Gold fob seal with Renaissance intaglio of herm and figures

Gold-Mounted Carnelian Fob Seal with Intaglio of a Herm, Female Figures, and Sacrificial Altar

Renaissance, 16th century (intaglio); French, 18th century (mount, with duty marks)

Measurements
• Intaglio: 1.8 × 1.4 cm
• Height of seal: 2.5 cm
• Weight: 6.6 grams

An oval carnelian intaglio finely engraved with a classical scene. At the centre stands a herm upon a plinth, flanked by two female figures: the woman to the left wears a gown with loose drapery falling across her arms, while the figure to the right is shown nude, her body scarcely veiled by a fine transparent cloth. At the far right is a sacrificial altar surmounted by a lyre, introducing a musical or poetic dimension to the scene and emphasising its votive character.

The gem, cut in the 16th century, reflects the Renaissance revival of antique glyptic art, where Roman prototypes were carefully studied and reinterpreted with elegance and precision. The finely executed incision and harmonious arrangement of clothed and unclothed figures highlight the engraver’s technical mastery and antiquarian erudition. The stone is mounted in an ornate 18th-century French gold fob mount, pierced with scrolling foliate ornament and stamped with duty marks, reflecting the fashion for resetting prized Renaissance gems in luxurious mounts for use as seals or pendants.