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 renaissance agate cameo mounted on a modern gold ring. Ariadne.
A renaissance agate cameo mounted on a modern gold ring. Ariadne.
16th - 17th century A.D.
Cameo : 16 x 20 mm
Ring : 17 x 17 mm
9,32 g
The naked sleeping figure is lying to the left above the rocks, with the head turned slightly downwards, supported by his right arm. The eyes are still closed, the legs crossed and the left arm raised in a sign of rest. The figure can be identified with the sleeping Ariadne. In this cameo the figure is elegantly draped with a fold rising in the air and partially cover the figure in his intimate sleep. The scene seems to have been inspired by a relief or a statuary model. The sculptural rendering, the articulated pose of the figure and the peculiar drapery, the executive refinement are all elements that lead this work to the workshop of Alessandro Masnago (active in Milan in c. 1560-1620). The stone is mounted in a gold ring. Very fine condition.
Parallels : Le Gemme dei Medici al Museo degli Argenti. Cammei e Intagli nelle collezioni del Palazzo Pitti, p. 188, n°81-82
U.K private collection, London.