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Oval gem with head of man
Roman
Republican Period
1st century B.C.
Medium/Technique
Jasper
Dimensions
Length: 16 mm (5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Bartlett Collection—Museum purchase with funds from the Francis Bartlett Donation of 1912
Accession Number27.715
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Gems
Catalogue Raisonné
Lewes House Gems, no. 101 (1920; 2002, additional published references).
Lewes 101
DescriptionBlack jasper. Intaglio. Set in modern gold setting. Head of a man in profile to the left. He has short, curly hair cropped close to the head; a receding hair line; a thick eyebrow rendered by rough, irregular vertical strokes; lines on his forehead; a large, hooked nose; a minor under-bite; a slight double chin; lines of excess flesh on his neck; and a large, slightly misshapen ear.
ProvenanceProbably Cardinal Francesco Boncompagni (b. 1596 – d. 1641), Rome [see note 1]. By 1897, Michal Tyszkiewicz (b. 1828 – d. 1897), Rome; June 8 - 10, 1898, posthumous Tyszkiewicz sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, lot 288. By 1926, Edward Perry Warren (b. 1860 – d. 1928), London; 1926, loaned to MFA by Edward Perry Warren [note 2]; 1927, sold by Edward Perry Warren to the MFA $ 161,000 [note 3]. (Accession Date: November 17, 1927)
Notes:
[1]See catalog of the 1898 Tyszkiewicz sale. Most of the Boncompagni Ludovisi collection of gems was formed by Cardinal Francesco Boncompagni in the 17th century. However it is possible that his heir, Girolamo Boncompagni (b. 1622 - d. 1684), added to the collection. Upon his death in 1684, Girolamo willed his collection to the Ospedali della Vita e della Morte in Bologna. The family heir, Gregorio Boncompagni, disputed the will and eventually got the gem collection back (see https://villaludovisi.org/2013/05/22/new-from-1706-an-inventory-and-cash-assessment-of-coins-and-medals-in-the-museo-boncompagni-ludovisi-part-ii-of-ii/).
[2]As 76.26.
[3]Total price for MFA accession nos. 27.647-27.761.
Notes:
[1]See catalog of the 1898 Tyszkiewicz sale. Most of the Boncompagni Ludovisi collection of gems was formed by Cardinal Francesco Boncompagni in the 17th century. However it is possible that his heir, Girolamo Boncompagni (b. 1622 - d. 1684), added to the collection. Upon his death in 1684, Girolamo willed his collection to the Ospedali della Vita e della Morte in Bologna. The family heir, Gregorio Boncompagni, disputed the will and eventually got the gem collection back (see https://villaludovisi.org/2013/05/22/new-from-1706-an-inventory-and-cash-assessment-of-coins-and-medals-in-the-museo-boncompagni-ludovisi-part-ii-of-ii/).
[2]As 76.26.
[3]Total price for MFA accession nos. 27.647-27.761.