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PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE BRITISH COLLECTION, LOTS 1 – 15
ITALIAN, ROME, LATE 18TH CENTURY/
EARLY 19TH CENTURY
INTAGLIO WITH BACCHUS
carnelian, within a mount
indistinctly inscribed with Greek letters
intaglio: 22mm.,⅞in.
Intaglios with idealised representations of mythological
figures were highly fashionable in the 18th century.
This
beautifully engraved head of Bacchus recalls intaglios with
busts of mythological figures by the English engraver Edward
Burch (circa 1730-1814).
Compare, for example, with Burch’s
head of Antinous in an Oxford private collection, published
by Boardman et al (op.
cit., p.
305, no. 754)
The present
with prominent nose and voluminous hair may have subtly
referenced the Emperor Hadrian’s famous male lover who
tragically died in the River Nile at a young age.
Antinous has
been depicted as the god of wine; see the famous bust of
Antinous as Dionysos (Bacchus) in the Fitzwilliam Museum,
Cambridge (inv.
no. GR1001937). It is, however, possible that
the present intaglio could have been carved closer to 180
Compare also with intaglios by William Brown (1748-1825),
such as the Ariadne with Thyrsus in the Hermitage Museum,
St Petersburg (inv.
no. 10011). The inscription on the present
gem, whilst tantalising, does not transcrib
PROVENANCE
By tradition, Joséphine Bonaparte, Empress of France (1763- 1814);
Possibly acquired from the Empress Joséphine (or her estate)
by Lord Edward Lascelles, “ Beau Lascelles” (1764-1814);
Thence by descent to his grand-niece Catherine, Mrs Granville
Edwin Lloyd-Baker (1841-1890);
Thence by family descent to the present owner
RELATED LITERATURE
J. EXHIBITED
London, Victoria and Albert Museum, on long term loan
(ref: LOAN:MET ANON.105&A-1968)
24mm.,
1in overall.
Boardman, D.
Scarisbrick, C.
Wagner, and E.
Zwierlein-Diehl,
The Marlborough Gems, Oxford, 2009
£ 10,000-15,000
Buyers are liable to pay both the hammer price (as estimated above) and t he buyer’s premium together with any applicable taxes and Artist’s Resale Right
28
(which will depend on the individual circumstances).
Refer to the Buying at Auction and VAT sections at the back of this catalogue for further information.