290 A POPULAR TREATISE ON GEMS.
by Valerio Vicentine; it represented nine figures. The Nuptials of Cupid and Psyche contains, five figures.
In
the inventory of curiosities belonging to the crown of France, made in
1791, are mentioned two vases of sardonyx, valued at sixty-four
thousand francs ; six sets, at one hundred and sixty-seven thousand
francs ; two cups at sixteen hundred francs ; one decanter at thirteen
hundred francs ; one urn at six hundred francs ; but one remarkable
sardonyx, of a grayish yellow mixed with brown, on which a Medusa head
was engraved, was valued at twelve thousand francs.
The onicolo or nicolo is
another variety of onyx ; it is of brown ground with a band of bluish
white ; it is distinguished from onyx, by the lower layer being always
thinner than the upper ; it is not so highly valued as either the onyx
or sardonyx. The Mineralogical Cabinet at Paris possesses several
cameos of this material ; one represents military piety ; also a cameo
of Adonis, by Coinus. The stone is probably the œgyptilla, described by Pliny.
The
real sardonyx is the rarest mineral among that class of stones, on
account of the multiplicity of layers, of which there are as many as
ten, all, however, from the same substances, but differently colored :
such as chalcedony, jasper, agate, white, gray, red, and brown, opaque,
translucent, bluish, or yellowish; they are highly prized, particularly
those from the Orient.
The
finest cameo of the real Oriental sardonyx is in the imperial cabinet
of Vienna, it is said to come from Diosco-rides ; it was obtained by
Rudolph II., the German emperor, for 12,000 ducats.
In
the crown-jewels of France are some unique cameos of sardonyx, such as
the triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne, valued at 7000 francs, and eleven
other cut stones valued together at 60,000 francs.
