Lotto 427 | A FINE NEOCLASSICAL CARNELIAN INTAGLIO SET IN A GOLD SEAL WITH A BANDED AGATE MOORE HEAD. ROMAN MALE PORTRAIT.

Bertolami Fine Art - Piazza Lovatelli 1, 00186 Roma

A FINE NEOCLASSICAL CARNELIAN INTAGLIO SET IN A GOLD SEAL WITH A BANDED AGATE MOORE HEAD. ROMAN MALE PORTRAIT.

A FINE NEOCLASSICAL CARNELIAN INTAGLIO SET IN A GOLD SEAL WITH A BANDED AGATE MOORE HEAD. ROMAN MALE PORTRAIT.

18th century

H max. 37 mm; stone 15x16 mm; 13,18 gr.

A fine portrait of an elderly Roman with close-cropped hair and a wart on his chin. The head is characterized by a pointed nose, narrow lips and pronounced chin, wide neck with goitre, small ear, close-fitting hair. This fine intaglio is apparently the exact copy of an ancient roman chalcedony intaglio, from George James Howard coll., 9th Earl of Carlisle. The stone is set in a splendid gold fob seal composed by a leaves ornamental patterns attached to the bezel, ending with a finely carved banded agate moore head with an additonal chiseled plants pattern motifs with a suspension ring. Very good condition.

Marie-Louise Vollenweider, Die Portratgemmen der romischen Republik, Tafel 65 (description p. 42). The original stone is a chalcedony from British Museum coll. No. 1890,0601.59

Provenance: U.K. collection, acquired on the british art market.