Auction 86 - Glyptics and Ancient Jewelry

A roman burnt agate intaglio. Mask of Silenus.

1st - 2nd century A.D.

10 x 12 x 2 mm

Frontal mask of a Silenus, characterized by large eyes, thick beard and bald head. On the head, a crown of ivy leaves. Interesting color of the stone due to burns.



U.K. private collection

A roman amethyst intaglio. Bust of a ruler.

1st - 2nd century A.D.

13 x 17 x 3 mm

The young character is facing right and he is characterized by a draped bust and laurel wreath on the head. The head is characterized by thick hair framing the entire facing until the neck. Wear marks, small chips on the edge, and traces of iron mounting. The light amethyst is darker on the upper part and transparent on the lower one. Probably the portrait of an eastern ruler. Nice size and fine execution.



European private collection.

A rare roman black glass cameo set in an ancient gold ring. Theatrical mask.

1st-2nd century A.D.

Dim : 20 x 27 mm
ring : 21 x 22 mm
9,45 g

This specimen is included into a specific category of Roman rings with a casted glass paste (cf. Wien, Kunsthistrischen Museum inv. XI B 29 ss.). The tragic theatrical mask is melted in a dark glass and perforated with two holes passing through the thickness of the piece. In these two holes pass two filaments of solid gold which join together with the two thicker golden rods which form the ring. Specimen in excellent condition, with patina deposits. Rare.

Parallels: Die Antiken Gemmen des Kunsthistorischen Museums in Wien, Band III, p. 229 n. 2518.

U.K. private collection 1985. Formerly in Arthur Sambon (1867-1947) collection.

A fine roman amethyst cameo mounted on a modern gold ring. Mask of Bacchus.

1st century B.C. - 1st century A.D.

Cameo : 13 x 15 x 8 mm
ring diam : 17,5 mm
7,19 g

The face of the young god has a rounded shape, with hair gathered and adorned with ivy leaves. The Bacchic subject fits well with the variety of the stone, a splendid mirror-polished dark purple amethyst. The style feels the influence of the late Hellenistic Greek style. The work is carried out in high relief and is mounted in an elegant modern gold ring with an open work bezel (floral structure). Wear marks. Rare.



European private collection.

A roman fragment two-layers blue and white glass cameo. Theatrical mask.

1st - 2nd century A.D.

23 x 27 x 8 mm

The white frontal mask emerges in high relief from a blue background and is characterized by a bold head with deep wrinkles on the fronthead.The eyes and the mouth are wide open emphasizing the caricatured expression. Two long locks fall behind the ears. Ancient patina deposits. Wear marks. Fine condition.



U.K., private collection 70's, in the same family since then.

A roman carnelian cameo. Eros.

1st century B.C. - 1st century A.D.

6,5 x 8,5 x 4 mm

The head of a child/Eros in very high relief; curl topknot in centre of forehead between parted hair. Detailed face features. Broken nose and chin. Chipping on edge. Flat back. Vivid color of the stone.

Parallels: M. Henig, H. Molesworth, The Complete Content Cameos, pp. 177-179 ("Eros head").

U.K private collection

A roman nicolo intaglio. Male portrait.

2nd - 3rd century A.D.

10,5 x 12 x 2 mm

The male character's face is turned to the left, and has a thick beard. The work is not finished.
Rare example of carving in progress, where traces of engraving tools are visible.
Attractive color of the stone.



U.K private collection

A rare fragment of an unfinished large roman agate cameo. Imperial portrait.

1st century A.D.

13 x 25 x 4 mm

In this fragment of two-layered agate the traces of the sketch procedures and of the engraver tools for carving a cameo are clearly visible. In this case it had to be a portrait whose physiognomy recalls some profiles of the Jiulio Claudian dynasty. Also on the back there are traces of the wheel instruments. Rare.



U.K private collection

A roman red jasper intaglio. Philosopher.

2nd - 3rd century A.D.

Intaglio : 11 x 14 mm

The effigy is characterized by a thick hair and a long beard, slightly curved nose, marked cheekbone, tunicate bust. The gem, characterized by an attractive bright red color, is still set in its original metal (fragmentary) setting formed by an iron ring (broken) with a gold frame.



U.K private collection, London.

A fine roman carnelian intaglio. Portrait of Maecenas.

1st century B.C. - 1st century A.D.

9 x 12 x 3 mm

This fine portrait, facing left, is characterized by physiognomic details expertly engraved, referable to known models identifiable as portraits of the famous roman character. The naturalistic and expressive features of the face, which reveal an advanced age, are inspired by the late Republican portraits. Slight wear marks.

See parallels: Boston, Museum of Fine Arts: 99.112; Story-Maskelyne, M.H.: The Marlborough Gems (1870): no. 517
Boardman, J., Scarisbrick, D., Wagner C., Zwierlein-Diehl, E: The Marlborough Gems (2009): no. 209

U.K private collection, London.

A fine late hellenistic carnelian intaglio. Bust of Nereid.

1st century B.C.

12,5 x 16 x 3 mm

The young figure is turned to the left, and is characterized by a slightly open mouth, rounded chin, long and thick hair as moved by the wind, with strong inspiration from the Hellenistic models. The face, facing in profile, is characterized by delicate features finely engraved and mirror polished. The left shoulder is seen from behind, as in the typical movement of swimming. The figure is variously interpreted as Nereid or as Leandro crossing the Dardanelles to reach the lover Eros. By some the subject is interpreted as a marine divinity or Selene. The figure expresses beauty and elegance and shows a particularly refined execution. Attractive color of the stone. Slight wear marks. Missing on the edge.

Parallels: A. Giuliano, I cammei dalla Collezione Medicea del Museo Archeologico di Firenze, pp. 216-217; L. P. B. Stefanelli, La collezione Paoletti, vol. 1, tomo 2 n. 218, tomo 3 n. 480; Le Gemme Farnese, 1994, p. 122 n. 184 (225); G.M. A. Richter, Engraved gems. Greek, Etruscan and Roman, The Metropolitan Museum of New York, n. 150; J. Boardman, Greek gems and finger rings, n. 1003.

U.K private collection 80's.

A very fine late hellenistic carnelian intaglio. Bust of Bacchante.

End of 2nd - Beginning 1st century B.C.

17 x 23 x 3 mm

The figure is turned to the left, with the three-quarters bust seen from behind covered by a goat fur stopped by a round fibula on the shoulder; the head is in profile, with a thick and very detailed hair, decorated with small bunches of grapes and berries; braids descend on the neck. The face is characterized by a slightly sunken eye and a slightly open mouth, in the typical expressive rendering of late Hellenistic works. In this case it is a work referable to the Ptolemaic context and which presents a particularly close parallel with a carnelian intaglio of the Cabinet des Medailles, identified as a portrait of a Ptolemaic princess as a bacchante. Both carvings seem to come exactly from the same atelier. Wear marks.

Parallels: M.L. Vollenweider, Camées et intailles. Tome I. Les Portraits grecs du Cabinet des médailles, p. 146 n. 140.

U.K., private collection 80's.

A roman sard intaglio. Dionysos bust.

1st century B.C. - 2nd century A.D.

10 x 14 x 3 mm

The young god is turned to the left with his head in profile but with a three-quarters bust seen from behind (the right shoulder is covered by the cloak). The head is adorned with an ivy crown. In the background emerges the thyrsus. The shape of the bezel is rectangular with rounded corners. Attractive color of the stone. Slight wear marks.



U.K private collection

A roman republican sard intaglio. Two male portraits.

1st century B.C.

12 x 14 x 2,5 mm

Two faced male busts of young characters, with short hair. Use of globular elements for the face's details ( eyes, nose, lips, chin, ears). Wear marks.



U.K private collection

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.

A very fine and large greek late hellenistic carnelian intaglio. Ptolemaic Female bust.

2nd-1st century B.C.

21 x 21 x 4 mm

The young character is facing left, with the head in profile slightly inclined downwards. The bust is instead depicted in three quarters, with uncovered shoulders and the chest characterized by a delicate breast, covered only by a light, very tight tunic. The character is characterized by thick hair, formed by elegant curvilinear locks that cover the head descending on the nape and forehead, rising slightly at the top. The anatomical volumes of the face and torso are executed with a very low and delicate relief, while the hair and the tunic, almost a wet drapery that sensually reveals the underlying breast, are engraved with more marked and raised lines. In front of the figure, always in very low relief, almost imperceptible, we can see a structure, probably architectural, with a frame (rather than considering it a scepter?). The identification of the character is not clear and multiple, given the absence of safe attributes. The iconography and composition of the scene recall for some details a gem from the Farnese collection, depicting a female bust characterized by the same half-closed mouth and very short hair with wavy, almost masculine locks, in the act of contemplating a mask and identified as Melpomene. Musa is in fact defined as the character depicted half-length with a chiton, in front of a column / architectural structure with a frame on top of a mask, exactly in front of his face framed equally by a wavy and very short hair (Dactyliotheca Capponiana). This iconography is in fact considered as the representation of poetry or of a poet. The ephebic face, young and very delicate, has almost masculine features, similar to the androgynous beauty of Antinous. The small eye, the linear nose, the small fleshy and slightly open mouth, the rounded chin, the hair disordered by curvilinear locks that dominate the head, the delicate and engraved bust with imperceptible relief compared to the dress, the attitude of the face and his languid contemplative expression: all stylistic details referable to the late Greek production of the Hellensitic period, full of pathos and characterized by an extreme and extraordinary executive refinement. In the valuable catalog raisonné concerning the Greek portraits in the Cabinet des Médailles in Paris, the impression of a gem (n. 111) considered as lost and of unknown location, certainly from the De Clecq collection, was taken from a Ptolemaic gem. This piece depicts the portrait of a young princess daughter of Ptolemy VI and Cleopatra II, dressed only in an almost transparent peplum delicately fixed on the bare shoulders; in front of her a spike and a poppy flower: The face, also in this case, is characterized by a sweet melancholy, full of pathos and delicacy, the features of the flight refined, in very low relief, the mouth slight opened, the head in profile slightly inclined downwards, the nose straight ahead. Its physical and stylistic characteristics, the compositional and executive typology are very similar and in part identical to the carnelian bust carving yet to be identified. Apparently both can be traced back to the same cultural and artistic sphere, perhaps to the same engraving workshop. The carnelian intaglio can probably depicts in the same way a prolemaic princess of the Seleucid empir. The gem is masterfully engraved with great art and technical expertise; the stone, chracterized by a pure deep red, is mirror polished. Chip on the edge. Artwork of great rarity.

Parallels: M. L. Vollenweider, Camées et intailles, Tome I, Les Portraits grecs du Cabinet des médailles, n. 111, 123, 124, 209, 217; Le Gemme Farnese, 1994, p. 126 n. 192 (296); M. L. Ubaldelli, Dactyliotheca Capponiana, p. 224.

U.K., private collection 70's, in the same family since then.

A fine roman banded agate intaglio. Silenus with panther.

1st century B.C. - 1st century A.D.

10 x 17 x 2 mm

The character is standing, facing right, in the act of playing the double flute. At his feet a panther, referring to Dionysus and the Bacchic processions, who follows him attached to his legs, looking towards the double flute, as if enchanted by the melody. Groundline. The anatomical details of Silenus and the panther's body are rendered with art and skill. Depiction inspired by classical statuary models. Mirror polishing. Slight wear marks. Attractive color of the stone.



U.K private collection

A fine citrine quartz roman intaglio. Bust of Africa - Lybia.

1st century B.C. - 1st century A.D.

9,5 x 13 x 5 mm

Bust of Lybia - Africa in almost full front view, slightly in three-quarters. She wears an animal skin knotted on the chest and the hide of an elephant's head as a headdress. Long hair descend to her shoulder. An expressive face with almost three-dimensional relief effect , engraved with a very deep intaglio.
Extraordinary vivid color of the stone, of a great purity and brightness. Mirror polishing.
High thickness of the stone with convex back. Rare.

Parallels: G.M.A. Richter, p. 87 n. 383; cf. Furtwangler, Berl. Kat.,nos. 4883 ff. and A.G. pl. XXVI, 20, pl. XLI, 47. The same subject occurs also in coins

U.K., private collection 70's, in the same family since then.

A roman sapphire intaglio. Bust of Julius Caesar.

End of 1st century B.C.

7 x 9 x 5 mm

The bust of the roman dictator is turned to the left. The character wears the laurel wreath ending with ear of corns (egyptian symbol). He wears the armour under the chlamys. The face is characterized by his typical physiognomic marked traits, well executed considering the very small size and the particular hardness of this precious stone; the style is close to the globular style of the late republican period . Attractive stone color with various shades of blue. Convex surface on both sides of the stone. Wear marks. Rare.

Parallels : M. L. vollenweider, Die Portratgemmen der romischen Republik, 1972, pl. 75-81.

U.K private collection

A roman sapphire intaglio. Bust of male ruler.

End of 1st century B.C.

6 x 8 x 3 mm

The portrait is facing right. The nose and part of the mouth are missing due to the breaking of the stone. However, the physiognomic features are well evident, such as the protruding cheekbone and the spherical chin, the folds on the cheek, the marked orbital arch, the musculature of the neck and above all the typical hair with overlapping strands with a characteristic raised tuft of hair on the front. These anatomical details, referable to the late republican iconography, make it probable that this effigy is identified with Pompey the Great, or a similar and coeval private portrait. The stone was later shaped on the back with facets, probably in the Renaissance period. However, the front side has retained its ancient wear marks. Rare.

Parallels : M. L. vollenweider, Die Portratgemmen der romischen Republik, 1972, pl. 71-75.

U.K private collection

A very fine roman emerald intaglio. Bust of a ruler.

Late 1st century B.C.

9 x 12 x 5 mm

The precise identification of this refined laureated portrait is not entirely certain. What is certain is that it was engraved on an emerald of extraordinary quality, very precious for that time, characterized by a slightly convex surface frontside, instead very convex in the backside, emphasizing the intense color and the preciousness of the artefact.
The portrait is engraved with great skill, the anatomical details are well rendered and delicately modeled. The nose is protruding, the eye has a lively and strong-willed expression, the mouth slightly open, the cheekbone protruding, the neck has a slight protuberance on the throat. The hair is finely chiseled, held by a laurel wreath ending with ears of wheat.
This detail is an allegorical reference to Egypt, and the same variety of emerald seems to refer to the Alexandrian ateliers. The style of the portrait is comparable to some late republican official or private portraits, including some effigies of the famous Roman dictator Caius Julius Caesar, whose ties to Egypt are very decisive. The physiognomy of this portrait seems to evolve in the later Augustinian portraits of the Julio Claudia dynasty. To be identified. Slight cracking. Wear marks. Rare.

Parallels : M. L. vollenweider, Die Portratgemmen der romischen Republik, 1972, pl. 75-81.

U.K., private collection 70's, in the same family since then.

A roman sapphire intaglio. Bust of the emperor Caracalla.

Early 3rd century A.D. (circa)

9,5 x 9,5 x 5,5 mm

Bust of young Caracalla, Roman emperor (AD 198-217) wearing a cloack with a round fibula. The effigy presents the front bust and the head turned in profile towards the right, in its typical torsion. The physiognomy, the pose and the marked expression are typical of Caracalla: the forehead is wrinkled, the sunken eye, the mouth tightened, the neck in tension, the hair composed of short curls; the absence of the barbula indicates that it is a portrait made at his young age.
The precious intaglio, made on an extraordinary quality sapphire, shows signs of wear and traces of the execution with ancient instruments, executed with natural spontaneity and decision. The structure of the coat folds is inspired by the statuary models; the head also has a high relief which gives it a sculptural sense. The back of the stone must have been reworked in the Renaissance: it has many facets and ends pointed . Attractive vivid color of the stone. Very rare specimen and rare example of technical expertise given the hardness and small size of the piece. Slight chips on the edge. Wear marks.

Parallels: D. Scarisbrick, C. Wagner, J. Boardman, The Beverly collection of gems at Alnwick Castle, p. 227 n. 212; Beazley Archive: Story-Maskelyne, M.H.: The Marlborough Gems (1870): no. 485, Boardman, J., Scarisbrick, D., Wagner C., Zwierlein-Diehl, E: The Marlborough Gems (2009): no. 302 (Walters Art Museum, Baltimore: 42.1061, sapphire intaglio).

European private collection

A fine roman amethyst intaglio. Portrait of the Emperor Balbinus.

3rd century A.D.

11 x 13 x 5 mm

This peculiar effigy can be identified with the portrait of the emperor Decimo Celio Calvino Balbino (178-238), in charge from February to May 238 A.D. In this rare and unpublished effigy of the emperor, he is facing right, with the draped bust and the radiate crown on the head. Two round fibulae are visible on the shoulders. The head is characterized by physiognomic features that well show his peculiar aspect in a naturalistic and expressive sense. The face is characterized by a small expressive eye, a slightly wrinkled forehead, a broad and generous beardless cheek. The lips are small, the globular chin engraved as small sphere that is grafted onto the large double chin; the neck is massive. The hair is short and tight, finely dotted according to the typical late style also present on the official coinage
portraits. The style of the bandages hanging on the nape is the same as that present on the coins; it can be assumed that the engraver of this portrait was probably an engraver of cones. The highly realistic traits of the character are expressed according to the “late style” rendering that fits well with the artistic taste of the time. This rare portrait is engraved on a beautiful mirror polished amethyst (slightly convex on the front side, more convex on the backside) characterized by a purple vivid color with a fine transparency on the bust. Small crack in the stone. Wear marks.



U.K., private collection 80's.

A large roman two-layers agate cameo. Eos on the chariot.

1st - 2nd century A.D.

21 x 27 x 4 mm

The figures are facing left. The goddess of Dawn wears a chiton with overfold, and an himation which is blown out behind her by the wind. She is driving a chariot with two galopping horses. She holds the bridles that hold the two horses in two hands. The two mighty animals raise their front legs. The figures are engraved on the white layer tending to the shade of ivory, on a honey-colored background with small brown inclusions. The cameo, of generous dimensions, is sculpted with fine skill in high relief. Slight wear marks. Rare.

Parallels: U. Pannuti, La collezione glittica - Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, vol. 2, p. 182 n. 149-150; pp. 191-192 n. 159-160.
G. M. A. Richter, Catalogue of the engraved gems. Greek, etruscan and roman, The Metropolitan Museum of New York, Pl. LXIX n. 624-625.
Furtwangler, A.G., pls. LVII, 5, LXIII, 49.
Babelon, Cat. des Camées, n. 37, 38.
Walters, B.M. Cat. n. 3528.

European private collection 80's