Lotto 432 | A NEOCLASSICAL TWO-LAYERED AGATE CAMEO. PORTRAIT OF TSAR ALEXANDER I OF RUSSIA.

Bertolami Fine Art - Piazza Lovatelli 1, 00186 Roma
ASTA 267 - GLITTICA ASTA 267 - GLITTICA
venerdì 7 luglio 2023 ore 12:30 (UTC +00:00)

A NEOCLASSICAL TWO-LAYERED AGATE CAMEO. PORTRAIT OF TSAR ALEXANDER I OF RUSSIA.

A NEOCLASSICAL TWO-LAYERED AGATE CAMEO. PORTRAIT OF TSAR ALEXANDER I OF RUSSIA.

19th century A.D.

27x35x7 mm

Emperor Alexander I of Russia (1777-1825) was one of the key figures in the downfall of Napoleon. Having forced the French into a humiliating retreat from Moscow, on 31 March 1814 Alexander marched into Paris forcing Napoleon to abdicate. In this cameo the portrait is facing right and it is engraved with great art. A possible attribution might be found in the Roman gem engraver Giuseppe Girometti (1780 - 1851). Originally set in a silver box marked for Elkington & Co.

For comparison see: Hermitage Museum (imv. No K-1100), a capita jugata portrait of Alexander and his wife Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna. See also Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien, Kunstkammer inv. No. Antikensammlung, XII 472 by Giuseppe Pichler; Hermitage Museum inv. K-1096; P.B. Stefanelli, La Collezione Paoletti n. 346.

Provenance: U.S. private collection, acquired on the art market. This lot is sold under temporary import status.