief. Both intaglios and cameos feature classic figurative motifs. These magnificent casts of great finesse depict Greek and Roman deities, architectural details and even mythological figures. These cameos were mounted on cardboard obelisks covered in blue and white paper reminiscent of English Wedgwood porcelain from the 18th century, themselves inspired by antique cameos. In addition, these objects are witnesses to the craze for the Orient and the antique which was born at the end of the 18th century These are very beautiful collector's items and unique pieces
dimensions 42 x 13 x 13 cm