Intaglio of Mars and Venus

Description The exquisite engraving and carving of this agate depicts the Olympian lovers Mars and Venus with the elegant elongated bodies characteristic of mid-16th-century Italian art. The style is close but not identical to that of Valerio Belli (1568-1546) of Vicenza, one of the great carvers of gems and rock crystal plaques of his day. The gold mount is modern; however, it is possible that the gem was originally mounted as a ring. It could also have been appreciated as a jewel by itself.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
8/22/1979	Examination	examined for condition

Exhibitions

• Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1979-1980.
• Objects of Adornment: Five Thousand Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis; Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota. 1984-1987.
• Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery and the Zucker Family Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1987.

Provenance Henry Walters, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sadie Jones (Mrs. Henry Walters), New York, 1931, by inheritance; Sale, Joseph Brummer, New York, 1942; Walters Art Museum, 1942, by purchase.

Credit Museum purchase, 1942