Hebe
Intaglio
200-100 BC (made)
200-100 BC (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
The art of engraving gemstones has been admired since the early days of the Roman empire. It was revived in Europe during the Renaissance, and again in the 18th and 19th centuries. Cameos and intaglios were prized and collected, sometimes as symbols of power and mounted in jewelled settings, sometimes as small objects for private devotion or enjoyment. This intaglio probably represents a popular subject, the Greek mythological character Methe, who personifies intoxication. She is the companion of Dionysos, and is often shown as she is here, part-naked and about to drink from a drinking bowl.
Engraved gemstones of all dates were widely collected in Italy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Many were brought back by British Grand Tourists, and important collections were formed.
Engraved gemstones of all dates were widely collected in Italy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Many were brought back by British Grand Tourists, and important collections were formed.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Titles |
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Materials and techniques | Engraved gemstone set in gold ring; Pale bluish top layer over black chalcedony. |
Brief description | Intaglio, oval layered agate, variety 'nicolo', set in gold ring, depicting Hebe or Methe standing holding a drinking bowl, Italy, 200-100 BC |
Physical description | Vertical oval intaglio. Depicting a full-length figure of Hebe or Methe naked except for a wreath, and a cloak hanging down her back from her shoulders, facing left and holding a drinking bowl up towards her face. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Townshend Bequest |
Object history | 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, 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 significance: This gem compares closely to other engraved gems representing Methe. For analogies see Hermitage, St Petersburg inventory numbers 2275 (Julia Kagan, Antique Intaglios in the Hermitage Collection, 1976, p.71, no.104), 2268, 3619, 4400, 4555; also Museo Archeologico, Florence, Reinach, pl. 19 |
Historical context | Engraved gemstones of all dates were widely collected in Italy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Many were brought back by British Grand Tourists, and important collections were formed. |
Production | Ring ca. 1750-1800 Attribution note: Pale bluish layer over black layer of translucent chalcedony |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | The art of engraving gemstones has been admired since the early days of the Roman empire. It was revived in Europe during the Renaissance, and again in the 18th and 19th centuries. Cameos and intaglios were prized and collected, sometimes as symbols of power and mounted in jewelled settings, sometimes as small objects for private devotion or enjoyment. This intaglio probably represents a popular subject, the Greek mythological character Methe, who personifies intoxication. She is the companion of Dionysos, and is often shown as she is here, part-naked and about to drink from a drinking bowl. Engraved gemstones of all dates were widely collected in Italy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Many were brought back by British Grand Tourists, and important collections were formed. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 1828-1869 |
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Record created | October 19, 2004 |
Record URL |
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