Warrior with trophy of arms
- Object:
- Place of origin:
- Date:
100-0 BC (made)
19th century (alteration)
- Artist/Maker:
- Materials and Techniques:
- Credit Line:
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
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The art of engraving gemstones can be traced back to ancient Greece in the 8th century BC and earlier. Techniques passed down to the Egyptians and then to the Romans. There were major revivals of interest in engraved gems in Europe during the Byantine era, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and again in the 18th and 19th centuries. At each stage cameos and intaglios, these skillful carvings on a minute scale, were much prized and collected, sometimes as symbols of power mounted in jewelled settings, sometimes as small objects for private devotion or enjoyment. The style and method of engraving in this little ringstone indicate that it was made in the Graeco-Roman world, some time during the century before the birth of Christ.
Physical description
Vertical oval intaglio. Pale mottled blue over black layered agate variety 'nicolo'. Depicting a warrior with a trophy of arms. The warrior stands at the right, naked except for a cloak draped over his right shoulder and hanging down. He holds a long spear in his left hand. Beside him is a collection of arms topped by a helmet, and with a shield leaning up at the bottom. In a gold ring.
Place of Origin
Italy (made)
Date
100-0 BC (made)
19th century (alteration)
Artist/maker
unknown (maker)
Materials and Techniques
Engraved gemstone
Dimensions
Height: 12 mm approximate, Width: 9.9 mm approximate
Object history note
This gem was part of the collection of the Reverend Chauncy Hare Townshend (1798-1868), who bequeathed his important collection to the South Kensington Museum in 1869. Although the gemstone collection is not as comprehensive as that found at the Natural History Museum in London, it is of particular historic interest as its formation pre-dates the development of many synthetic stones and artificial enhancements. All the stones were mounted as rings before they came to the Museum. Some are held in the Sculpture Section, other more elaborately mounted ones in the Metalwork Section.
As well as being a clergyman, collector and dillettante, the Reverend Townshend wrote poetry. He met Robert Southey in 1815 and through him the Wordsworths, the Coleridges and John Clare. He was a friend of Charles Dickens and dedicatee of his novel 'Great Expectations'.
Historical context note
Engraved gemstones based on classical models were widely produced and collected in Italy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Many were brought back by British Grand Tourists, and important collections were formed.
Descriptive line
Intaglio depicting a warrior with a trophy of arms, oval layered agate variety 'nicolo'; Italy, 100-0 BC.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
List of Objects in the Art Division, South Kensington, Acquired During the Year 1869, Arranged According to the Dates of Acquisition. London : Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O. p. 127.
Machell Cox, E., Victoria & Albert Museum Catalogue of Engraved Gems. London, Typescript, 1935, Part 2, Section 2, p.295.
Production Note
Attribution note: Layered agate, variety 'nicolo'. Pale mottled blue layer over black (J. Whalley May 2009).
Materials
Gold; Gemstone; Microquartz; Layered agate; Nicolo
Techniques
Gem engraving
Categories
Sculpture; Jewellery
Collection code
SCP
