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Oval gem with Ares killing a giant
Roman
Late Republican Period
mid 1st century B.C.
Medium/Technique
Glass
Dimensions
Length: 25 mm (1 in.)
Credit Line
Henry Lillie Pierce Fund
Accession Number98.747
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Gems
DescriptionLight blue glass. Intaglio with flat sides and inward back bezel. Ares, with body represented frontally and head in profile, stands with his legs apart (his right leg hidden from view). He is nude, except for a cloak clasped around his neck, fluttering behind him, and a crested helmet. He holds a round shield out to the side with his right hand, and he pierces a giant with a spear in his left hand. The bearded giant, with thick, snake legs and a very thick, brawny physique, clutches his chest with his left hand where the spear pierces him; his right hand is raised over his head. Motif is situated on a ground line.
ProvenanceBy 1897, Michal Tyszkiewicz (b. 1828 - d. 1897), Rome; June 8 - 10, 1898, posthumous Tyszkiewicz sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, lot 79; 1898, Edward Perry Warren (b. 1860 - d. 1928), Rome and London; 1898, sold by Warren to the MFA for $69,618.13 [see note]. (Accession Date: September 20, 1898)
Note: This is the total price for MFA accession nos. 98.641-98.940.
Note: This is the total price for MFA accession nos. 98.641-98.940.