A fine roman italic banded agate intaglio. Oedipus with the Sphinx.

2nd century B.C.

15 x 21 x 3 mm

The Greek hero is standing, facing right, in front of the sphinx. The character is helmeted and holds a spear with a shield; on his shoulders he wears a cloak while the rest of the body is naked. The winged sphinx is seated on top of the rocks in the act of raising the right paw, while Oedipus brings his right hand towards the face, in a colloquial gesture, typical for this iconography. Groundline. The intaglio is engraved with great skill on an extraordinary variety of banded agate with dark brown bands almost black, honey tones and white with transparencies. Presence of globular elements that emphasize the anatomical details of the figures. Nice size of the stone. Wear marks. Slight chipping on the top edge. Rare.

Parallels: G. Sena Chiesa, Gemme. Dalla corte imperiale alla corte celeste, pp. 56-57; Die Antiken Gemmen des Kunsthistorisches Museum in Wien, band III, p. 52 n. 1638. Die Antiken Gemmen in Deutschen Sammlungen, Band IV, Hannover und Hamburg, n. 1754.

U.K., private collection 80's, London.

Estimate: GBP 1000 - 2000