Vita Brevis, Ars Longa

Antique Intaglio of a Sculptor, 1st/3rd Century AD, Set in a Modern Gold Ring

€ 2,390.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Antique Intaglio of a Sculptor, 1st/3rd Century AD, Set in a Modern Gold Ring

Description

This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!

A naked man leans against a bench. With his legs loosely crossed, he looks at a bust standing on a stool in front of him. With a casual gesture, his right arm points to the work. In his left hand he holds a tool, a chisel perhaps. The scene seems to take place in the workshop of a sculptor. Casually, yet not without pride, the artist presents us with his work. The fact that the sculptor is depicted in the medium of stone is not without a certain charm: the stone cutter who created the intaglio was himself a sculptor in a certain way, and presents a scene here as proof of his own status. In ancient times, intaglios were created as ring stones for various occasions, as gifts from emperors and to worship the gods, but also as seals representing the professions of their bearers. Some seals depicting sculptors have survived, see, for example, the stone in the possession of the MET in New York, Inv. No. 81.6.48, or the carnelian in the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University, Inv. No. 2012.032.143. The lithic carving here was made in the late imperial period. The intaglio here comes from a collection of antique cameos, which had been set in similar settings during the Classicist period around 1800. Gems in carnelian were created at this time especially in Aquileia in particularly large numbers. cf. Erika Zwierlein-Diehl: Antike Gemmen und ihr Nachleben, Berlin/New York 2007, a.o. p. 136, p. 143, p. 144 a.o. Where the seal stone, because as such it was originally created, has spent the following 1600 years, we do not know. Probably it slumbered undisturbed in the ground until it was rediscovered in the years around 1800. The carnelian came to us with its old gold setting. The simple ring band made of high quality gold with the two arches to the right and left of the stone setting was added in our workshop according to models of classicism. So now the cameo can be worn safely and with pleasure again.

Size & Details

Vita Brevis, Ars Longa

€ 2,390.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

We want you to be 100% satisfied! For that reason, we examine, describe and photograph all of our jewellery with the utmost care.

You can rely on our years of experience in the trade and our expertise as a professional art historians for reviews of the antique jewellery. As a member of various trader organisations and the British Society of Jewellery Historians, we remain committed to the highest possible degree of accuracy. In our descriptions, we always also indicate any signs of age and defects and never hide them in our photos – this saves you from any unpleasant surprises when your package arrives.

Should you for some reason not be satisfied, please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can begin to find a solution together. In any case, you can return any article within 30 days and we will refund the full purchase price.

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Vita Brevis, Ars Longa

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