The Ricky Jay Collection Part III

[ACROBATS]. The Nicolotti and Castellani Factions. [Italy: ca. mid-1700s]. Hand-colored pictorial engraving bearing two images of rival groups, the Nicolotti and the Castellani, in a human pyramid competition (“Forze d’Ercole,” or the Labors of Hercules) during the Venice Carnival celebration, captioned below in Italian; each depiction features more than a dozen individuals balancing atop one another, wearing matching red and blue costumes, in a dramatic demonstration of strength and agility, reaching heights similar to the buildings surrounding them. [Possibly after Giuseppe Remondini 1745 – 1811]. The two groups, consisting of members from the Italian city’s working class neighborhoods, were an early version of street gang whose legendary rivalry persisted for centuries. 13 ½ x 8 ¾”. One-inch tear near lower left caption, light soiling, old mounting material to verso.