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DESCRIPTION |
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O
ffered
for sale here is a wonderful late 19th or early 20th
century hand engraved Carnelian agate intaglio. The
intaglio is mounted in a hand made solid 14k yellow
gold pin. The subject of this intaglio is rare
disputed and not often encountered either in the
literature or as an engraved gem modern or ancient.
The female figure portrayed is in my opinion most
likely the Greek goddess Hestia known to the Romans as
Vesta. Hestia (Vesta) was one of the original twelve
Olympian Gods and the sister of Zeus (Jupiter). She
was the keeper of the sacred fire and hearth. One
might go so far as to say that she was seen as
embodying the domestic hearth holding the family
together with the warmth of the fire she provided. She
was also seen as the overseer of the sacred purifying
fires that burned continuously in all the temples of
the gods. She embodied stability and continuity for
the family and the culture as a whole. T his intaglio image alternatively might also be interpreted as one of Hestia's (Vesta's) attendant priestesses known as Vestal Virgins in the Roman period. These sober and chaste ladies tended to the continuously burning sacred fire in the goddess' temple. Their role was to emulate Hestia (Vesta) and tend to the rituals that surrounded the worship of the goddess. The characteristics attributed to Hestia (Vesta) with which one can identify her are few. In Greek and Roman mythology she is pictured as a sober middle aged even matronly woman. A woman that is always portrayed with a veil or hood on her head. She and her priestesses are always portrayed as plain sober dignified and virgin. This description I feel fits the portrait on this gem. W ith the advent of Christianity however the veiled image of this sober lady was interpreted as and associated with that of the Virgin Mary. This was a particularly apt transfer of identity given the virginal and family supportive role that the Virgin Mary plays in the Christian context. The Virgin Mary's veiled head is all to similar to the pagan portrayal of Hestia to be a coincidence. To carry the comparison even further one has but to consider the dress and continence of nuns who are one might say "priestesses" of the Christian Religion just as the Vestal virgins were priestesses of Vesta. The "Virgin Mary" iconography has served to overlay and obscure the true source of this image. T he stone this intaglio is carved into is dark orange in color and measures approximately 28mm tall by 24mm wide by 4mm thick. This measurement does not include the outer dimension of the pin. The measurement of the engraved image of Hestia (Vesta) is approximately 23mm high by 15mm wide. The portrait is beautifully cut to a medium depth. The quality of the engraving is superb, with great attention being paid to the rendering of the smallest details of the portrait. This portrait may well be that of a particular person posing as Hestia for the artist. The features of the portrait's face have a high polish contrasting with a lower polish given to the veil and hair. This contrast accentuates the three-dimensionality of the engraving. The technical skill and artistic talent of the engraver is of the highest quality. The stone is not signed as is the case for most engraved gems of the period whether mediocre or great. This intaglio is undamaged and shows virtually no wear. T he pin the intaglio is set in is 14k yellow gold and, judging from the type of the pin closure clasp it has, it was made in the first quarter of the 20th century. The pin is hand made in a manner that gives a nod to the Etruscan archaeological style of the mid 19th century. It is simpler in conception though yet still evokes a sense of the ancient. The pin is hallmarked 14k and bears a makers hallmark in the form of a gothic church. The only other marks the pin has is a small engraved "52" next to the stamped makers and quality hallmarks. The gold work of the pin is very good and in undamaged condition. The surface of the gold is beginning to display a nice age-acquired patina. Regardless of the age of the pin the intaglio could well have been carved 25 to 50 years earlier. This is a wonderful intaglio mounted in a nicely conceived and executed pin. The subject of the intaglio is very rare and carved by an obvious master. NOTE: Analogous Gems in the literature: There is a similar gem in Engraved Gems The Ionedes Collection by John Boardman # 17; For further information on the iconography of Hestia (Vesta) engraved gems one may want to consult Engraved Gems by Duffield Osborne page# 207. Christian interpretations and unidentified examples of this type of engraved gem can be found in Western European Cameos in the Hermitage by Ju Kagan #96; Post Classical Cameos in the Milton Weil Collection by Ernst Kris #38; and in Engraved Gems of the Greeks and Etruscans by G. M. A. Richter#'s 633 and 634 (Though these I do not think have been correctly identified by Ms. Richter, respectful though I am of her scholarship). |