186

Ivory plaque, Italy, late 17th - early 18th

Height x diameter frame: 14.5 x 12 cm. Height x diameter ivory: 11.5 x 8 cm. Total weight: 121 g
Antique carved elephant ivory plaque (Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758 or Loxodonta africana Blumenbach, 1797) depicting a male bust in relief accompanied by identifying inscription on the front and biographical note on the back, within frame painted in imitation tortoiseshell.
The plaque depict a man with the inscription BENEDETTO VARCHI above, corresponding to the Italian historian Benedetto Varchi (1503–1565); on the reverse side, the transcription reads: “An Italian historian and poet born in Florence, died aged 63 in 1565.”
The plaque is 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 used for the busts and the frames painted in imitation tortoiseshell testify to a cultured and refined taste linked to the rediscovery of humanism and antiquity.
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. 2025-225)
Provenance:
Count Luigi Rigi Luperti collection.
27/01/2026 00:55:12
Lot closes
1g -24h 0m 0s
Time left
€ 800,00 / 1.000,00
Estimate
550,00 €
Starting price
 €
Your bid
(The reserve price has not been exceeded) (The reserve price has been exceeded)
Set your maximum bid
  EUR
Offer
Live auction 369

SILVER ANTIQUES, IVORIES, WUNDERKAMMER - Including selected Works of Art from the Count Luigi Rigi Luperti Collection

Palazzo Caetani Lovatelli, thu 19 February 2026
SINGLE SESSION 19/02/2026 Hours 15:00
Discover Similar Lots