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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1986.559
Title
Engraved Gem with Woman Leaning on a Column
Classification
Gems
Work Type
gem
Date
c. 330-100 BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World
Period
Hellenistic period
Culture
Greek
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/289172

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Carnelian
Technique
Intaglio
Dimensions
2.8 x 1.9 cm, 0.5 cm (1 1/8 x 3/4 in., 3/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Damon Mezzacappa, New York (by 1986), gift; to the Harvard University Art Museums.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Damon Mezzacappa
Accession Year
1986
Object Number
1986.559
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Carnelian intaglio with engraving on the slightly convex surface. A woman stands in profile facing right. In her left hand, she holds bird while he right hand grasps a scepter. She wears a sleevesless chiton, cinched at the shoulders, the folds of which are delicately engraved at the bottom. The details of her face are only schematically rendered, showing her pointed noise and a tiny eye. Her hair is pulled back into a chignon at the nape of her neck.

The stone is lightly chipped at the bottom edge.
Commentary
The style of this gemstone is characteristic of gems from the Late Hellenistic period, which frequently featured full standing figures, many of which are anonymous (1).

1. See J. Boardman, Greek Gems and Finger Rings, p. 360.

Publication History

  • G. Max Bernheimer, "Catalog of the Greek Engraved Gems in the Collection of the Harvard University Art Museums" (1988), p. 69-72, no. 24.

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2220 18th-19th Century, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/19/2015 - 05/05/2016

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu