Quantcast
  We apologize for any slow response. This will be fixed before October 31st Portal logo
Login/Register
Bactrian Gold Treasure from Afghanistan, coming soon....
/gemstones/king-gems-decorative-stones/page_301 - 2
 

Sardonyx

Sardonyx Page of 384 Sardonyx Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
292                 NATURAL HISTORY OF GEMS.
a stone of five layers ; the respective parts of the design being kept in very flat relief, for the sake of contrast, owing to the thinness of these layers.
Next in size, 13 ÷ 11 inches, but far above it in fame, comes "Le Grand Camée de France," known also as the " Agate of the Sainte Chapelle," representing the triumph of G-ermanicus, where the hero is received by Tiberius and Livia, and the Apotheosis of Augustus occupies the upper portion of the composition ; captives seated amidst arms filling up the exergue. This was brought from Constan­tinople by Baldwin II., the last Prankish emperor, and pawned to St. Louis, together with other relics (of vast sanctity but no intrinsic value), for an enormous sum:* being then interpreted as " the Triumph of Joseph in Egypt." This stone also has five strata.
Third in point of magnitude, but superior to both the preceding as a work of art, in consequence of the priority of its date, is the " Gemma Augustea" of Vienna, the subject of which is the reception of Drusus (father of Ger-manicus) after his victory over the Rhaeti and Vindelici, b.c. 17. Augustus as Jove, Livia as Roma, seated on thrones, welcome the hero and his brother Tiberius. In the exergue appear his Macedonian and Thessalian allies, with their captives; Romans are engaged in erecting a trophy over the vanquished barbarians who lie bound upon the earth below : on the shield of the trophy is blazoned the Scorpion, the horoscope of Tiberius ; an ingenious mode of recording his participation in the success. This is the finest work in relief extant ; the stone, however, has but two layers, and is rather to be termed an Agathe-onyx. Its shape is ellip­tical, 9 x 8 inches. This relic, wrested by Philippe le Bel from the Templars, and presented by him to the Abbaye
* 10,000 marks of silver, about 20,000l., equivalent to fifteen times that sum at present.
Sardonyx Page of 384 Sardonyx
Suggested Illustrations
Other Chapters you may find useful
Other Books on this topic
bullet Tag
This Page