A group of cameos and intaglios, late 18th/ early 19th century

including two unmounted Tassie glass paste intaglios and one with gold-cased tassel fob mount, with the arms of Sir William Forbes, 6th baronet; a rare dark Tassie glass paste window ornament, moulded as a girl in profile, 3.5cm., 1 5/8in.; a gold fob seal with double dolphin handle, the agate matrix engraved with the Colosseum; a gold-mounted lavastone bracelet, Southern Italy, 18cm., 7in.; a lyre-shaped gold swivel seal engraved with the days of the week, Paris, early 19th century; a brooch composed of three simulated turquoise classical reliefs, probably Paris; 11 glass paste intaglios, the majority with symbols and mottos; an oval enamel plaque painted with the head of Homer en camaïeu, probably Geneva; an amethyst glass intaglio engraved with good wishes for George III's recovery from sickness; and 8 further fragments, intaglios or cameos in shell, glass, lava or hardstone, contained within a contemporary fishskin buckle case

According to an invoice from James Tassie, dated 22 June 1784, Sir William Forbes purchased '2 pastes of a coat of arms, £0-5-0; and ditto set in a gold seal £1-6-6 (Acc. 4786 / box 217).
Sir William Forbes appears to have been an enthusiastic patron of James Tassie, a fellow Scot, sitting for his portrait in 1791 (see lot 146), purchasing portrait medallions of other Scottish worthies (see lot 147) as well as the glass pastes in this lot. According to a letter sent by Tassie to Alex Wilson of Glasgow on 1 July 1784, he was working on producing 'very pretty ornaments for windows... the first set we are adoing for a specimen is 24 heads of reformers by Dacier' (John P. Smith, James Tassie 1735-1799, exhibition catalogue, Mallett, 1995, p. 48). Given that Tassie's invoice for Sir William is dated only a few days earlier, it is not inconceivable that this single unmounted profile was given to Sir William as a sample of the new process, which in the event did not catch on.

Generally good order but some time decay and cracks.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Like so many 18th and 19th century aristocrats, the Forbes family toured Europe at various dates, both for education and for health. Sir William and his wife travelled to Rome and Naples in 1792-3 via the Low Countries and Switzerland to avoid the Terror in France. Their heirs were able to visit France in the 1820s and Italy in the 1830s.

Jewellery set with neo-classical cameos carved from the soft lavastone to be found in various hues on the slopes of Vesuvius was extremely popular with foreign travellers and we know that Sir William was fascinated by the unusual geology of the volcanic region, making extensive comments in his diaries.

In Paris, many tourists chose to visit the Palais Royal where there were smart shops selling trinkets such as revolving seals into which could be fitted appropriate glass paste motto blocks such as these.