170

A pair of ivory plaques, Italy, late 17th - early 18th

Weight I: 132.5 g. Weight II: 74.3 g

Antique pair of carved elephant ivory plaques (Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758 or Loxodonta africana Blumenbach, 1797) depicting a male bust in relief accompanied by identifying inscriptions on the front and biographical notes on the back, within frames painted in imitation tortoiseshell.

The first plaque depicts a man with the inscription P. PIETRO MAFFEI above, corresponding to the Jesuit and humanist Pietro Maffei (1553–1603); on the reverse side, according to the transcription, it reads: “A learned Jesuit Professor of Eloquence, Genoa born of Bergamo died in Tivoli (?) aged 67 A.D. 1603.”.

The second plaque shows the bust of a man with the inscription SCIPIONE AMMIRATO above it, identifiable as the Florentine historian Scipione Ammirato (1531–1601); on the reverse side, the transcription reads: “An Eminent Historian ... the History of Florence born at Naples died at Florence aged 36 A.D. 1629.” One word is illegible, while the date seems to differ from the known biography and could be the result of a transcription error or a late copy.

The two plaques together form part of a series of portraits of illustrious men of the Italian Renaissance, probably intended for antique collectors and scholars. The preciousness of the ivory and the painted tortoiseshell frames testify to a cultured and refined taste linked to the rediscovery of humanism and antiquity

Height x diameter frames: 14.5 x 12 cm

Height x diameter ivory I: 11.5 x 8 cm

Height x diameter ivory II: 11.4 x 8 cm

This lot, accompanied by a CITES certificate and expertise issued by Ce.S.Ar Centro studi archeometici, is only available for sale with shipments within the European Union. (expertise Ce.S.Ar. 2025-223)

Provenance:
Count Luigi Rigi Luperti collection.