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Source Description
During the contest between Zeus and the giants (the Gigantomachy), Zeus, shown in his chariot, tramples two giants in human form with serpent legs. The prototype for this intaglio is a gem now in the National Museum of Naples. Both are signed in Greek "Athenion," the name of an ancient gem engraver.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
9810
label
Intaglio of Zeus Gigantomachos
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
9810
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Intaglio of Zeus Gigantomachos
description
During the contest between Zeus and the giants (the Gigantomachy), Zeus, shown in his chariot, tramples two giants in human form with serpent legs. The prototype for this intaglio is a gem now in the National Museum of Naples. Both are signed in Greek "Athenion," the name of an ancient gem engraver.
provenance
George Spencer, fourth Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, by 1817, [mode of acquisition unknown] [Marlborough no. 15]; George Spencer-Churchill, fifth Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, 1817, by bequest; George Spencer-Churchill, sixth Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, 1840, by bequest; John Spencer-Churchill, seventh Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, 1857, by bequest; Sale, The Marlborough Gems, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 28 June 1875, p. 3, lot 15; David Bromilow, Bitteswell Hall, Leicestershire, ca. 1875, by purchase; Julia Bromilow Jary, Bitteswell Hall, Leicestershire, 1898, by bequest; Sale, The Marlborough Gems Purchased by the Late David Bromilow, esq., Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 26 June 1899, p. 4, lot 15; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1899, by purchase [Dikran Kelekian as agent]; Sadie Jones (Mrs. Henry Walters), New York, 1931, by bequest; Joseph Brummer, Paris and New York, 1941, by purchase [Brummer inv. no. N5143a]; Walters Art Museum, 1942, by purchase.
date
18th century
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Precious Stones & Gems
intaglios (sculptural objects)
pendants
gems
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
3.6
height
4.5
dimensionsRaw
1 7/16 x 1 3/4 in. (3.6 x 4.5 cm)
Source extras
inscriptions
[Signature] Athenion
med
sardonyx
creator_ids
6200
collection_ids
EAN
exhibition_ids
none
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
0ab24a8501828b2b