1¹⁄₄ in. (3.2 cm.) long

Giorgio Sangiorgi (1886-1965), Rome, acquired and brought to Switzerland, late 1930s; thence by continuous descent to the current owner.

J. Boardman and C. Wagner, Masterpieces in Miniature: Engraved Gems from Prehistory to the Present, London, 2018, p. 207, no. 193.

Conditions of Sale
FAQs
This lot is offered by Christie's Inc

Brought to you by

Lot Essay

On this large convex oval is the goddess Athena wearing her scaly aegis and peplos, advancing forward on tiptoe, creating voluminous billowing folds behind her. She is fully armed in a crested Attic helmet, holding a spear over one shoulder and her circular shield in the other. The shield is in three-quarter view, with the head of Medusa as the blazon. The style is archaizing, in the Neo-Attic tradition, as seen on a number of related gems, of which the present example may be the finest (see nos. 460-465 in D. Plantzos, Hellenistic Engraved Gems).