The Brand Cabinet

This wall cabinet was designed by English collector, politician, and writer Horace Walpole, for his close friend Thomas Brand. Inspired by classical architecture, it was intended to hold the kind of medals and portrait miniatures young men collected on their “grand tour” of Europe, a rite of passage for aristocratic gentlemen in the 1700s. The ivory reliefs that decorate the cabinet’s facade pay tribute to ancient Rome, which was then idealized as a model of artistic, cultural, and political achievement. Their imagery includes ancient portraits and erotic scenes from Roman mythology.