CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.

Details

A ROMAN GLASS CAMEO OF MEDUSA
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.
1 ½ in. (3.6 cm.) long

Provenance

Dr. Arnold Ruesch (1882-1929) collection, Zurich, Switzerland.
Swiss private collection, acquired in 1936 from the above; thence by descent.

Literature

Sammlung A. Ruesch, Zürich, Griechische, etruskische und römische Altertümer, Galerie Fischer, Luzern, 1936, p. 30, no. 283.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Claudio Corsi Specialist, Head of Department

ccorsi@christies.com +44 (0) 20 7389 2607

Lot Essay

The cameo is cast from layered glass, white on black, in imitation of onyx. Medusa is shown in profile to the left, with wings in her hair and serpentine locks falling along her neck. Medusa was perhaps the most popular subject for Roman cameos, typically shown either frontally or in profile, as here. For the type, compare the onyx cameo, no. 502 in J. Boardman, et al., The Marlborough Gems.

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