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 late Roman sardonyx cameo. Lion.
A fine late Roman sardonyx cameo. Lion.
3rd-4th century AD.
13 x 19 x 6 mm
The mighty animal, symbol of strength and power, is represented in profile facing right. The mouth is half-open, a massive body; the tail is sinuous with the end facing upwards. The groundline and the figure are honey-brown in color, the bottom is white with brown shades on the edges. Empire. Work inspired by the classic late Hellenistic and Roman models of the early imperial period.
Parallels: sardonyx cameo of the National Archelogical Museum of Naples (inv. No. 25969/136), almost the same in type. Slight signs of wear. For comparison: U. Pannuti, The glyptic collection. National Archaeological Museum of Naples, vol. 2, pp. 273-274.
European private collection.