Cornelian scarab carved with frolicking Satyrs. Greek, Archaic period, c. 5

A cornelian scarab carved with frolicking Satyrs

The small beetle is carved with an intaglio of three naked Satyrs embarking upon sexual exploits within a woodland scene. Each hoofed figure is highly aroused, the central figure bent over and playing double pipes whilst looking over his shoulders. The scarab un-drilled.

Greek, Archaic period, c. 525 BC

Measures 1.4 x 1.1 x 0.7cm

Provenance;
Giorgio Sangiorgi (1886-1965), Rome, acquired and brought to Switzerland, late 1930s; thence by continuous descent to the previous owner

Comparative literature;
Boardman J & Wagner C, Masterpieces in Miniature: Engraved Gems from Prehistory to the Present, London, 2018, p29, catalogue no. 22