A ROMAN ONYX CAMEO

CIRCA 2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN ONYX CAMEO
Circa 2nd-3rd Century A.D.
The oval stone carved in two layers, white over brown, depicting the story of Mucius Scaevola, with Lars Porsenna seated to the right, a soldier with scepter and shield beside him, and Mucius, fully armed, standing before them, holding his right hand in the fire on a cylindrical altar, a second soldier with a shield standing to the left, all on a groundline; mounted as a stick pin in a 19th century silver setting
¾ in. (1.9 cm) wide

Provenance

Lilian Dwyer, Cork, Ireland, 1930s

Lot Essay

Mucius was a legendary hero from Rome's earliest history. When the Etruscan Lars Porsenna of Clusium laid siege to Rome, brave Mucius entered the city but failed in his attempt to kill Porsenna. When he was brought before Porsenna, Mucius showed no fear and to demonstrate his contempt for pain and torture, he placed his right hand in a fire. Impressed by his fearlessness, Porsenna released him. Mucius, thereafter, was nicknamed Scaevola, "left hand." On gems, the story is not particularly common, and normally only the single figure of Mucius with his hand in the fire is shown. See Brandt, et al., Antike Gemmen in Deutschen Sammlungen, Band I, Staatliche Münzsammlung München, Teil 2, no. 1029 and Teil 3, no. 2728.

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