Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Intaglio with an Athlete Set in a Ring
This intaglio depicts an athlete, frontally, pouring oil from an alabastron with his left hand. To the left is a water jug (hydria) on a table. The athlete may be a small-scale depiction of a famous Greek statue by one of the followers of the renowned sculptor Polykleitos (5th century BCE).
The gem is inscribed vertically on the right with the name of a well-known gem-carver of the late 1st century BCE, ΓNAIOΥ (Gnaios). The intaglio has been largely abraded due to early modern cleaning.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Apostolo Zeno, Venice, by 1736, [mode of acquisition unknown]; Philipp von Stosch, Vienna, ca. 1739, [mode of acquisition unknown]; William Ponsonby, second Earl of Bessborough, Parkstead House, Roehampton, by 1754, [mode of acquisition unknown] [Bessborough no. 36]; George Spencer, fourth Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, by ca. 1765, by purchase [Marlborough no. 621]; George Spencer-Churchill, fifth Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, 1817, by bequest; George Spencer-Churchill, sixth Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, 1840, by bequest; John Spencer-Churchill, seventh Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, 1857, by bequest; Sale, The Marlborough Gems, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 28 June 1875, p. 97, lot 621; David Bromilow, Bitteswell Hall, Leicestershire, ca. 1875, by purchase; Julia Bromilow Jary, Bitteswell Hall, Leicestershire, 1898, by bequest; Sale, The Marlborough Gems Purchased by the Late David Bromilow, esq., Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 26 June 1899, p. 108, lot 621; Mr. Ready, London, 1899, by purchase; Sir Thomas D. Gibson-Carmichael, London, by 1926, [mode of acquisition unknown]; Joseph Brummer, Paris and New York, 1926, by purchase [Brummer inv. no. P3276]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1927, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2016 | Madame de Pompadour, Patron and Printmaker. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1990-1991 | Polyklet: Der Bildhauer der griechischen Klassik. Staedtische Galerie Liebieghaus, Frankfurt am Main. |
| 1971-1972 | World of Wonder. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| Technical Report | other | |
| 9/6/1960 | Examination | other |
| 10/11/1971 | Treatment | other |
| 4/1/1983 | Treatment | cleaned; other |
| 5/1/1984 | Treatment | cleaned; other |
| 4/10/1990 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
| 8/18/2015 | Examination | Examined in preparation for exhibition. |
| 8/18/2015 | Examination | Examined |
| 10/20/2015 | Treatment | An impression was made of the intaglio for purposes of exhibition. The object was cleaned afterward. |
| 10/20/2015 | Treatment | Cleaned |
Measurements
Intaglio H: 11/16 × W: 9/16 in. (1.8 × 1.5 cm); Intaglio with gold setting H: 13/16 × W: 3/4 × D: 1/8 in. (2.1 × 1.9 × 0.3 cm); Ring H: 13/16 × W: 7/8 × D: 3/4 in. (2.1 × 2.2 × 1.9 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1927
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
42.109