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18th-century gem carvers sometimes depicted ancient subjects to appeal to gem collectors with antiquarian tastes. This intaglio portrays Asclepius, Greek god of medicine and healing, in profile. Asclepius’s attribute, a serpent entwined around a rod, appears at left. The symbol, which continues to be used in medicine today, has generated different interpretations, but it could be read as a symbol of renewal, as snakes shed their skins. This gem was part of the duke of Marlborough’s famous collection in England.

Page data

Page
1
Source index
0
Type
photo
Media ID
ee1794ccb14a4b88
Size
unknown

Document data

ID
40797
Core
obj
Type
object
DTO data
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    "id": "40797",
    "sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/42.1108",
    "contentType": "object",
    "stage": "normalized",
    "title": "Ring with Intaglio Showing Head of Asclepius",
    "description": "18th-century gem carvers sometimes depicted ancient subjects to appeal to gem collectors with antiquarian tastes. This intaglio portrays Asclepius, Greek god of medicine and healing, in profile. Asclepius’s attribute, a serpent entwined around a rod, appears at left. The symbol, which continues to be used in medicine today, has generated different interpretations, but it could be read as a symbol of renewal, as snakes shed their skins. This gem was part of the duke of Marlborough’s famous collection in England.",
    "provenance": "George Spencer, fourth Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, by 1817, [mode of acquisition unknown] [Marlborough no. 251]; 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. 38, lot 251; 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. 43, lot 251; 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": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/42.1108",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
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    "dimensionsRaw": "Intaglio in gold setting H: 13/16 × W: 11/16 × D: 3/16 in. (2.1 × 1.8 × 0.4 cm); Ring H: 13/16 × W: 3/4 × D: 13/16 in. (2.1 × 1.9 × 2.1 cm)"
}

Context sent to Scholar

Document identity
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    "localId": "40797",
    "label": "Ring with Intaglio Showing Head of Asclepius",
    "core": "obj",
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Document source metadata
{
    "id": "40797",
    "sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/42.1108",
    "contentType": "object",
    "stage": "normalized",
    "title": "Ring with Intaglio Showing Head of Asclepius",
    "description": "18th-century gem carvers sometimes depicted ancient subjects to appeal to gem collectors with antiquarian tastes. This intaglio portrays Asclepius, Greek god of medicine and healing, in profile. Asclepius’s attribute, a serpent entwined around a rod, appears at left. The symbol, which continues to be used in medicine today, has generated different interpretations, but it could be read as a symbol of renewal, as snakes shed their skins. This gem was part of the duke of Marlborough’s famous collection in England.",
    "provenance": "George Spencer, fourth Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, by 1817, [mode of acquisition unknown] [Marlborough no. 251]; 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. 38, lot 251; 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. 43, lot 251; 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": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/42.1108",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
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        "intaglios (sculptural objects)",
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    ],
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    "dimensionsRaw": "Intaglio in gold setting H: 13/16 × W: 11/16 × D: 3/16 in. (2.1 × 1.8 × 0.4 cm); Ring H: 13/16 × W: 3/4 × D: 13/16 in. (2.1 × 1.9 × 2.1 cm)"
}
Document source extras
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    "med": "carnelian and gold alloy",
    "creator_ids": [
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    "collection_ids": [
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        "JWL"
    ],
    "exhibition_ids": [
        "2513",
        "3390"
    ]
}
Page context
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