Getty Museum

Engraved Gem with a Mixing Vessel decorated with a Chariot and a Panther

Date

1st century B.C.

Medium

Banded agate, blue and brown

Culture

Italic

Department

Jewelry

Institution

Getty Museum

A very tall-necked calyx-krater, a vessel for mixing wine and water, adorns this engraved Italic gem. A two-horse chariot gallops across the neck of the vase, and a panther prowls on the body. Satyr masks decorate the area under the handles. Representations of vases and other objects were not uncommon motifs on Hellenistic and Roman rings.The use of small drilled holes for rendering details such as the horses' hooves and the decoration on the shoulder of the krater was typical for Italic gem carving of this period, as was the use of banded agate. The carving on this gem creates a visual effect similar to that of cameos. The image of the vase, carved into the lower brown layer, stands out against the upper blue layer of the stone.

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