Western Europe, Neoclassical period, ca. 18th to early 19th century CE. A charming near-translucent carnelian intaglio depicting a hero lounging on the end of a ship, greeted by a goddess - perhaps Jason aboard the Argonaut. The Neoclassical period of Europe saw immense interest in the Classical world; artists looked to the past for inspiration, and often attempted to pass off their creations as authentic ancient pieces. A famous example of this deceptive practice was the Prince Stanislas Poniatowski of Poland's (1754 to 1833) collection that contained over 1000 intaglios with signatures from various ancient engravers "in greater numbers than there were in antiquity itself." Indeed, this intaglio bears a very clear Greek inscription along the lower edge for either a famous or invented name of an "ancient" artist, indicating this may have been part of Poniatowski's vast collection. This intaglio features a thin brass bezel and is a superb example of the Neoclassical period. Size: 1.95" W x 1.4" H (5 cm x 3.6 cm)
For more information on the Poniatowski collection, please see The British Museum, museum number 1945,0703.3.
Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance),
we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#144159
Condition
Two small chips from the center of the face, otherwise in nice condition. The bezel has a dark patina.