Lot 322 | A fine neoclassical carnelian intaglio set in an gold and enamel mounting . Mars and Venus. 19th century.

Bertolami Fine Art - Bertolami Fine Art, 1 Harewood Place 1, W1S 1BU Londra

A fine neoclassical carnelian intaglio set in an gold and enamel mounting . Mars and Venus. 19th century.

A fine neoclassical carnelian intaglio set in an gold and enamel mounting . Mars and Venus.

19th century.

Venus is caressing the helmeted Mars, the god of the War, who wants to depart, armed with his spear. Several statuary groups depict “Venus detaining Mars from the Wars”, similar to that intaglio engraved in a deep red carnelian. The examples found in neoclassical art are after ancient roman versions. The marble group from Ostia (in the Museo Nazionale Romano), and the one in the Louvre are both roman copies after lost greek original, mixing the types of the Ares Borghese and of the Aphrodite of Capua. This intaglio could be a neoclassical version of earlier gems. Almost identical gems were cast by Tassie: three are inverted (n. 6514-6516), one is in the same direction but heads are further apart (n. 6517), one in green chalcedony (n. 6518) and a lost one is in jasper (n.6519). A terminus post-quem for the original design is given by the gem once owned by Claude de Boudaloue (d. 1715), possibly the one later copied by William Brown. This carnelian intaglio is set in an elegant cuff-button, 1860’s marked TIFFANY & CO 18ct on the reverse. The gold mount is bordered with twisted wirework, applied with opaque white enamel decorated with circular opaque royal blue enameled motif surrounded by twisted wirework. Tiffany & Co had a collection of antique gems in addition to its stock of contemporary examples. 

Stone 18 x 24 mm; mounting 24 x 30 mm; 9,60 gr.