Fragment, of cameo carving, irregular rock crystal, set in silver-gilt mount, depicting two figures wrestling or fighting, and a vine, Italy, 50-150 CE

Irregularly-shaped cameo fragment. Two figures face each other, locked in some sort of combat. In the centre a nude figure, possibly female, present only from the waist down, stands and with its left hand grasps the right leg of a second figure, probably male, just above the ankle, raising it high. The figure on the left is wearing a short tunic, and its left foot rests on the ground. There is an impression that this figure is losing its balance and toppling over backwards. A vine with leaves and tendrils is depicted behind the figures.

Bought from John Webb (1799-1880). Webb was a London dealer and collector who had a long and mutually fruitful relationship with the Museum. He advised on valuations and acted as agent on behalf of the Museum. From the 1850s until the late 1870s he sold numbers of highly important objects to the Museum, many of which are now among the 'star' objects of the collections. In 1867 he lent the Museum a large number of objects, including the present one (Loan no. 95), from his stock, charging a rental of 5% of their estimated value. Most of these objects had been purchased by the Museum by 1873, and 11 were gem-engravings acquired for what is now the Sculpture collection. On his death Webb left money to the Museum in the form of a trust fund to be used for the purchase of objects.

Historical significance: This fragmentary scene has been interprated in the past as portraying either a pair of wrestlers or fighters (Machell Cox and Furtwangler) "a nude man bending over and probably slaying a man lying on a bed", or an erotic scene, with for comparison those on earlier Etruscan scarabs (eg Thorvaldsen Museum, Ancient Gems inv. 136). If one takes the correct orientation to be with the leg on the right vertical, a likely reading is two standing figures in combat. Moreover, careful examination shows softer, more female characteristics for the figure on the right, with its comparatively rounded thigh and buttocks and the plump fold just visible at the waist. The figure on the left with its sinewy legs is definitely male. This reading of the figures, together with the presence of a trailing vine behind the figures, suggests a Bacchic theme. The struggle may portray one of the Bacchae, using the strength given her by the god to pull down one of the men who has been spying on their secret rites. Such a subject would be suitable for the decoration of a wine vessel.

possibly Hadrianic

Attribution note: Feather inclusions of distinct two-phase inclusions (J Whalley May 2009).

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 Byzantine era, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and again in the 18th and 19th centuries. This fragment, probably the remains of a wine vessel, is Roman and dates from the middle to end of the first century of the Christian era. The subject is difficult to interprate as so little is left of the whole object. In the past it has been said to portray two male wrestlers. However, careful examination shows softer, more female characteristics for the figure on the right, with its comparatively rounded thigh and buttocks and the plump fold just visible at the waist. The figure on the left with its sinewy legs is definitely male. This reading of the figures, together with the presence of a trailing vine behind the figures, suggests a Bacchic theme, after the play The Bacchae by the Greek playwright Euripides. The struggle may portray one of the Bacchae, wild female followers of the god Bacchus, using the heightened strength given her by the god to pull down one of the men who has been spying on their secret rites. Such a subject would be suitable for the decoration of a wine vessel.

492-1873