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_900x900.jpg "Renaissance Agate Gemstone with Eros Riding a Hippocampus in Gold Ring")
_200x200.jpg "Renaissance Agate Gemstone with Eros Riding a Hippocampus in Gold Ring")
_900x900.jpg "Renaissance Agate Gemstone with Eros Riding a Hippocampus in Gold Ring")
_200x200.jpg "Renaissance Agate Gemstone with Eros Riding a Hippocampus in Gold Ring")
_900x900.jpg "Renaissance Agate Gemstone with Eros Riding a Hippocampus in Gold Ring")
_200x200.jpg "Renaissance Agate Gemstone with Eros Riding a Hippocampus in Gold Ring")
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.jpg "Renaissance Agate Gemstone with Eros Riding a Hippocampus in Gold Ring")
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LOT 0343
Renaissance Agate Gemstone with Eros Riding a Hippocampus in Gold Ring
16TH-17TH CENTURY A.D.
1 in. (4.57 grams, 25.29 mm overall, 17.36 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N 1/2, USA 6 3/4, Europe 14.35, Japan 13)).
Oval banded agate intaglio engraved with Eros riding a hippocampus through the waves and wielding a whip in his hand; set in a later gold ring with openwork shoulders.
ProvenanceAcquired on the European art market.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13348-257957.
Cf. for a neo-classical image of a hippocampus set in a gold ring Jordan, S. (ed.), Gems & Jewellery, Summer 2019, volume26, no.2, London, 2019, p.42.
FootnotesThe term hippocampus originates in the Renaissance, from Julius Caesar Arantius. He originated the term from the Greek word for seahorse (hippos [‘horse’] and kampos [‘sea monster’]). Arantius published his description of the hippocampus in 1587, in the first chapter of his work titled De Humano Foetu Liber.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0343
Renaissance Agate Gemstone with Eros Riding a Hippocampus in Gold Ring
Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
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Chalcedony and Silver-Gilt Bust of the Emperor Vespasian
Italy, 17th-18th century A.D.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
The head, carved from pale green chalcedony, polished to a smooth lustre and with a drilled aperture at the crown, the hair in tight curls around the nape and crown; the silver-gilt torso dressed in a draped toga carefully chased with deep folds and traces of gilding across the high points; mounted on a later patinated bronze column stand in the neoclassical manner. 208 grams total, 10.9 cm high including stand
Acquired on the European art market.
This small-scale portrait evokes the Roman tradition of imperial portraiture and the early modern fascination with the ancient world. From the seventeenth century onwards, artists and collectors revived classical subjects through hardstone and gilt-metal compositions, often intended for display in Kunstkammer or Grand Tour contexts. The combination of a reused ancient or earlier element with a later mount was a practice typical of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, reflecting the period’s reverence for antiquity and its imaginative recontextualisation of ancient forms. -
Rock Crystal Cat Amulet Set
20th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £52
Comprising thirteen cat amulets modelled in seated and reclining positions, each pierced for suspension. 80.4 grams total, 20-27 mm
Acquired in the 1990s. Ex London, UK, collection. -
Banded Agate Intaglio Depicting Perseus and Andromeda in Gold Pendant
Italy, 17th-18th century A.D.Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 (+bp*)
Current Winning Bid: £2,000
Translucent intaglio featuring a dynamic mythological scene of Perseus rescuing Princess Andromeda; Perseus depicted nude and wearing a crested helmet, holding a round shield with a Medusa mask in his hand and a spear in the other, Andromeda standing behind him and dressed in long flowing robes; set in an elaborate late 18th-century English gold frame; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 13.64 grams, 61 mm
Acquired on the European art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13343-257990.
Andromeda was the daughter of the Aethiopian king Cepheus and Cassiopeia. According to the legend, Cassiopeia angered Neptune by claiming that her daughter was more beautiful than the nereids, and Neptune, in revenge, sent a monster to ravage the coast. Told that the only way to save their country is to sacrifice their daughter to the creature, Andromeda’s parents chained her to a rock by the sea. The demigod Perseus, son of Jupiter, killed the sea monster by petrifying it with the head of Medusa and rescued Andromeda.
