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Auction: 390 - Renaissance Plaquettes and Commemorative Medals featuring the Neil A. Goodman Collection - e-Auction
Lot: 18

AFTER DIOSCURIDES OR A DISCIPLE
Gemma Augustea. Plaque. Bronze, 225.4 x 190.5mm. After the famed carved double-layered Arabian onyx attributed to Dioscurides or a disciple, c. 10-20 AD. On the top, a portrayal of the unification of the Roman Empire under Augustus: the emperor seated left being crowned with an oak-leaf wreath, a turreted goddess seated by him, other figures around him. The lower register depicts a Roman triumph: Soldiers erecting a victory trophy, captive enemy bound below, other figures to the right.
One of the most revered surviving masterpieces of classical gem engraving, the Gemma Augustea has been pursued by kings, emperors, and popes. HRE Rudolf II acquired it at some point, apparently in Venice, a center for the antiquities trade, for 12,000 ducats. It is now a much-prized part of the Imperial treasures housed in Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum (Inv. ANSA IX a79). Riddick knew of no other bronze casts of the Gemma Augustea.
Deep olive-brown patina. Very minor loss to patina due to rubbing, traces of former suspension mount top back and residue from former tape applied to center back. An Extremely Fine late 19th-early 20th Century cast. Ex Michael Riddick Collection (No.3).
From the Neil A. Goodman Collection

Sold for
$2,100

Starting price
$2100