Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
The exquisite engraving and carving of this agate depicts the Olympian lovers Mars and Venus with the elegant elongated bodies characteristic of mid-16th-century Italian art. The style is close but not identical to that of Valerio Belli (1568-1546) of Vicenza, one of the great carvers of gems and rock crystal plaques of his day. The gold mount is modern; however, it is possible that the gem was originally mounted as a ring. It could also have been appreciated as a jewel by itself.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
1811
label
Intaglio of Mars and Venus
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
1811
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Intaglio of Mars and Venus
description
The exquisite engraving and carving of this agate depicts the Olympian lovers Mars and Venus with the elegant elongated bodies characteristic of mid-16th-century Italian art. The style is close but not identical to that of Valerio Belli (1568-1546) of Vicenza, one of the great carvers of gems and rock crystal plaques of his day. The gold mount is modern; however, it is possible that the gem was originally mounted as a ring. It could also have been appreciated as a jewel by itself.
provenance
Henry Walters, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sadie Jones (Mrs. Henry Walters), New York, 1931, by inheritance; Sale, Joseph Brummer, New York, 1942; Walters Art Museum, 1942, by purchase.
date
ca. 1540-1560 (Renaissance)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Precious Stones & Gems
intaglios (sculptural objects)
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
6
height
3.5
depth
0.5
dimensionsRaw
H: 2 3/8 × W: 1 3/8 × H: 3/16 in. (6 × 3.5 × 0.5 cm)
Source extras
med
agate; modern gold mount
creator_ids
2549
collection_ids
REN
exhibition_ids
2054
2513
2704
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
bf597e0f32e4d2cb