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Oval gem with Herakles
Greek or Roman
Hellenistic Period
1st century B.C.
Medium/Technique
Agate
Dimensions
Length: 14 mm (9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bartlett Collection—Museum purchase with funds from the Francis Bartlett Donation of 1912
Accession Number27.745
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Gems
DescriptionAgate with three layers (black, white, and brown from the bottom up). Oval intaglio with slightly convex front in modern ring. Bearded, nude Herakles standing frontally with head to right. He leans on a club at his left. He holds an object, probably apples, in his right hand, while a lion skin is wrapped around his forearm. Partial groundlines under his feet and club. Small scratches all over the surface.
ProvenanceBy date unknown, Nevil Story-Maskelyne (b. 1823 – d. 1911); July 4, 1921, Story-Maskelyne sale, Sotheby, Wilkinson, and Hodge, London, lot 104, to Edward Perry Warren; April 5, 1925, loaned by Edward Perry Warren to MFA (as 146.26); November 17, 1927, purchased by MFA from Edward Perry Warren, for $161,000.00 (this figure is the total price for MFA 27.647-27.761)