Römisches Reich Intaglio mit Merkur und Cupid

An extremely fine Ancient Roman agate intaglio featuring male figure depicted in the nude. The intaglio is oval in shape with bevelled sides. The obverse has been carved with image of a male walking to the left and holding a child. The figure wears a petasos and chlamys and has a caduceus in his left hand, identifying him as Mercury, Roman god of commerce. Mercury is often depicted with infant Dionysus, however the wings of the infant depicted in this intaglio suggest that this is Eros or Cupid. Fine, intricate incisions portray elements such as the strands of hair, folds of drapery, and facial features of the two figures. The agate is predominantly brown with natural white striations and a veined pattern. The reverse is smooth and unadorned. 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 2.4cm x W 1.7cm

Provenance: From the collection of a Swiss gentleman formed in Europe from 1970-1980s; thence by descent from the family in London.

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