A roman republican, deep red carnelian intaglio. Male character, with a horse. The male character, taller than the horse (which instead should be, as usual, majestic), is in front of the animal, in an elegant pose inspired by hellenistic specimens, having his right leg down on the ground and the left one slightly raised. With his right hand he holds the horse by the reins while his eft arm is leaning on the side, along the body. The head is turned to the left, characterized by marked features and hair sticked to the head. The bust is in three quarters and covered by a chlamys falling down under the right knee, leaving part of the left hip uncovered. The extraordinary polishing enhances the softness and realism of the draping over the young body. The pose of the horse (his right leg raised up in a marching attitude and head proudly up) can absolutely be related to some roman republican coinages (see denarius of P. licinius Crassus, 55 B.C., for both the poses of the horse and horseman, Crawford 430/1, Sydenham 929; denarius of M. Aemilius Lepidus, 61 B.C., Crawford 419 1a; see Beazley Archive-Oxford, Gem Database: Unpublished Tassie TRAY 42.1 (sulphur cast from an intaglio) n. 2652; n. 2642 and 2645 show a warrior in front his horse, the former being taller). In the lower section, the scene partly goes beyond the ground line. The depiction can be identified as the personal effigy of a member of the roman nobilitas, presumably to commemorate an important trip (travel chlamys; altogether with weapons could have a military reference). Intaglio carried out with artistry, and characterized by a very well preserved mirror-finish polishing; the field shows some wear marks. Excellent gem quality, bright and intense in colour. 1st century B.C.
19 x 17 x 2 mm