Veneres uti observantur in gemmis antiquis.

Fine hand-coloured copy of this fully engraved work, printed on papier verge de Hollande extra-fort - one of these 'rarissimes exemplaires dont les figures, chefs-d'oeuvre de gravure, ont ete peintes dans un coloris d'une beaute surprenante' (Pia).

Hancarville catalogued Sir William Hamilton's collection of ancient vases in Naples in 1764, from which it is likely he took some inspiration for these images showing a collection of classical erotica, supposedly taken from actual medallions. In 1777 he travelled to London, where he arranged the second edition of this work with the text also in English.

Our copy matches Pia's description; the number of plates may vary.