A finely carved ancient Roman amethyst intaglio depicting the Sphinx. The mythological creature with a human head, a lion's body, and the wings of an eagle is depicted with close attention to detail. The musculature of the body, the claws on the paws, the feathers and the facial features are carefully rendered. Some minor chipping around the edges of the stone. This piece is supplied with a museum-quality impression. The term intaglio refers to a small image that has been engraved into a gemstone and usually set in a piece of jewellery, most commonly a ring. Such artistic form has its origin in Sumer in the 4th millennium BC, with the appearance of cylinder and stamp seals, whereby decorations and patterns were engraved into soft stones. During the Hellenistic period and the early Roman Empire, the art of intaglio reached its apogee, with there being a steady decline in craftsmanship in the late Imperial Rome, until a revival of interest with the Byzantine and during the Renaissance. Measurements: L 1.1cm x W 1.3cm Provenance: From a Swiss collection, 1980s onwards. Property of a North London, UK, gentleman