A GREEK AGATE CAMEO
Hellenistic Period, Circa 2nd Century B.C.
The oval stone in two layers, carnelian orange over white, sculpted in high relief with a facing bust of a satyr, perhaps depicting a Hellenistic prince in the guise of a satyr, a nebris (animal skin) draped diagonally across his chest over his left shoulder, his head turned to his right, with short wavy hair, a creased forehead, lidded eyes beneath modelled brows, and a small mouth
15/16 in. (2.4 cm) long
Provenance
Geschnittene Steine und Schmuck der Antike, Frank Sternberg, AG, Zürich, Auktion XXVI, 16 November 1992, lot 582
Lot Essay
For a carnelian gem depicting a young Ptolemaic prince assimilated to a satyr see no. 141 in Vollenweider, Camées et intailles, Tome I, Les Portraits grecs du Cabinet des médailles.