Bertolami Fine Art - Riversdell Close 27, KT16 9JW Chertsey
Auction 86 - Glyptics and Ancient Jewelry sessione unica
Wednesday 9 December 2020 hours 14:00 (UTC +01:00)
A fine roman carnelian intaglio set in a gold frame. Bust of Hercules.
A fine roman carnelian intaglio set in a gold frame. Bust of Hercules.
Beginning of the 1st century A.D.
6 x 8 x 2 mm
The young hero is facing right, with the club engraved behind his neck. This intaglio, considering the really small size of the stone, is characterized by an extraordinary engraving quality. In such a small surface the engraver managed to render all the anatomical and physiognomic details of this portrait, even with small almost globular elements for the club, inspired by the Gnaios models. The stone is mounted in a small gold frame with traces of bronze in the backside, probably ancient. Signs of wear. Attractive color of the stone. Slight wear marks.
Parallels: Antike Gemmen in Deutschen Sammlungen, Band IV, Hannover und Hamburg, n. 1057, 1058; Die Antiken Gemmen des Kunsthistorisches Museum in Wien, band I, p. 165 n. 543.
U.K. private collection, London.