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Intaglio Jewelry :
Classical Revival Seal Rings : Classical Revival Intaglio of an Empress
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Classical Revival Intaglio of an Empress - FJ.6080
Origin: Europe
Circa: 1700
AD
to 1900
AD
Collection: Intaglio Jewelry
Style: Classical Revival
Medium: Carnelian, Gold
£4,600.00
Location: UAE
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| Description |
This seal is set in an 18 karat gold ring.
The art of glyptics, or carving on colored
precious stones, is probably one of the oldest
known to humanity. Intaglios, gems with an
incised design, were made as early as the fourth
and third millennia BC in Mesopotamia and the
Aegean Islands. They display a virtuosity of
execution that suggests an old and stable
tradition rooted in the earliest centuries. The
tools required for carving gems were simple: a
wheel with a belt-drive, a set of drills, and
abrasives, absolutely necessary since the
minerals used were too hard for a metal edge to
leave as much as a scratch on them. A special
difficulty of engraving intaglios, aside from their
miniature size, was that the master had to work
with a mirror-image in mind.
The creation of gems was a great exploit, done
for a love of the beautiful. The hardness of the
minerals made them truly everlasting. Today they
remain as fresh as ever, unaffected by the flow of
centuries. The ancient masters of glyptics used a
wide range of themes, which reflected literally
every aspect of the spiritual and material culture
of the ancient world: politics, religion, literature,
theater, mythology and everyday life. In some
cases miniature gems are the only source of
information on the life of the ancient world. Most
valuable among these are reproductions of lost
masterpieces of Greek painting and plastic art.
This exquisite intaglio is most probably a
reproduction of an Ancient Roman inatglio.
Ancient glyptics reached full bloom in the
classical period and continued to flourish
throughout the Roman World. Gems of this time,
with their profoundly humanistic approach, their
precise outlines, the freedom and perfection of
the composition and splendid quality of the
stones, are true masterpieces. The flowing
outline of the oval confines the space wherein
the bust of a Roman Empress is engraved. We
cannot help admiring the fine, thin lines of the
design, created as though with only the lightest
touches of the tool. It is a true masterpiece that
has captured the timeless essence of perfection
and beauty.
- (FJ.6080)
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