LIBEROTTI, GIOVANNI

Liberotti Impronte [spine title]. Eighteen book-form boxes of plaster intaglios. [Rome: Giovanni Liberotti, 1820s-1830s]. Publisher's vellum spines gilt with red leather labels, marbled sides. 9 3/4 x 6 inches (25 x 15 cm); each box with two trays of 12-18 mounted intaglios of various sizes (the count varies box to box), the original mounted hand-written list of the contents pasted inside each cover. A number of the boxes are slightly defective or show signs of restoration, though the vellum spines are sound, with resulting tears to the green paper lining the boxes; some intaglios have previously loosened from the mounts and have since been remounted by earlier owners, in a few instances in the incorrect location, though the intaglios themselves are generally in excellent condition. A few intaglios are missing, and one intaglio in the Thorwaldsen box has a small chip.

Liberotti's boxes of bas-reliefs were a favored souvenir of the Grand Tour, beloved by no less than Goethe himself, who owned a large collection of these charming white gesso casts of engraved gems. Some of these, such as the bas-reliefs of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, etc., were clearly for the American market, and are likely original works from Liberotti's studio. The volumes include two of the works of Thorwaldsen; one of various classical authors; three of notable figures (this includes those of American interest); one after the works of Canova; and the balance are primarily from various Italian museums. For a link to images of the contents, please see https://share.icloud.com/photos/0c6gwK7m_gjSt5-mCIB8GA1dw

For an excellent survey of these works, see:

https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/liberotti#Citation1

Please note that the description originally listed the incorrect number of volumes; this is correctly eighteen, and the description has been generally revised.