Pair of medallions. Italy, XVIII century

Pair of medallions. Italy, XVIII century.
Reliefs with classical profiles in carved marble.
One of the medallions has an inscription on the back.
Measurements: 37 x 36 x 4 cm.

These two marble tondos, made at the end of the 18th century in Italy, present male and female effigies carved in relief with a refined classical profile. He appears with a beard and a knotted kerchief in front, while she wears an updo adorned with ribbons and a pearl earring. The composition, of great sobriety and balance, reveals the neoclassical taste for Greco-Roman aesthetics, characterized by its search for harmony, formal purity and reference to Antiquity.

This circular format with portraits in profile has its roots in the classical tradition and was especially appreciated during Neoclassicism. In parallel to marble sculpture, this type of representation had a remarkable development in England thanks to Josiah Wedgwood. His invention of jasperware, a matte ceramic with soft colors, allowed the production of small-format medallions and tondos with busts in profile, largely inspired by classical models and used as decorative or commemorative objects. These pieces shared the same aspiration for idealized perfection typical of the enlightened spirit of the time.