Original 18th century box containing an entirely Italian collection of 32 different booklets bound in marvellous decorative papers.: Rare 118th century box entirely hand-painted in powder blue, with floral decorations in dark green, blue and antique pink on the sides

One box (350 x 230 x 90 mm) and 32 booklets; the angles of the box are slightly worn, the overall coditions of the box and the collection are very good, considering the great fragility of these thin booklets and the scarcity of such an item.

Rare 118th century box entirely hand-painted in powder blue, with floral decorations in dark green, blue and antique pink on the sides.

The lid is also powder blue, but with a big rectangular straw-yellow shape in the middle, framed by the same floral decorations used on the sides. The booklets vary in dimensions and topics: most of them are religious themed, although among them can be found works of poetry, plays, and comedies composed for aristocratic weddings as well as annual accounts and political reviews, each one published in Italy during the 18th century.

The most interesting aspect of these pamphlets is in fact the paper they are bound in; the collection shows a wide range of 18th century decorative papers that vary in colours, patterns and thickness.

The colours travel from cold to warm, sometimes mixing up; the patterns range from flowers and leaves to geometrical shapes, passing through spongings and waves; some are thick as cardboards, others are closer to tissue paper. Along with the pamphlets, there are also two wide loose leaves of decorative paper.