Giovanni Liberotti. LIBEROTTI IMPRONTE. Vols. 4 and 5 (of 6 total volumes). Rome, circa 1820-30. Large 8vo-format wood faux-book boxes, half parchment with marbled paper-covered boards, red leather labels and gilt lettering and patterns on spine. Each book opens from front and back to reveal indexes handwritten in Italian and miniature plaster reproductions of Classical and Renaissance sculptures and paintings from throughout Italy, numbered and mounted on green paper-lined interior; one book with (17) extant intaglios and the other with (37).

Largest intaglio 2 3/4 in. dia.; each book box 10 1/4 x 6 1/4 in.

From the Estate of the late International Interior Designer Terry Parsons, Pittsboro, North Carolina

Giovanni Liberotti created sets of intaglios as souvenirs for tourists on the Grand Tour, an educational trip for members of the upper class to cities throughout Europe, such as London, Paris, Florence, and Rome. Each index in the set lists the titles of the works of art, the artist (if applicable), and even the location of the artworks (such as the Vatican and Herculaneum). Although aristocrats would commission paintings and acquire other objects to serve as souvenirs, these sets of miniatures offered important reminders once they returned home from their travels of many of the famous works of art that they saw. For example, Volume 4, included in this lot, contains an intaglio of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper. Today, these sets are found in museum and university collections worldwide, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harvard Art Museums, and The University of Edinburgh.

Faux books in poor condition with covers detached, one missing, and with significant wear and losses to parchment, paper, and boards, area of red paint to one board, spines rubbed with significant loss to parchment; interior with indexes torn, foxed, and with losses, wear to paper lining, some intaglios missing including approx. (2) in one box and (12) in the other, many intaglios no longer mounted and with small chips and scratches, but those present in overall good condition considering age.