An etruscan iron intaglio. Hercules with club. The standing hero,...

An etruscan iron intaglio. Hercules with club. The standing hero, turned to the left, is wearing the nemean lion skin; he is holding a laurel wreath in his right hand, leaning on his club with the left one. A crescent and a star in the field. The bezel, of an ogival ("almond" or "eye") shape, is enriched with a delicate, chiselled golden frame. For the peculiar pose of the figure, nearly in a slight muscular torsion, we can refer to the glyptic production of an etruscan style, which we can trace in classical pototypes. For comparisons: J. Boardman, C. Wagner, Masterpieces in miniature. Engraved gems from prehistory to the present, p. 111 n. 100. Wear marks and traces of metallic oxidation. 4th - 2nd century B.C.
11 x 14 x 2 mm