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Source 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.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
40797
label
Ring with Intaglio Showing Head of Asclepius
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
3
Source metadata
id
40797
sourceUrl
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
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Precious Stones & Gems
intaglios (sculptural objects)
finger rings
gems
imageCount
3
pageCount
3
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
2.1
height
1.8
depth
0.4
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)
Source extras
med
carnelian and gold alloy
creator_ids
6229
collection_ids
EAN
JWL
exhibition_ids
2513
3390
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
ee1794ccb14a4b88
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
38a1db516fe50618
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
9c91fe9805655b95
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no