Warrior arming
Intaglio
1st century (made)
1st century (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
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. 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. This intaglio, engraved from the variety of pale blue and black agate known as 'nicolo', can be dated by comparison to other gems to the early days of Imperial Rome, and shows a warrior arming for battle.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Warrior arming (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Engraved gemstone |
Brief description | Intaglio, oval layered agate, variety 'nicolo', set in 18th century gold ring, depicting a warrior arming, Italy, about 50-150 CE (Graeco-Roman) |
Physical description | Vertical oval intaglio. Pale blue top layer over black chalcedony. Depicting a full-lenth figure of a warrior arming. He faces right, wearing a cloak, his right leg bent up and his arms reaching down towards his foot. In front of him is a column bearing a helmet, a shield leaning against the base and a spear next to it. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Object history | Part of a large and varied collection of nearly eight hundred objects given to the Museum in 1864 by the Reverend Richard Brooke. |
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 1800-50 Attribution note: Pale blue over black chalcedony |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | 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. 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. This intaglio, engraved from the variety of pale blue and black agate known as 'nicolo', can be dated by comparison to other gems to the early days of Imperial Rome, and shows a warrior arming for battle. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 1126-1864 |
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Record created | March 25, 2008 |
Record URL |
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