Prev / Next

Easy Collecting: Books

Thursday 23 April 2026, 03:00 PM • Rome

75

Labruzzi, Carlo

Figures made from five compulsory points - Original Figures dedicated to His Excellency The Lord Major General Hervey, 1796

Estimate

€ 300 - 500

Sold

€ 419

The price includes buyer's premium

Information

Splendid album of red chalk engravings on heavy watermarked paper, in etching and aquatint. The first series contains a title page and 12 full-page engravings , the second a title page and 4 engravings on 8 pages, for a total of 25 engravings . The entire album therefore contains 38 engravings, with marginal foxing. Contemporary binding of half parchment and marbled cardboard.

Specialist Notes

Carlo Labruzzi created this collection, titled "Figures Made from Five Obligatory Points," in Italy between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Its sepia tones evoke classical antiquity, but the image is not as simple as it might seem. We see a draped figure seated in a landscape, holding a heraldic shield. The inscription identifies her as the Countess of O***borough, perhaps an aristocratic patron. Labruzzi was known for his landscapes, and these prints reflect the era's fascination with both classical forms and contemporary social hierarchy. Italian artists often relied on the support of wealthy patrons, and portraiture was a key way to consolidate such relationships. But the print's title suggests a playful subversion of this system. It translates to "Figures Made from Five Obligatory Points." Was Labruzzi satirizing the conventions of portraiture or the rigid social roles of his time?

Suggested lots

Caricamento lotti suggeriti...