Asset number
478228001
Description
Blue glass intaglio with a portrait of Cleopatra VII: this pale blue glass gem shows a portrait of a royal woman, identified by the broad, knotted diadem. The hair is tied back in a bun in the usual Greek manner and the dress that the queen wears is also Greek in origin, with folds of drapery clearly visible. The headdress, however, is Egyptian in style and in the form of a triple uraeus; the cobras wear sun discs on their heads. The portrait features are relatively clear and show a full face, with straight nose and a strong chin with a downturned mouth. It is, however, the hairstyle and broad diadem in particular that indicate that this representation is of Cleopatra VII. Blue glass seal: the youth is shown with a prominent fringe of hair falling across the brow and temple; a long straight nose; small, angular chin; and the broad jaw and cheekbones that were to be such a strong feature of the portraits of Augustus. Beneath him is a cornucopia overflowing with fruit. Sardonyx intaglio sealstone: the engraved design is of a draped, female bust, the hair bound by a double diadem formed by two strips worn close together but revealing the strands of hair in between. The hair is pulled back from the brow, and two rows of corkscrew locks frame the face, and then fall on to the shoulders. The eye that is shown is large. The downturned mouth and the short nose with flared nostrils compare with the marble portrait of a Ptolemaic queen which may represent Cleopatra II or III. The woman wears a garment that is pinned on her shoulder. The workmanship is fairly crude, but the composition is lively. Blue glass seal: the youth is shown with a prominent fringe of hair falling across the brow and temple; a long straight nose; small, angular chin; and the broad jaw and cheekbones that were to be such a strong feature of the portraits of Augustus. Beneath him is a cornucopia overflowing with fruit. Blue glass seal: the youth is shown with a prominent fringe of hair falling across the brow and temple; a long straight nose; small, angular chin; and the broad jaw and cheekbones that were to be such a strong feature of the portraits of Augustus. Beneath him is a cornucopia overflowing with fruit. Blue glass seal: the youth is shown with a prominent fringe of hair falling across the brow and temple; a long straight nose; small, angular chin; and the broad jaw and cheekbones that we
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