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THE PROPERTY OF A EUROPEAN PRIVATE COLLECTOR Giorgio Sangiorgi (1886-1965) was a principle of the most renowned art-dealing family in Rome. The firm was located at 117 via Ripetta at Palazzo Borghese and was famous for many important auctions, with catalogues written in collaboration with leading scholars. The galleria specialized in ancient art, furniture, ceramics and textiles. As a private collector, Sangiorgi assembled an important ancient glass collection, which he published in 1914. Masterpieces from it were sold in the 1960s and are now the pride of numerous institutions such as the Toledo Museum of Art and the Corning Museum of Glass; the bulk of the collection was sold here at Christie’s New York in June 1999, “Ancient Glass formerly in the G. Sangiorgi Collection.” As with the glass collection, many of the objects in his personal collection, such as the gems presented here, were acquired throughout Europe and never imported into Italy.
TWELVE ROMAN GLASS RINGSTONES
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-2ND CENTURY A.D.
Details
TWELVE ROMAN GLASS RINGSTONES
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-2ND CENTURY A.D.
Including one with a snake-legged giant; one with Hercules standing between two of the man-eating horses of Diomedes, holding the bridle of one, his club raised in his left hand, nude but for his lion skin draped over his right arm, two dying horses to the left, a dying man to the right, on a groundline; one with a frontal mask, perhaps a bearded satyr; one with a standing nude male, mantle draped over his right arm, perhaps also holding a sheathed sword; one with a composite figure of Isis with a scorpion body, the pincers in the form of serpents, her head in profile to the left, wearing a solar disk and cow horn crown; one with a portrait head of a woman in profile to the left above the prow of a ship; one with an eagle and a standard above an altar with a quadriga in relief, with bull heads projecting to the sides, a standard to the left, all upon a ship; one with Paposilenus riding on a donkey to the right, on a groundline; one with a temple to Jupiter framing his eagle upon an altar, a dolphin below; one with a warrior or hero standing before a serpent-entwined tree surmounted by an owl, the warrior nude but for a cloak over his shoulders, holding a shield and a spear, wearing a crested helmet; one with a bull with its head lowered, facing left, on a groundline; and one with Hercules, depicted nude, his animal skin draped over his right hand
Largest: ¾ in. (1.9 cm.) long
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-2ND CENTURY A.D.
Including one with a snake-legged giant; one with Hercules standing between two of the man-eating horses of Diomedes, holding the bridle of one, his club raised in his left hand, nude but for his lion skin draped over his right arm, two dying horses to the left, a dying man to the right, on a groundline; one with a frontal mask, perhaps a bearded satyr; one with a standing nude male, mantle draped over his right arm, perhaps also holding a sheathed sword; one with a composite figure of Isis with a scorpion body, the pincers in the form of serpents, her head in profile to the left, wearing a solar disk and cow horn crown; one with a portrait head of a woman in profile to the left above the prow of a ship; one with an eagle and a standard above an altar with a quadriga in relief, with bull heads projecting to the sides, a standard to the left, all upon a ship; one with Paposilenus riding on a donkey to the right, on a groundline; one with a temple to Jupiter framing his eagle upon an altar, a dolphin below; one with a warrior or hero standing before a serpent-entwined tree surmounted by an owl, the warrior nude but for a cloak over his shoulders, holding a shield and a spear, wearing a crested helmet; one with a bull with its head lowered, facing left, on a groundline; and one with Hercules, depicted nude, his animal skin draped over his right hand
Largest: ¾ in. (1.9 cm.) long
Provenance
G. Sangiorgi Collection (1886-1965), Rome.
Private Collection, Monaco, 1970s; thence by descent.
Private Collection, Monaco, 1970s; thence by descent.
Brought to you by
G. Max Bernheimer