Carnelian Intaglio Depicting the Goddess Artemis, 1700 CE - 1800 CE
Carnelian-Gold
FJ.6405
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,...
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 mineraIs 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.
Forever youthful and an eternal virgin, the goddess Artemis was primarily interested in the hunt. Her cult was particularly strong in the wild and mountainous regions of Greece, Arcadia and Sparta. Associated with women of all ages and circumstances in life, her cult in Attica (Greece) was concerned with the transition of girls from childhood to womanhood. In Athens Artemis’ tale was as a protector of women in childbirth; but as a warrior she could be fiercesome. This handsome intaglio reveals the many facetted nature of this deity: she is strong, determined and resolute, yet maternal and compassionate as well. Her trademark quiver and arrow are visible at the back and front respectively; her hair beautifully coifed, her lips parted as if about to speak words of celestial wisdom.
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 mineraIs 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.
Forever youthful and an eternal virgin, the goddess Artemis was primarily interested in the hunt. Her cult was particularly strong in the wild and mountainous regions of Greece, Arcadia and Sparta. Associated with women of all ages and circumstances in life, her cult in Attica (Greece) was concerned with the transition of girls from childhood to womanhood. In Athens Artemis’ tale was as a protector of women in childbirth; but as a warrior she could be fiercesome. This handsome intaglio reveals the many facetted nature of this deity: she is strong, determined and resolute, yet maternal and compassionate as well. Her trademark quiver and arrow are visible at the back and front respectively; her hair beautifully coifed, her lips parted as if about to speak words of celestial wisdom.