⁹⁄₁₆ in. (1.4 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. 29, no. 22.

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Lot Essay

The underside of this simple beetle is engraved with a lively scene of three dancing satyrs, each with equine feet and a tail. The satyr in the center bends forward acutely and turns his head back while playing the double pipes. His ithyphallic companions gesticulate with one raised hand. A tree is in the center in the background, and the scene is enclosed within a hatched border. Satyrs were a popular subject on gems, occupied in all manner of activities (see pp. 51ff., Boardman, Archaic Greek Gems).