¹¹⁄₁₆ in. (1.7 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. 38, no. 31.

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

Brought to you by

Lot Essay

The sides of this scaraboid are concave, with a band of tongues above a plinth of incised cross-hatching. On the underside, a sphinx sits on a hatched groundline, with a footed cup in the exergue. In the field is an illegible inscription composed of five Greek and Cypriot letters. Though Boardman and Wagner suggest that the ornament on the sides and perhaps the inscription were added later, a close examination of the surface would indicate they are original.