¹¹⁄₁₆ in. (1.7 cm.) diameter

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, pp. 14-15, no. 9.

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

Brought to you by

Lot Essay

The chimaera was a popular subject for Island Gems (see Boardman, Island Gems, pp. 55-59). Here the monster is of characteristic form: depicted leonine, with a horned goat head at the tip of the wing, and a forked tail possibly representing a snake, all on a double V-shaped groundline.