Barakat Gallery
Skip to main content
  • Menu
  • Home
  • Artworks
  • Exhibitions
  • About
  • Contact
Menu
  • Menu

The Barakat Collection

Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Classical Revival Intaglio of a Horse and Shield, 1700 CE - 1800 CE

Classical Revival Intaglio of a Horse and Shield, 1700 CE - 1800 CE

Onyx-Gold
FJ.6380
Enquire
%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EClassical%20Revival%20Intaglio%20of%20a%20Horse%20and%20Shield%3C/span%3E%2C%20%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E1700%20CE%20%20-%20%201800%20CE%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EOnyx-Gold%3C/div%3E
This Intaglio 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,...
Read more
This Intaglio 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 and a set of drills. Abrasives were necessary since the minerals used were too hard for a "metal edge. A special difficulty of engraving intaglios, aside from their miniature size, was that the master had to work with a mirror-image in mind.
In ancient times the horse was regarded as an elite possession used in warfare, racing and hunting. The wonderful prancing horse on this intaglio has one leg lifted as he turns his lovely head to look behind. His body is very finely engraved with considerable realism. His two ears may be interpreted as horns, which gives the animal a mythical appearance. At Rome, a horse race preceded the sacrifice to Mars, god of war. Perhaps the engraver had this connection in mind when adding the shield in the foreground in front of the two trees. One of the most beloved of all animals is here given full expression in an elegant setting that reminds us of ancient Greece and Rome.
Close full details
Share
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Email
Previous
|
Next
18562 
of  28197

London

48 Albemarle Street,

London, W1S 4JW

info@barakatgallery.eu 

 

       


 

CONTACT | TEAM | PRESS 

 

Seoul
58-4, Samcheong-ro,
Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82 02 730 1949
barakat@barakat.kr
             

 

Los Angeles

941 N La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90069
+1 310 859 8408

contact@barakatgallery.com

  


 

 

Facebook, opens in a new tab.
Instagram, opens in a new tab.
Send an email
View on Google Maps
Manage cookies
Copyright © 2025 Barakat Gallery
Site by Artlogic


Manage cookies
Accept

Cookie preferences

Check the boxes for the cookie categories you allow our site to use

Cookie options
Required for the website to function and cannot be disabled.
Improve your experience on the website by storing choices you make about how it should function.
Allow us to collect anonymous usage data in order to improve the experience on our website.
Allow us to identify our visitors so that we can offer personalised, targeted marketing.
Save preferences
Close

Join our mailing list

Sign Up

* denotes required fields