Renaissance Carnelian 'Michelangelo's Seal' Gemstone

18TH CENTURY A.D.

7/8 in. (1.21 grams, 21 mm).

Vibrant orange carnelian intaglio depicting a lively Bacchic scene with satyrs, wine-bearers and other participants beneath a canopy supported by two flying Cupids; below in the exergue, a small figure of a fisherman, fishing with a hook on the sea shore; supplied with a museum-quality impression.

Provenance

Acquired on the European art market.

Literature

Cf. The British Museum, London, museum no.1978,1002.1205, for a brooch with a similar resin cameo; see also Brose, K.M., Applied Arts or Ancient Sculpture? A Renaissance Gem in the Census Database, online article, retrieved July 22 2026.

Footnotes

The original 'Seal of Michelangelo' is a famous engraved carnelian gem, acquired by King Louis XIV in 1670. It is now housed in the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Long thought to be an ancient Greek masterpiece, and a subject of debate and controversy, it was subsequently identified by scholars as a Renaissance work by Pier Maria Serbaldi da Pescia.

CONDITION

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LOT 0377