It
seems like a flood of gems that have been flushing towards the Getty
Museum just a few months ago (May 2019).
We find
rings from antiquity with exquisitely carved gems in some museums and,
unfortunately, they are often overlooked by the casual visitor who is more
impressed by large statues and impressive reliefs.
Yet,
this newly acquired group of seventeen such engraved gems constitutes an
exceptional and extremely rare collection, the previous possession of a Roman
art dealer. These truly unique gems, some of which are still set in their
original rings, range from the Minoan, Archaic and Classical eras down to
Etruscan and Roman times.
The
acquisition includes some of the most famous gems like the portraits of Antinoüs, the lover of Emperor Hadrian, and Demosthenes, but also lesser-know work
by exceptionally talented jewelers.
Antinoüs is carved on a large black
chalcedony stone and is depicted wearing a cloak pinned in place by a fibula.
He is presented as a hunter and carries a spear. His traits are rendered with
such precision and delicacy that it leads many to say that this is the finest rendition
of Antinoüs ever.
The
portrait of Demosthenes, on the other
hand, carries the name of its engraver, Dioskourides
who is known for working at the court of Emperor Augustus. The cut of this gem is so deep that the portrait looks more like
a high relief. Demosthenes is
depicted wearing a mantle over one shoulder and his face shows the serious
expression befitting his famous Philippics.
As to
the other gems in the collection, they all show the exceptional skill of their
creators. Especially noteworthy are the pictures of three swans on a Bronze Age
seal from Crete (approx. 1600 BC) and that of
a semi-divine Perseus with detailed naturalism.
Before
being housed at the Getty Villa,
the entire collection will be shown to the public as part of a special
exhibition at the Getty Center
in December 2019.
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