CIRCA EARLY 5TH CENTURY B.C.

Details

AN ETRUSCAN CARNELIAN SCARAB WITH HERCLE AND A PITHOS
CIRCA EARLY 5TH CENTURY B.C.
5/8 in. (1.6 cm.) long

Provenance

Giorgio Sangiorgi (1886-1965), Rome, acquired and brought to Switzerland, late 1930s; thence by continuous descent to the current owner.

Special notice

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.

Sale room notice

The title of this lot should read ‘AN ETRUSCAN CARNELIAN SCARAB WITH HERCLE AND A PITHOS’

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

The scene on this gem may be a reference to Hercle's encounter with the centaur Pholus, a son of Silenus. Pholus was said to reside upon Mount Pholoe, which Hercle visited as he sought the Erymanthian boar for one of his labours. Pholus had in his possession a pithos made by Dionysus, and being a good host, Pholus opened this for Hercle. Upon smelling the aroma of the wine from the pithos, other centaurs became frenzied and tried to force their way into the cave. Hercle drove the centaurs back and pursued them all the way to Mount Pelion where he slaughtered them.
In this example we see the hero nude, twisted backward with his club by his side. The large and deeply cut pithos stands in front of him. All within a hatched border. Cf. pls. 17-22 in A. Furtwängler, Die antiken Gemmen, for similar gems depicting Hercle with a pithos.

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