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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1986.553
Title
Glass Scaraboid with Herakles and the Nemean lion
Classification
Gems
Work Type
gem
Date
425-375 BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World
Period
Classical period
Culture
Greek
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/289087

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Pale green glass
Technique
Intaglio
Dimensions
2.5 x 2.9 x 1 cm (1 x 1 1/8 x 3/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Damon Mezzacappa, gift; to the Harvard Art Museum, 1986.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Damon Mezzacappa
Accession Year
1986
Object Number
1986.553
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Glass scaraboid (intaglio gem in the shape of a beetle). Herakles wrestles the Nemean lion. on the left, a beardless Herakles stands facing the lion, both are in profile. Herakles raises his right arm, as if to hold a club. Many facial details have not survived, however, his close-cropped hair, brow, and ear are visible. The lion faces Herakles with his head near the hero's chest. Herakles' lower legs as well as the lion's hindlegs are missing.

The figures are deeply cut indicating that the design was cut into the glass rather than molded.

Publication History

  • G. Max Bernheimer, "Catalog of the Greek Engraved Gems in the Collection of the Harvard University Art Museums" (1988), p. 46-47, no. 11

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu