consisting of four yellow gold pentagonal terminals cast and chased to depict the truncated profile of a helmeted warrior, possibly Achilles, the links applied with oval cartouches bearing Giuliano’s mark.
Signed: ‘C.G.’ for Carlo Giuliano.
London, c.1880
Length of terminal: 1.9cm
Width of terminal: 1.4cm
Provenance
Giuliano cast the gold terminals from a plaster impression taken of a sard intaglio mounted in a gold ring from the permanent collection of the British Museum.
For more information about Carlo Giuliano and his work,
please click the link below:
Information about the intaglio:
Acquired by The British Museum in 1814, inv. 1913,0307.203
Published:
– R.E. Raspe & J. Tassie, A Descriptive Catalogue of a General Collection of Ancient and Modern Engraved Gems, Cameos as Well as Intaglios, Taken From the Most Celebrated Cabinets in Europe; and Cast in Coloured Pastes, White Enamel, and Sulphur, London 1791, no. 1662
– A.H. Smith & A.S. Murray, A Catalogue of engraved gems in the British Museum, London 1888, no. 1385 (described as ancient, and possibly depicting Achilles).
– O.M. Dalton, Catalogue of the engraved gems of the Post-Classical periods, London 1915, no. 873.
With thanks to Hadrien Rambach for
identifying the original intaglio.