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Intaglio Jewelry :
Classical Revival Seal Rings : Gold Ring with Classical Revival Garnet Intaglio of an Eagle Carrying off a Rabbit
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Gold Ring with Classical Revival Garnet Intaglio of an Eagle Carrying off a Rabbit - FJ.6621
Origin: Europe
Circa: 18
th
Century AD
Collection: Jewelry
Medium: Garnet and Gold
$4,800.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
The art of glyptics, or carving on colored
precious stones, is probably one of the oldest
known to humanity. Intaglios, gems with an
incised design, were made as early as the fourth
and third millennia B.C. in Mesopotamia and the
Aegean Islands. They exhibit a virtuosity of
execution that suggests an old and stable
tradition rooted in the earliest centuries. The
tools required for carving gems were simple: a
wheel with a belt-drive and a set of drills. A
special difficulty of engraving intaglios, aside
from their miniature size, was that the master
had to work with a mirror-image in mind.
The Classical Revival was a phenomenon that
swept through Europe in the 18th and 19th
Centuries. A new appreciation for antiquity and
ancient art forms was fostered by discoveries in
the nascent scientific field of archaeology.
Perhaps the Classical Revival also reveals a latent
longing towards the Arcadian lifestyles of
yesterday abandoned as Europe became rapidly
industrialized and increasingly urbanized.
Engraved upon the polished surface of this
precious gemstone is a scene of an eagle soaring
through the sky, carrying a rabbits in its talons.
We can imagine this majestic bird swooping
down from the sky and catching the
unsuspecting rabbit in its deadly talons.
Throughout time, eagles have been admired for
their keen eyesight and their lightning speed. In
fact, the eagle was the symbol for the king of
the gods, Zeus (known as Jupiter to the Romans).
This gorgeous ring evokes the beauty of the
Classical world after which it was inspired.
- (FJ.6621)
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