These blind man's buff groteschi are inspired by Jacques Callot's (d. 1635) celebrated series of engravings, 'Varie figure Gobbi di Iacopo Callot fatto in firenza Ianno 1616'. First depicted on pietra dura panels executed by Bacino del Bianco in the Opificio delle Pietra Dure, Florence (for instance the panel illustrated in A-M. Giusti, Pietre Dure, London, 1992, fig. 106, which mirrors Callot's engraving of 'Le Joueur de flageolet'), Callot's engravings enjoyed a huge revival in the 18th Century with the publication of such volumes as W. Koning's Il Callotto Resuscitato oder Neu-eingerichtetes Zwerchen Cabinett, Amsterdam, 1716. This fashion for dwarfs and groteschi ranged from Meissen porcelain and marquetry inlay, to marzipan moulds and garden statuary (for instance the lead figure of a dwarf at Longleat House, Wiltshire). With its ebonised and inset siena marble base, this desk-set was probably executed in Italy, as this form of base is shared with Italian bronzes acquired during the Grand Tour in the 18th Century. It is therefore of interest to note that the Flemish sculptor Walther Pompe (1703-77) was producing similar figures in his workshop in Italy