Pair Of Very Finely Carved Cork Paintings - Souvenir Of The Grand Tour From The Napoleon III Period

Pair of very finely carved cork paintings, representing Stolzenfels Castle and a chalet with a mill in the Black Forest in Germany. The 3-dimensional sculptures are extremely fine and precise (you can see the steamboat on the Rhine and you can count the window panes of the chalet) and enhanced with blue watercolor for the Rhine and the sky. The works are presented in wooden frames gilded with gold leaf, to Marie-Louise in finely embossed cardboard, enhancing the paintings. Souvenir of the Grand Tour of the 1850s-60s. There is often a tendency to reduce memories of the Grand Tour (the aristocratic educational journey across Europe undertaken by young men from the highest classes of European society from the 17th to the 19th century), to objects from Italy. But these objects brought back from Germany and framed in Paris clearly show that destinations such as Romantic Germany were much larger than the Italian peninsula. Interesting amateur object, ideal for completing a 19th century cabinet of curiosities with one of those little details that create an authentic atmosphere. Provenance: Edouard Mikaelian collection In excellent condition, frames gilded with gold leaf restored by our gilder, original blown glass windows. Dimensions: 35x31cm