Intaglio Gem Depicting Hermes Fastening His Sandal

AAT Object Form/Functionfigures (representations)

AAT Object Techniqueintaglios (sculptural objects)

AAT Object Form/Functiongems (worked stones)

CultureGreek, Ptolemaic

PeriodHellenistic

Date2nd Century BCE

MediumGarnet group, pyrope

Credit LineGift of John and Pat Laszlo

DimensionsMaximum: 11/16 × 7/8 × 1/4 in. (1.7 × 2.2 × 0.6 cm)

Object number2017.053.006

Label TextAlthough utilized sporadically in earlier periods, garnet usage increased exponentially in the Hellenistic period (ca. 323-30 BCE) following the invasion of India by Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE). The stone was especially favored by the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt and was used for intaglio ringstones, jewelry inlays, and miniature sculptures. This large, highly convex cabochon gem is engraved in intaglio with an image of Hermes wearing a traveller's hat (petasos) and cloak, resting his raised leg on a rock as he fastens his winged sandals. The iconography references a famous sculptural type usually attributed to the fourth-century BCE sculptor Lysippos. The gem is inscribed in Greek with the letters, ‘O’ and ‘I’.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2004 - October 28, 2013
Making an Impression: The Art and Craft of Ancient Engraved Gemstones, Michael C. Carlos Museum, August 27 - November 27, 2022
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, November 7, 2023 - Present

ProvenanceEx coll. Ernst Herzfeld (1879-1948), Princeton, New Jersey. With Brummer Gallery, New York, purchased from Herzfeld, July 11, 1944. Sold by Brummer to Maxime Velay, New York, New York, December 8, 1944. Returned to Brummer Gallery for credit by Velay, March 19, 1945. Ex coll. Ernest Brummer (1891-1964), New York, New York, from ca. 1949. Thence by descent.

InscribedI O

Status

On view

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